I know I have found a good story when I decide to read the manga rather than wait week by week to see the anime version of it. This was my experience with the Hell’s Paradise Mappa adaptation. I loved the first three episodes so much that I read Yuji Kaku’s manga over three days, being rewarded by a compelling story with incredible characters and inventive fights that worked perfectly with the theme of accepting strengths and weaknesses.
It was this scene which ultimately convinced me to read the manga..
From that point on, I was watching the anime not as someone experiencing this story for the first time but as someone who had read the manga and was judging the anime based on how well it adapted the source material. This is where a lot of complaints from manga readers came in. I saw many critcizing the adaptation as it was airing for the quality of its animation. To be fair, I can understand why this criticism is happening. The animation is clearly not up to the par of Mappa’s other brilliant adaptations, like Chainsaw Man. However, the animation is still solid, with numerous excellently animated fights, like in Episodes Two, Nine, Twelve, and Thirteen.
While some fights do feel a bit lacking, some of them are fantastically animated, especially towards the end.
The story is also much the same as the manga, with Gabimaru the Hollow (Chiaki Kobayashi) travelling to a mysterious island with his executioner Sagiri (Yumiri Hanamori) to claim the Elixar of Life in the hope of receiving a pardon from the Shogun so he can see his wife again. Gabimaru, Sagiri, and all of the other prisoners and executioners are well voiced and just as endearing as they are in the source material. The themes are also well expressed, with signs of how they will eventually tie into the story in a big way in the coming seasons, how ever many there are.
I am excited to see how Tao is portrayed in future fights.
Hopefully, the following season will have a bigger budget and more time to develop its animation so that it can reach the heights of the manga. Again, the animation we got in this first season is very good but we know Mappa can do much better. Although, in saying that, good treatment of their animators should come first because this was one of those anime where I heard rumors about the animators being under a lot of pressure again. Overall, this was a good first season for Hell’s Paradise and I am anticipating its continutation.
The first season of Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury did a great job of getting plenty of people hooked for a second season. Ending on the cliffhanger of Suletta (Kana Ichinose) killing someone in front of Miorine (Lynn) and being completley unbothered by it, there were a lot of questions about what would happen next.
This dark ending hinted at grim things to come.
This is why it was surprising to see the second season have a slow start, with the first episode mostly being setup. Unsurprisingly, this caused a few complaints, but people should have been more paitient because, low and behold, the second episode gets right back to the grim story telling the first season left on from. The story follows Suletta, who is struggling to deal with the blow that has been dealt to her relationship with Miorine, who, in turn, now has to run her father’s corporation while also trying to get Suletta away from her conniving mother, Lady Prospera (Mamiko Noto). This leads to many a tragic moment, some of which are not even related to a character death, with the characters words alone doing the emotional damage.
This scene especially was hard to watch.
It is not just Suletta and Miorine who get the spotlight though because plenty of the other characters get time to shine, with Shaddiq (Makoto Furukawa) making his move, and an unexpected bond growing between Elan (Natsuki Hanae) and Norea (Aoi Yuki). It is Guel (Yohei Azakami) who really shines this season, however, as he deals with the trauma of accidentally killing his own father, while being held captive on earth. I have loved Guel’s arc, as he started off as a privileged bully at the beginning of Season One, only to grow into a humbled leader and friend of Suletta.
Guel’s arc in seasons one and two is fantastic.
Not all about his story is great though because this does lead into one of my issues with Season Two, that being Guel’s brother Lauda (Takeo Otsuka). Towards the end of the season, Lauda’s brain does a whole lot of mental gymnastics to blame Miorine for everything, leading to a conflict between him and Guel. It honestly felt like the writers just wanted Guel to have a fight at the end so they came up with a reason to have Lauda be his opponent, no matter how contrived it was.
Lauda’s reasoning ultimately left me scratching my head.
Unfortunately, that is not my only problem with Season Two because I feel that the ending is a bit lacking. Don’t get me wrong, the characters do get a satisfying ending but, as for the world The Witch from Mercury has built, it felt like everything was wrapped up too neatly. I think we could have got another season showing a conflict between earth and space, rather than it all being quickly wrapped up here. Sadly, it seems like this really is the end of The Witch from Mercury.
It is a shame if the show is truly over because I felt it had the potential to go further.
That being said, if this is the end then the show was highly enjoyable. Along with the story and characters, the animation and score were also great, with the OPs and ED being very well done. This is especially the case for Season Two’s ED “Red:birthmark” by Aina The End, which has banger singing, visuals and symbolism. All in all, The Witch from Mercury Season Two is a great follow-up to the first season, which provides a satisfying conclusion, despite it being a bit lacking. I hope we get some continuation, even if that seems unlikely at this point.
Christopher Nolan is one of my and many other’s favourite directors working today. His name attached to a project alone is enough to get my butt in a set. I have even liked some of his films which have received criticism, like most recently Tenet. Nolan’s Oppenheimer, however, has been getting mostly non-stop praise and, after seeing the film in Xtremescreen, I can say that this praise is entirely deserved. Oppenheimer is a biographical film following the life of the titular J. Robert Oppenheimer, called the father of the atomic bomb. Cillian Murphy plays Oppenheimer in his first leading role in a Christopher Nolan movie, and he does so flawlessly, conveying so much emotion with just his eyes.
This is Murphy’s best performance to date.
His performance is masterful, as we watch Oppenheimer go from studying abroad, to eventually leading the Manhattan Project, to his downfall during the shameful years of the McCarthy Era. I would not be surprised if we saw Murphy get at least an Oscar nomination for Best Actor. He should not be alone in getting a nomination, however, for there are other actors whose roles in Oppenheimer make them deserving as well. There is Emily Blunt as Kitty Openheimer, who steals the scene in an interrogation with Jason Clarke’s Roger Robb, which makes her deserving of a Best Supporting Actress nod. As for Best Supporting Actor, the nomination without a doubt has to go to Robert Downey Jr, who delivers what is one of the best performances of his career as Lewis Strauss.
I will be upset if Robert Downey Jr. does not at least get nominated for his role in Oppenheimer.
Matt Damon, Florence Pugh, Rami Malek, Gary Oldman, and Casey Affleck are some of the many, many big name actors who makes appearances in this film and they all do excellent. But what is good performances without good direction, and Christopher Nolan delivers that in spades with a stunning look into Oppenheimer’s mind in all of its beauty and terror. This terror especially comes into play with the Trinity Test, the first test of a nuclear bomb, which is the most intense moment I have seen on screen all year.
The build up to the blast had my heart pounding.
The way the cinematography (Hoyte van Hoytema), the editing (Jennifer Lame) and score (Ludwig Göransson) all combine during the Trinity Test creates such a beautifully haunting moment. This moment is maybe even matched by Oppenehimer’s reaction to the aftermath of the successful bomb drops on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which killed hundreds of thousands. Nolan and Murphy portray the effect these horrible events had on Oppenheimer perfectly, leading an ending scene which gave me goosebumps. I think the last time a movie’s ending left me feeling so haunted was when I saw the ending to Bong Joon-ho’s Memories of Murder.
The ending of Oppenheimer will stick with me for a while.
After seeing Oppenheimer I would go as far to say that it is not just an excellent film but one of Christopher Nolan’s best, right up there with the likes of Inception and TheDark Knight. The film is three hours long and when it was over it felt like barely any time had passed and that may be the highest praise I can give it. I cannot recommend Oppenheimer enough. It not only provides a haunting look at the creation of nuclear weapons but a look at the flawed yet sympathetic man who fathered them.
I first got into the Mission: Impossible franchise, not long after the release of the previous film Fallout, which I thought was one of the best movies of 2018. So, going into the seventh installment in the series, once again directed by Christopher McQuarrie, I was expecting a well-directed action film with a fun story and characters, and thrilling stunts from Tom Cruise, which is exactly what I got.
The latest Mission: Impossible movie captures everything great about the franchise.
Dead Reckoning Part One follows Cruise’s IMF Agent Ethan Hunt, who is tasked with collecting a key, which could be used to eventually control a powerful rogue AI known as the Entity. However, believing that the Entity is too dangerous, Ethan instead sets out to kill it, along with his fellow agents and friends Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson), Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames) and Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg). They are not alone in the search for the key, as Ethan has to enlist the help of a thief named Grace (Hayley Atwell), all the while being pursued by Gabriel (Esai Morales), a dangerous man from Ethan’s past. The story of Dead Reckoning Part One is a lot of fun, with its still surprising portrayal of espionage, and interesting take on AI with one reveal about the Entity being pretty intense.
The reveal surprised me quite a bit.
Speaking of intensity, the film is not all fun because there is some sadness to be had, due to specific events that I cannot get into because of spoilers. There is some good humor to balance the sad moments, though. One thing I was worried about going into Dead Reckoning Part One is the Part One of the title. Movies being separated into parts seems to be a returning trend in movies these days and this can lead to some frustrating experiences, most notably Across the Spider-Verse which, while still one of the best movies of the year, ends very abruptly with the rest of the story being continued in Beyond the Spider-Verse. Thankfully, this was not an issue for Dead Reckoning Part One because, despite being only the first part of the story, it still ends in a satisfying way, while making me want more. This “more” includes more amazing stunts from Tom Cruise. I honestly don’t know how the guy can keep doing these death defying scenes, with a cliff jump in the teasers being particularly nerve wracking.
Tom Cruise does it again with the amazing stunt work.
I just hope he doesn’t end up seriously injuring himself or worse with these stunts. Overall, Dead Reckoning Part One is a satisfying beginning for a two-part story in the Mission: Impossible franchise. Fingers crossed that they can pull off Part Two just as well but there is nothing which leads me to doubt that.
I honestly don’t even know where to begin with this review.
I know I have said that Tatsuki Fujimoto is an unpredictable writer but seriously I don’t even know what’s happening any more and I still somehow enjoy it.
Chapter 137 of Chainsaw Man, “Chu Chu Lovely Mini Mini Mura Mura” picks up right from where the previous chapter left off, with the creepy girl grabbing Denji’s crotch without his consent.
The girl offers to have sex with Denji if he licks the dead Devil in the theatre.
After she said this, I felt there was a 50/50 chance of Denji refusing and Denji accepting.
We know from what Denji has said in Part Two that he wants to actually think for himself and not be manipulated.
However, well…. this is Denji we’re talking about and the guy does want to have sex pretty badly.
This is why I was extremely proud to see Denji immediately call the girl out as sketchy, rightly calling her offer out as way too convenient.
He goes on to say that he is matured and that he will no longe mindlessly obey someone, so the girl should go and have some respect for herself aaaannnndddd it’s all in his head.
Yep, turns out that Denji standing up for himself was just his imagination, since he pretty much immediately starts licking the Devil’s head for sex while the girl laughs at him.
He even sucks the Devil’s head like a popsicle when she asks him to, which was just sadly pathetic to look at.
It was honestly disappointing to see Denji revert to this, although this is not a criticism because Denji has developed enough to know he shouldn’t be mindlessly obeying this creepy girl, even if he still does.
Afterwards, the girl takes Denji to a karaoke place, which Fujimoto literally names after himself.
The girl says that she has a friend who works there so they will turn a blind eye to her and Denji having sex in one of the rooms.
Denji is eager to get started but before that the girl wants to sing a song.
She starts the karaoke machine and starts singing what looks like a whole lot of nonsense.
Imagine my surprise when I look it up afterwards and found out this was actually a song, which the chapter is named after, “Chu Chu Lovely Muni Muni Mura Mura Purin Purin Boron Nururu Rero Rero” by Maximum the Hormone.
Listening to the song, I also cannot help but thing that it is perfect for the absolutely Fujimoto typical insanity that happens next.
While the girl is singing the song, a man with a baseball bat enters and attempts to kill Denji.
Denji beats him but then another man enters, and then another, and then another.
Men are literally lining up outside the door to enter and attempt to beat Denji to death with baseball bats.
Denji eventually exits the room and beats up all of his attackers, actually looking pretty pleased with himself.
Although, this may just be some sort of self-depricating smile because here is yet another woman trying to kill him, as the creepy girl emerges from the room, baseball bat in hand, looking ready to fight him too as she declares that this looks funner than singing a second verse.
So, as expected, the girl making an advance on Denji was a trap.
I do wonder if the people Denji beat up were hired to do so or if the girl was controlling them, and is a Devil.
Also, if the girl was sent by Yoshida, does this mean this assassination attempt was set up by him?
Maybe Yoshida thought Denji might try to be Chainsaw Man again so tried to have him killed?
But if Yoshida is behind this then it is rather weird that he chose such a poor assassination method.
I mean, Denji has killed multiple powerful Devils at this point so a bunch of guys with baseball bats would obviously not succeed in killing him.
No matter what the meaning behind the attack on Denji was, Chapter 137 of Chainsaw Man was another completley insane chapter.
I had no idea what was even happening when I first read it.
We will have to wait two weeks so the next chapter can give us context.
But, knowing Fujimoto, I would not be surprised if we got more insanity, not that I would be complaining about that.
You know, I keep going into Chainsaw Man chapters expecting normal, predictable stuff to happen, and every time Fujimoto surprises me with the outright bizarre stuff he comes up with.
I should have learned my lesson after Chapter 105 but I clearly did not because I still ended Chapter 136 “Normal Life” wondering what the hell I had just read.
The chapter centers around Denji’s “normal life” after he quits being Chainsaw Man.
He is back at school, looking depressed as ever, while still wearing his Chainsaw Man t-shirt.
Another student notices this and informs Denji of the rumor that Chainsaw Man is actually taking credit for Asa’s Devil kills, and tells him that he should stop wearing the shirt of a “victimizer.”
If that was not bad enough, another student who loves Chainsaw Man overhears this and, believing Denji agrees with the other student, attacks him.
The chapter then cuts to the aftermath of the fight where Denji is admonished for beating up the student who attacked him, as the teacher automatically assumes Denji started the fight since he doesn’t have parents.
It’s sad but realistic considering how some schools treat those who defend themselves as bad as the actual bullies.
Denji is too depressed to protest his innocence and leaves the room, only to be met by Yoshida, who invites him out to a movie.
They are the only ones at the theatre, since a Devil showed up but it was killed quickly and Yoshida uses this to point out how Chainsaw Man isn’t actually needed, probably depressing Denji further.
It is then that Yoshida reveals he used this movie invite to set Denji up with a girl he knows.
Yoshida probably did this to further convince Denji to live a normal life, since one of the reasons Denji wanted people to know he was Chainsaw Man was so he could get a girlfriend.
Before Yoshida leaves, Denji asks him if this is what a normal life is supposed to be like, and Yoshida replies that it is, leaving Denji all alone in the theater in what is a pretty depressing panel.
The girl then approaches and sits next to Denji, who is not really into the idea of going on a date, given how depressed he is.
He is about to tell the girl he wants to be left alone, when he starts shrieking loudly.
At first, I thought he had got a look at the girl’s face and maybe recognized her but nope, if only.
Instead, what has actually happened is the girl has suddenly grabbed his wiener.
We then get a look at this girl’s face and, yep, she looks incredibly creepy.
The chapter then ends on Denji still in shock that the girl has grabbed his weiner, and once again I can confidently say that I did not expect the chapter to end this way.
The final scene with this creepy, sexual harassment girl felt so bizarre to read.
But that’s what I like about Fujimoto’s writing.
He is always pulling some weird plot development out of a hat that makes you wonder just what the hell you are reading.
He did it with Fire Punch and he is doing it now with Chainsaw Man. Already, there are multiple theories about who the sexual harassment girl is.
The Death Devil is a popular one but I doubt that since she does not have the spiral eyes of Makima, Yoru or Fami.
Another theory is the Octopus Devil Yoshida is contracted with and I find this much more likely, since it could be a way for Yoshida to keep an eye on Denji and make sure that he is living a normal life.
Or the girl could just be a random pervert, who knows?
As for how Denji will react to her next chapter, well, that is anyone’s guess.
He did tell Asa he wanted to have sex but this mysterious girl’s actions feel a lot like Makima’s sexual manipulation so I don’t know if Denji will fall for it again.
Then again, this is Denji we’re talking about so he very well might.
Either way, given that every woman in Denji’s life tries to kill him, I expect this girl to be no different.
Although, if there’s something I should have learned about Fujimoto at this point, it is to expect the unexpected when reading his works.
In the previous chapter of Chainsaw Man, the Imposter made his debut to the world.
Now, in the recent Chapter 135 “Sentimental Drive”, we finally see Asa’s reaction to the news.
Like many predicted, Asa sees through the ruse immediately.
She knows the real Chainsaw Man is self-serving after their meeting during the Falling Devil fight so immediately recognizes the Imposter as a fraud.
Yoru, however, is more focused on Asa now having a crush on Chainsaw Man after he saved her.
Despite this, Yoru remains in good spirits because she knows that war is coming due to the issues caused by the Falling Devil’s appearance, and war will make her stronger.
Asa suggests that if Yoru gets her strength back then she will not have to kill Chainsaw Man but Yoru is insistent, urging Asa to forget about him.
Instead, this makes Asa think about him more, resulting in Yoru breaking the fourth wall by screaming, “No flashbacks!”
This, in turn, leads to the funniest moment of the chapter with Asa’s mind coming up with a literal poem to describe her time with Chainsaw Man, titled “Sentimental Drive.”
Before Yoru can be tortured with more of Asa’s poetry, Fami arrives as if from nowhere.
Asa and Yoru demand to know how she got there, only for Fami to continuously ask if she can eat their bread.
I still find it hilarious that the Famine Devil is constantly thinking about food.
Once she has her food, Fami produces a plan to Asa and Yoru.
If Asa joins the Chainsaw Man Church, then she can fight the Devils for him, allowing Denji to live a normal life.
This will bring the Black Chainsaw Man (Pochita) out, and Yoru can then kill him, since he is the one her grudge is truly against.
Yoru and Asa do agree to this plan but I find their newfound alliance with Family extremely suspcious, considering that Fami used the Falling Devil to try and get Yoru under ger control, not that either of them know that.
Also, Fami wants to make sure the world stays safe so she can keeping eating human food, right?
Well, the world needs Chainsaw Man to keep it safe and removing Pochita from the equation would remove Denji’s power to do so.
Although, it’s also pretty clear that the plan will not end well because if Asa and Yoru do draw Pochita out there is no way Denji is going to allow him to be killed.
Not to mention Denji seems pretty mad at the end of the chapter when he sees Asa on the TV, striking a heroic pose over a Devil she killed, while news commentators speculate that she is actually responsible for Chainsaw Man’s Devil kills.
Will this be enough to push Denji over the edge and make him transform again?
I guess we will find out tommorrow when the next chapter releases.
One thing I am certain of though is that this will lead to another confrontation between him and Asa, whether that is next chapter or later.
This could be a pretty humorous interaction, since Asa does not remember her date with Denji because Nayuta erased her memories.
One final interesting detail about Chapter 135 that I want to mention is that Fami seemingly confirms that she and Yoru, just like Makima, have no interest in faces.
In Part One of Chainsaw Man, this directly lead to Makima’s defeat so I wonder if Fami saying this is foreshadowing a potential downfall of her or Yoru for the same reason?
Overall, Chapter 135, “Sentimental Drive” is another solid Chainsaw Man chapter, which seems to be building to another tense yet comedic meeting between Asa and Denji.
A few days ago, I went on Netflix to rewatch a show that I wanted to get back into. The first thing I saw when I opened Netflix was an ad for the movie Nimona. I had never heard of Nimona but I decided to give the ad a shot rather than ignoring it and was pleasantly surprised by the brief scene I was shown. The animation looked solid and the dynamic between the two main characters Nimona (Chloë Grace Moretz) and Ballister (Riz Ahmed) had me chuckling. So I decided to give it a watch and was not let down.
Nimona is, as the titular character would say, “metal.”
Directed by Nick Bruno and Troy Quane, and based off the webcomic and graphic novel by ND Stevenson, Nimona is set in a futuristic version of a medieval kingdom, 1000 years after the kingdom’s hero, Gloreth, defeated an evil monster that threatened it. A young man named Ballister Boldheart is set to become the first commoner to be accepted into the Elite Knights who protect the kingdom. However, on the day of his ascension, he is framed for the Queen’s murder and has to go on the run. This is where Nimona comes in. A shapeshifting, anarchy loving, hell raiser, Nimona joins Ballister, first to be his villainous sidekick and then to help him clear his name when she learns of his innocence. Back when I watched the ad for this movie, the dynamic between Nimona and Ballister was the thing that drew me in, and their growing bond is definitely the highlight of the movie. Nimona is often darkly hilarious and Ballister plays off on this perfectly with his often horrified reactions to her chaotic actions.
Ballister’s constant concerned reactions to Nimona’s morbid statements will never not be funny.
There is also a lot of heart between these two characters, as they bond over their experiences, which leads to some pretty tragic and dark places for Nimona’s character. Speaking of heart, Ballister is actually in for a heartbreak as his boyfriend Ambrosius (Eugene Lee Yang), the descendant of Gloreth, is chosen by the Director of the Elite Knights (Frances Conroy) to hunt Ballister and Nimona down. The relationship between Ballister and Ambrosius is also well done with a lot of interesting tension between the two since they stand on opposite sides after the inciting incident of the Queen’s murder. Disney, however, were apparently not impressed by this. From what I have heard, Disney almost cancelled the film entirely, all because of a scene where Ballister and Ambrosius kiss. Well, the joke’s on Disney in the end because of how many of their recent films have flopped, while Nimona is soaring.
If the rumor about Disney almost cancelling Nimona due to homophoia is true then it’s disappointing, although not unsurprising.
I will not say that the film is entirely perfect though, as there are a few criticisms I do have. For one thing, although Ballister’s status as a commoner is important to the beginning of the story, the divide between commoners and nobles isn’t really focused on that much afterwards, which felt like a missed opportunity to expand the world building. This could have helped further cement the motive behind the villain of the movie, which also felt quite lacking. They are pretty much just a standard surprise twist villain, a trope which has been especially common in animated movies over the years. Not to mention the identity of this villain was incredibly predictable. The rest of the movie, however, was far from predictable, with quite a few surprises, especially concerning Nimona’s powers, which the writers get really creative with, allowing for many excellently animated scenes.
Nimona transforming into a whale is just the first of many surprises.
The animation honestly reminded me a lot of Arcane at times, and given how much I love Arcane that is strong praise from me. All in all, Nimona is a great animated movie with a charming and funny friendship between its two lead characters. I would highly recommend checking it out.
Indiana Jones is one of the most celebrated franchises of all time. Even if its fourth installment was a big let-down, the original trilogy of Raiders of the Lost Arc, the Temple of Doom, and the Last Crusade are all rightly considered classics. So when a new and most likely final film, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny was announced, fans were both excited and nervous. Would this be as good as the films of the original trilogy or a disaster like Kingdom of the Crystal Skull? Well, it turns out the answer is neither because Dial of Destiny simply alright. It is a descent conclusion to the character of Indiana Jones with things to like and dislike about it.
The Dial of Destiny is an okay film but that an Indiana Jones film should definitely be more than that.
Directed by James Mangold, the film follows an elderly Jones (Harrison Ford) who is just about to retire from his job after suffering a family tragedy, when his goddaughter Helena (Phoebe Waller-Bridge) shows up. She is here to take one of Indie’s artifacts, a piece of the Antikythere, which is an ancient device created by the Greek philosopher Archimedes to supposedly travel through time. However, Helena is being pursued by Nazis who were pardoned for their cooperation after World War Two. They are led by Dr Jürgen Voller (Mads Mikkelsen), a Nazi scientist Jones encountered decades before and now wants to use the Antikythere to change the course of the war. And so, Indiana Jones has to go on one more, final adventure with Helena and her young friend Teddy (Ethan Isidore) to stop Voller.
It’s a race to complete the Antikythere to stop the Nazis from winning WW2.
Whatever anyone may think about the Dial of Destiny, I don’t think any of them could deny that it was good to see Harrison Ford in the role of Indiana Jones for what will most likely be the last time. As expected, Ford does a fantastic job as the character, even though it has been so many years since he played him. He brings a lot of weight to his performance, both emotionally and physically. I say physically because I quite liked the way Indie’s age was showcased. It is quite clear that he is not as strong as he once was, given his age and this is portrayed well. As for his youngers days, this is also showcased with the opening scene, which sees a digitally altered Indie working with Helena’s father Bazel (Toby Jones), fighting Nazis on a train. This is the best scene of the film, with the CGI used to de-age Ford working, for the most part.
The de-ageing used on Harrison Ford works, except for a few instances. Although it is weird to hear Ford’s older voice come from a younger looking Indie.
What works less is the CGI used for the action, both in this scene and in the rest of the movie. One of the many things that make the original trilogy great is how practical they are. You could really feel the weight of the action because you knew that what you were seeing was mostly real. Constant CGI, on the other hand, adds a level of disconnect because you can often tell what you are looking at is not there. This was a problem with Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and it is a problem here. Although, to be fair, I do understand that some CGI was necessary because we cannot expect the 80-year-old Ford to pull off the stunts he used to.
I do understand that some CGI was necessary for Ford but I wish there had been more practical effects than digital.
As for the younger actors in this movie, they unfortunately left a bit to be desired. Helena is a very unlikeable character for the first half of the movie and, while I do understand that this was likely the intent, with the writers probably hoping her growth would in turn make her grow on the viewer, unfortunately I think they went a bit overboard with it. Helena is quite callous throughout much of the movie and it is difficult to forget that, even when she has her development.
The writers really should have dialled down Helena’s callousness because it made her difficult to like even after her arc.
As for Teddy, while he does get one standout moment, it did not feel like there was enough to make me latch onto him as a character. It is the same for Voller who is serviceable as the villain but nothing beyond that. Boyd Holbrook’s role is worse, with his henchman character being entirely forgettable. One thing that is certainly not forgettable, however, is the film’s third act, which goes in a crazy direction that I think may feel like a jump-the-shark moment for many viewers. Personally, I quite enjoyed this twist, crazy as it was. It is was some of the characters’ abrupt decisions during this third act that made me scratch my head, honestly.
Although some of the choices made in the third act are weird, it is still the most memorable scene in the movie, along with the first scene.
This builds into an ending that is emotionally cathartic but also not without its issues because the film forgets to resolve a plot point it set up in the first act, creating quite a jarring plot hole. So overall, the Dial of Destiny has a lot of issues. It is certainly not without its merits, with the first scene, Ford’s performance, and the crazy third act making the film enjoyable. However, as an Indiana Jones film, it fails to live up to the legacy set by the original trilogy. A decent film to be sure but Indiana Jones should never be just decent.
Vinland Saga is an all-time great manga and the first season of its adaptation, made by Wit Studio, was amazing. After finally watching it, I was too interested to wait for Season Two and read the manga. I was quite surprised by the direction Makoto Yukimura took the story, with the setting changing from the brutal viking battlefields to a farm. This was far from a bad thing though as Yukimura crafted a beautiful arc centering around the horrors of slavery and pointlessness of war. It also serves as the beginning of Thorfinn’s (Yūto Uemura) redemption, and now Studio Mappa has adapted this storyline flawlessly.
Thorfinn’s story of redemption is brilliantly adapted by Mappa.
Season One ended with a tease of various characters important to the future of the story. One of these characters was Einar (Shunsuke Takeuchi), a man who was enslaved after his family was murdered. Season Two’s first episode sees Einar being bought to work on a farm by land owner Ketil (Hideaki Tezuka). It is here that he meets Thorfinn, who was also sold into slavery after Season One and is now aimless in his life and suffering from the guilt of what he did while working for Askeladd. From there, the season follows the two as they work to gain their freedom and grow closer as brothers, while Thorfinn slowly changes for the better in realizing what he needs to do to become a true warrior.
Thorfinn’s journey in Season Two puts on the path to becoming a true warrior.
At the farm,Thorfinn, Einar, and the audience are introduced to various interesting new characters like Snake (Fuminori Komatsu), Arnheid (Mayumi Sako), Sverkel (Mugihito), and Olmar (Yū Hayashi), all of whom have their own parts to play in commentating on the themes of the story. All the while, Canute (Kensho Ono) is slowly consolidating his power, becoming more and more like his cruel father as each year follows, eventually building to a tense confrontation with Thorfinn.
While Thorfinn rises, Canute falls into darkness, until their fateful meeting.
Season Two’s story may be of lesser scope and have lesser stakes than the first season but this does not make it any less impactful, with Thorfinn’s growth being especially moving. Accompanying the excellent arcs of many of the characters is the animation, which Mappa excels at as expected. The score is also beautiful, with the piano notes composed by Yutaka Yamade being tear inducing during certain tragic scenes. Speaking of the music, the openings for Season Two are also fantastic. The first one is “River” by Anonymouz, which seems to highlight Thorfinn’s growth in the first half of the season, and the second OP is “Paradox” by Survive Said the Prophet, which appears to represent the challenges to Thorfinn’s new mindsets, including the consequences of the escaped slave Gardar, and the now ruthless Canute.
Both OPs perfectly reflect the tone and events of each half of the season.
By the end of the season, it was clear that Mappa had done a masterful job of adapting the Farm Arc, both in their faithful recreation of scenes from the manga, and in new, interesting anime original moments like Einar’s past in the first episode. I hope that Vinland Saga continues to get the brilliant adaptation it has been getting so far, with hopefully a Season Three and fingers crossed an eventual Season Four.
THE REVIEW MONSTER 