Anime Review: Kino’s Journey -the Beautiful World- the Animated Series

Details: Also known as Kino no Tabi -the Beautiful World-. Aired in 2017. Twelve episodes with each episode a little over twenty minutes long.

Kino’s Journey can be considered a second season or a remake of the similarly named anime that was released in 2003. A few of the episodes are remakes/upgrades to episodes in the prior anime series. Personally, this never bothered me because I’ve mostly forgotten everything from the prior anime series since I watched it so long ago. For me, this newly released series of Kino’s Journey is an interesting, tense adventure that often times dips into the horror, fantasy, and science fiction genres.

Anime Review: Blood Blockade Battlefront & Beyond

Details: Also known as Kekkai Sensen & Beyond. Aired in 2017. Twelve episodes with each episode a little under twenty-five minutes long.

Blood Blockade Battlefront & Beyond is the second season of the Blood Blockade anime. It continues where the last season left off and is as entertaining as the last season was.

Anime Review: Recovery of an MMO Junkie

Details: Also known as Netojū no Susume — Recommendation of the Wonderful Virtual Life. First aired in 2017. Ten episodes and an OVA that are each a little under twenty-five minutes long.

I came into this expecting another cookie cutter anime with the setting of a fantasy role-playing video game, except with a thirty year old female protagonist. I was expecting some action and some comedy. Instead, this is a fairly standard romantic comedy that could easily be made into a live action drama, maybe a Korean drama. Don’t expect any action. Do expect some cute, perhaps cringe worthy romance.

Comedy Special Review: Dave Chappelle: Equanimity & The Bird Revelation

Details: Released on Netflix on New Year’s Eve in 2017. Equanimity is a little over an hour-long and The Bird Revelation is a little under an hour long.

Equanimity and The Bird Revelation are the final part that Chappelle agreed to provide Netflix for a record sixty million dollars. I reviewed and enjoyed the last two comedy specials, even though they were obviously performed a substantial amount of time before they aired. This time, we get two shows that are not only immediately relevant to current events, but Bird Revelation is something different from the shows of large, raucous audiences and is instead a more intimate, insightful, but still hilarious show.

TV Show Review: Doctor Who: Twice Upon a Time

Details: Aired on the BBC in 2017. About an hour long. This is the Christmas special.

And so we’ve arrived at Peter Capaldi’s last episode as the Doctor. This final episode is our opportunity to take one final look at Capaldi’s portrayal of the Doctor. It is also Capaldi’s opportunity to say his goodbye and leave his final thesis on who his Doctor was meant to be. While there were some episodes in Capaldi’s tenure that I did not enjoy, there were some that I did enjoy immensely. Twice Upon a Time was a surprisingly emotional goodbye to a Doctor who was not as good as his predecessor (in my opinion), but left a meaningful and distinct mark all the same. It is also a goodbye to the Moffat era of Doctor Who.

Anime Review: Gintama, Episodes 1-125

Details: This is a review of episodes one through one hundred and twenty-five. Originally released in 2006, but is still airing new episodes. There is confusion in how the seasons are divided as Wikipedia lists one thing and crunchyroll.com lists something else. Each episode is little over twenty minutes long, like with most thirty minute long anime.

Along with One Piece, Gintama is one of the longest running anime that is still currently airing new episodes. I tried to like this show and to watch the over three hundred episodes of Gintama. Unfortunately, the lack of an overarching story as well as the tiring slapstick humor drained my interest. I only got as far as episode one hundred and twenty-five before giving up on this show.

TV Show Review: Crisis on Earth-X

Details: Aired in 2017. This is a four-part crossover, television show special comprised of episode 8 of season 3 of Supergirl, episode 8 of season 6 of Arrow, episode 8 of season 4 of The Flash, and episode 8 of season 3 of Legends of Tomorrow, in that order. Each episode is about an hour-long and aired on the CW.

Ever since the CW started airing more than one DC Comics superhero show, they began to air an annual crossover episode where the heroes on all their respective superhero shows team up in a self-contained story arc and fight a common enemy. This means more special effects, more action, and more funny/strange moments between characters who would normally never interact with one another.

The crossover miniseries this year is the largest to date as it combines the cast of Supergirl, Arrow, The Flash, and Legends of Tomorrow. You’d think it wouldn’t work, but despite some cringe-y moments, it mostly does. If you are at all a fan of the CW’s superhero shows, this is the television event you should watch.

Anime Review: Dragon Ball Super

Details: First started airing in 2015 and is still airing. There are currently one hundred and nineteen episodes. Each episode is a little over twenty minutes long.

Like many other children at the time, I grew up watching Dragon Ball Z. I used to wake up early every morning at around six, turn the volume real low and watch about thirty minutes of posturing and cartoon characters yelling at the top of their lungs. Dragon Ball Z was an integral part of my youth, which is why seeing it started up again in this most recent incarnation (and retconning all of Dragon Ball GT away) made me really excited. After watching over a hundred episodes of the show, I am happy to say that Dragon Ball Super is maintains the action and entertainment of Dragon Ball Z while reaching new levels of fan service.

TV Show Review: The Punisher

Details: Released on Netflix in 2017. There are thirteen episodes with each episode about an hour long.

The Punisher is one of the better Netflix-Marvel shows and most of that is because of Jon Bernthal. Bernthal takes what could have been a mediocre narrative and elevates it into something a little bit better.

TV Show Review: Stranger Things 2

Details: This is a review for season 2 of the show Stranger Things. Released on Netflix in 2017. There are nine episode with each episode at around forty-five minutes to an hour-long.

If I were to summarize Stranger Things 2 into a single phrase, it would be “nostalgia porn.” Stranger Things 2 doubles down on the nostalgia for the 1980’s and almost forces the viewer to partake in the music, style, and pop culture of the 1980’s. If you’re a fan of that decade, then you will likely enjoy Stranger Things 2. If you did not… then Stranger Things may come off as derivative and uninspired. For me, Stranger Things 2 dances the line between homage to the 1980’s and an uninspired, unoriginal mishmash of 1980’s pop culture.