Lukasmj Reviews

Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku (2023– )

Maybe another Demon Slayer?

[7/10 · 7 June 2024]

"Hell's Paradise" tells the story of the legendary shinobi Gabimaru who was sentenced to death. His only hope for pardon is to find the elixir that promises eternal life on a remote island.

This premise isn't particularly innovative, but it lays the foundation on which to tell an interesting story.

What struck me most about the anime is that it is obviously heavily inspired by Naruto.

It is partly about shinobis, the main character comes from a village called "Iwagakure" - just like a village in Naruto, one character wears a headband that looks suspiciously similar to the headbands from Naruto, the design of one character is obviously based on Sakura Haruno, there are various jutsus and even genjutsus are mentioned at one point.

Since the anime comes from MAPPA, great animation is inevitable here.

In my opinion, however, "Hell's Paradise" introduces too many characters at the same time. This means that there is little time for the individual characters and the telling of their backstory, and therefore no character is particularly memorable for the viewer because everything is told so quickly.

In my opinion, the number of characters should have been reduced a little so that the anime has a more pleasant pace and can take its time.

I also think that the amount of fan service is too high. I don't mind if a little fan service is included here and there, even if I find it rather annoying, I know that there are others who appreciate it a lot, but here, in my opinion, it just takes over.

The last episode of the first season, however, aroused my interest in following the story further, so I will take a look at the second season.

However, I am a little worried that "Hell's Paradise" will turn into another "Demon Slayer" for me and won't have much to offer apart from its animation...

Over the Garden Wall (2014)

I can't help but wanting more...

[8/10 · 6 June 2024]

With its very short running time of less than 2 hours, "Behind the Garden Wall" is a short but definitely worth seeing adventure.

The series follows the siblings Wirt and Greg, who got lost in the forest - now they have to find their way home. This quickly turns out to be a bigger challenge than it initially sounds.

I quickly took the brother duo to my heart - especially Greg, and was therefore all the more sad that the series is so short. But maybe that's exactly what makes this series so good.

In any case, I would have liked to have seen more of the brothers.

The series is also visually well done and sets the right mood for the series.

I definitely recommend it!

Odd Taxi (2021)

Great, but too many storylines for such a short anime.

[8/10 · 4 June 2024]

"Odd Taxi" is a unique anime.

In a universe in which animals live like humans, the viewer accompanies a walrus taxi driver who learns more and more about the criminal machinations in his city through his job.

"Odd Taxi" is a refreshing change in the otherwise often boring world of anime, but unfortunately I have to say that in my opinion the anime follows too many storylines, which can quickly lead to confusion and boredom.

I was briefly confused a few times because a plot was continued that I had already forgotten.

It all ends nicely, but it still prevented me from following the story properly.

I really liked the ending, though, and I finished "Odd Taxi" with a positive feeling.

I also really liked the art style.

Defending Jacob (2020)

Why are TV Shows so obsessed with changing the ending of a book?

[7/10 · 3 June 2024]

I usually try to write my reviews without spoilers, but sometimes it is necessary to mention certain plot points to explain my rating - this is also the case with "Defending Jacob".

So from here on: SPOILER WARNING

"Defending Jacob" has a very gripping story - a teenager is killed and a classmate is accused of his murder.

What follows is tension in the family and fear of the truth.

However, I found the series a bit boring for such an exciting premise.

I certainly understand that they wanted to portray the unrest and tension in the Barbers' house as comprehensibly as possible, but the nature of this series was too boring even for me and I'm usually someone who doesn't mind a series choosing a rather slow pace.

I also have to agree with some opinions that I've already read - I also think that Chris Evans doesn't really fit in here. It's probably because I've never seen him in such a serious role before, but to me he just seems out of place here.

I also don't understand why they changed the ending here.

In the book, Hope is actually found dead and Jacob's mother breaks down mentally because of it. In the series, it works somehow, but the end of the book gives the whole story a lot more weight in my opinion.

I mean, let's be honest; Jacob found the body and made several mistakes when explaining the discovery, hid a knife, was bullied by Ben, made jokes about the murder on the internet, enjoyed violent fantasies and even posted a "fictional" story about the murder on the internet - it's pretty obvious that Jacob is the murderer.

The intended ending of the book would have confirmed the suspicions perfectly and the series would have ended with a more or less satisfactory answer.

Due to the strange narrative structure, the miscasting of actors and the modified ending, I can't give this series more than a 7/10.

Invincible (2021– )

Serves its purpose.

[7/10 · 1 June 2024]

"Invincible" is relatively easy to summarize: The typical superhero story, but for adults - you have the typical superhero who learns his new abilities, the typical secret organization, the typical one-dimensional villains and the whole thing is now simply rewritten for an older audience. That means a little more blood here, more sex there and having the characters swear now and then.

Yes, "Invincible" doesn't have the best writing so far, but it's also far from a bad series. Some story elements are a little illogical and often predictable, but the story more or less serves its purpose.

The animation isn't really outstanding, but it also serves its purpose.

I also found the dubbing a little weird at times, but it also serves its purpose for the most part.

At least there was often pretty good music in the series.

In summary, the series is no more than mediocre so far, but I'll still take a look at the third season because I'm interested in how Mark's story continues.

Utopia (I) (2013–2014)

Definitely something unique, among all the same old stuff.

[8/10 · 29 May 2024]

"Utopia" tells a unique story at a very brisk pace, one that is riddled with mystery, mistrust and brutality.

The reason why the series remains so exciting and captivating throughout its entire run is not least the terrific acting performance of the actors, who portray their roles as convincingly as possible.

This in turn is due to the fact that "Utopia" is an ensemble series that does not have a fixed protagonist, meaning that all actors have to contribute roughly the same amount of performance to the course of the series.

With its unusual color palette and soundtrack, "Utopia" creates a recognizable feature.

Even though it tells a fictional story, "Utopia" makes you think, because it addresses problems that are far from fictional. They are present and unfortunately difficult to solve.

This contributes to the fact that over the course of the series you repeatedly question who is actually in the wrong and the line between good and evil becomes blurred from time to time.

As mentioned at the beginning, brutality is omnipresent in "Utopia", which makes it relatively tough viewing.

This brutality was probably just too much for the television audience, which is why the series was canceled after the second season.

I'm torn about this decision. On the one hand, I would have loved to see how the series developed, but on the other hand, I'm afraid that in the third season it will start more or less the same as the first season and everything will repeat itself more or less.

In summary, I would say that "Utopia" is definitely worth watching, even if it ends with a cliffhanger and will probably never be continued.

The Glory (2022– )

Too long for my taste.

[7/10 · 27 May 2024]

"The Glory" tells the story of a woman who was cruelly bullied at school and decided to dedicate her life to one thing - revenge on the perpetrators.

If you're expecting a series in which the good woman, full of a thirst for revenge, slaughters the perpetrators, then "The Glory" is the wrong place for you.

I found the premise of the series extremely interesting and was very excited to see how the planned revenge would be carried out, but I have to say that the series is just too long-winded for me personally. I have nothing against a story that takes its time with its embellishment, but here it's all pretty boring at times.

I also had a lot of trouble matching the names of the characters to certain faces. But I'm almost certain that this is only a problem because I'm not used to hearing Korean names and some of them sound pretty similar.

In my opinion, more could have been made of the series if the pace had been adjusted a bit, but it's definitely worth watching.

Bad Surgeon: Love Under the Knife (2023)

Fullfills its purpose.

[7/10 · 24 May 2024]

"Bad Surgeon" does one thing above all - shock.

Throughout the entire documentary, you ask yourself how Paolo Macchiarini was able to kill patients negligently for so long with a clear conscience and shamelessly lie to their faces, and how he was able to manipulate the people around him so that he was still highly praised for his "innovative medicine".

The picture of Paolo Macchiarini, who is nothing more than a narcissist who was completely indifferent to the lives of his patients, is painted very nicely here.

Even after his cruel deeds were exposed, Paolo was not aware of any guilt and always took the position that innovations in medicine would require sacrifices.

For my taste, however, they spent too long on Paolo's private life. Yes, it is certainly important to emphasize that Paolo not only deceived people in his job as a surgeon, but also lied to and manipulated people in his private life, but I don't need to know the entire course of his relationships for that.

However, other aspects, such as how Paolo achieved this high status in medicine or how he concealed and falsified everything, are neglected.

Nevertheless, the documentary series is good and serves its purpose.

Ninja Kamui (2024– )

The fall off of this anime is almost unbelievable...

[6/10 · 24 May 2024]

"Ninja Kamui" definitely won me over with the trailer a few months ago.

You could already see that the animation and choreography of the fights would be fantastic - I could only guess how much more would come in the course of the anime and was almost certain that this anime would be relatively high up at the top of the animes from 2024.

The anime starts off very promisingly, as promised by the trailer - the fights in the first episodes are choreographed fantastically and are breathtakingly well animated.

The story and the characters are rather simple and not particularly innovative, but that hardly bothered me - as long as the implementation of this simple story maintained this level, I would have been happy.

But unfortunately it didn't...

Before I could admire the dark style and simple character design of the main character, who was initially only wearing a black hoodie, enough, he slips into a bright mecha suit with all sorts of bells and whistles on it. I personally found that a shame because I think the anime would have worked much better if they had stuck to traditional fighting techniques and weapons.

All the sci-fi stuff just takes away all the charm of the previously simple aesthetic...

If they really wanted to include mechas, I would have thought it was a better decision not to give the main character a suit and thus contrast ultra-modern fighting machines with old-fashioned ninja techniques.

It's a shame that they decided to go in this direction...

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (2012– )

Truly Bizarre!

[8/10 · 22 May 2024]

"JoJo's Bizarre Adventure" lives up to its name, because if this work is one thing, it is bizarre. No matter where you look, it is wacky - unusual character designs, unique abilities or a strange plot - JoJo always remains bizarre.

Luckily, David Production also manages to transfer this absurdity almost perfectly to the anime with its outstanding animation.

In summary, JoJo is unique.

What fascinates me most about "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure" is the story's narrative technique. Because each part tells its own story, but is nevertheless linked to the other parts, and the fact that there is no ultimate goal - so a final goal to work towards, "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure" is theoretically timeless. With JoJo, Hirohiko Araki has created a story that can be told virtually indefinitely. In doing so, he has set himself virtually no limits - JoJo can be told at any time, in any place and in any way.

JoJo also has a very fast pacing. So if you're looking for a deep or detailed story in JoJo, you've come to the wrong place.

I have to say, however, that so far these endless possibilities have been used well, but not perfectly. It's often quite repetitive because most of the fights are pretty similar, which is a shame considering how much scope there is for designing this one.

But I've already seen that a lot of things are going to change fundamentally with the next part (Part 7), so I'm curious to see that, if it ever gets animated...

All in all, I can only recommend "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure" if you can get used to its unusual nature.

Baby Reindeer (2024)

Very good, but fails to communicate its autobiographical nature properly.

[8/10 · 26 April 2024]

"Baby Reindeer" tells an extremely tragic and sad story, through the facade of a comedy.

Normally, such a story would be told differently - the images would be darker, the music more unpleasant and the scenes longer, but "Baby Reindeer" does not do any of that, which is why the series seems so light-hearted at first glance.

I have often read that some people find the main character's behavior incomprehensible and that the writing in general is sometimes strange, but I think many people have missed the fact that the series is based on a true story - which is probably also because it is not really communicated well here, which I think is a shame, because knowing that the story is not made up is important for evaluating the series. At the very beginning, it says "this is a true story", but if you don't pay attention for a moment, you won't know that for the entire course of the series.

In addition, Richard Gadd - the actor who plays the main character - is the person the series is about. So he plays himself.

In summary, I think the series represents pretty well that not everything is always as it seems. As the saying goes: "Don't judge a book by its cover".

You never know what is going on inside a person.

House of Ninjas (2024– )

Flatter than a sheet of paper.

[5/10 · 25 April 2024]

"House of Ninjas" feels like an AI was given the order: "Write the script for a ninja series, with mysterious characters"

"House of Ninjas" takes so much of your time and gives you nothing in exchange. The whole series is just so "empty" - flat characters, boring plot and simple dialogue. They just found as many clichés as they could and crammed them into a series.

The only positive thing about this series is that the fights are pretty well done.

Don't waste your time here, unless you don't mind not having to think for yourself at all in a series because everything is so damn unimaginative.

The Shivering Truth (2018–2020)

What did I just watch?!

[7/10 · 23 April 2024]

"The Shivering Truth" is a series that makes it almost impossible to understand. Adult Swim is known for its wacky and chaotic projects, but for me this is the master class in this regard.

The series isn't particularly long, but I kept asking myself throughout the entire run: "What am I actually watching?" The series is, however, visually quite well done. Anyone who has ever read about stop motion knows exactly how much work goes into this form of representation.

If you are looking for absurd stories in the form of clay, "The Shivering Truth" is a good choice.

If you want to watch a normal show, stay far away from this - it's pure absurdity.

How to Fix a Drug Scandal (2020)

You wouldn't believe it's possible to go to prison for carrying a bag of sugar? It is.

[8/10 · 23 April 2024]

"How to fix a Drug Scandal" is such an interesting documentary series because it reports on errors that should logically be isolated cases - but they are not.

In Massachusetts, two cases came to light in which the effects were more or less the same.

Sonja Farak and Annie Dookhan were both laboratory chemists who tested evidence in the form of drugs. Thousands of people were imprisoned as a result of their tests - but their results may not be reliable.

Sonja Farak gave in to temptation and was under the influence of drugs herself for years at work - she took the drugs she was actually supposed to test.

And Annie Dookhan wanted to appear particularly hard-working and productive, which is why she often didn't test the drugs at all before identifying them as such and recording them.

In the course of the investigation, errors by the laboratories and also by the justice system come to light.

The documentary is visually beautiful and has a very pleasant pace.

I would recommend it.

Boy Swallows Universe (2024)

Great Acting, Great Story, Great Writing - Great Show!

[8/10 · 22 April 2024]

For me, "Boy Swallows Universe" convinces above all with its extremely realistic portrayal of a family relationship - in particular, the relationships between Eli and Gus really do feels like a warm brotherhood. But the relationships with other characters such as the mother, father and stepfather also seem realistic. This is of course not least due to the outstanding acting of the actors.

In general, with a few exceptions, the series presents really good acting.

The story invites you to stay tuned and offers the viewer everything from hearty laughs to tear-filled eyes.

In fact, the story reminded me a little of the video game series "Life is Strange" due to its mysterious nature, but still realistic portrayal - which I can also only recommend.

I would have liked the series to be a little longer and to give it a little more time to "breathe", because things do happen quite quickly from time to time.

Jormungand (2012)

Boring characters, pointless story and a pedophile lady.

[4/10 · 19 April 2024]

"Jormundgand" has a really strong concept - a lot could have been done with the story of an orphaned boy whose parents were killed in the war, which made him dislike weapons, but as a soldier he is forced to use them.

The emphasis here is on "SHOULD", because "Jormundgand" unfortunately doesn't manage to introduce the viewer to this story well.

At the beginning you get a very short scene of the main character looking dreamily into the sky and explaining his situation in an internal monologue, but then you're thrown straight into the series, which unfortunately meant that I had a hard time finding any interest in this anime.

The characters are hardly introduced, so I'm not interested in them at all apart from the main character.

In addition, it's not clear at the beginning whether there is any plan or goal - that just makes the series boring, because how am I supposed to get into the series if I don't know what it's working towards?

In addition, the characters have an almost laughable amount of "plot armor" - characters whose daily business is killing can't even hit someone from 5 meters away with an assault rifle or shoot out a few car tires.

As if that wasn't bad enough, the leader of the whole group feels a very questionable attraction to the main character, who is a whole 10 years younger than her. She's constantly touching the poor boy and while you could argue that the lady is just very "touchy" and there's nothing more to it, at some point she clearly crosses that line and it's just disgusting. Here too, fans of the series try to argue that this is just meant to illustrate certain character traits of hers, but the author knew exactly what he was doing here and how this all looked like.

All of this is a shame because, as I said, the premise is very interesting. I also liked the character design and the intro song of the first season is definitely catchy, but unfortunately this anime is just bad...

If you're looking for something similar to "Jormundgand" I would recommend "Black Lagoon" - the anime is much better!

The Outsider (2020)

Wants to be a Mystery so bad.

[6/10 · 17 April 2024]

A small warning: This comment contains spoilers. I usually try to write my comments without spoilers, but here it is simply necessary to explain why I didn't like "The Outsider".

"The Outsider" arouses a great deal of interest in the viewer with its great and nerve-wracking premise, only to then become more boring than watching water boil. At a certain point, the series is just a torment - everything drags on extremely long and no questions are answered.

And it's not just the story that gets pretty boring at some point, but also certain characters.

For example, "El Cuco" is probably the most boring and stupid monster I've ever seen. It makes no sense why his gimmick worked for so long.

Another wasted character is Holly - much more could have been done with her all-knowing super brain. Her genius, who usually solves all cases relatively quickly, but now comes across a case that is incomprehensible to her, could have been played out much better.

The biggest criticism, in my opinion, is the fact that the series desperately tries to be a mystery series, but just doesn't manage to do it.

A good mystery is characterized by the fact that it raises many questions and answers them step by step with the story.

Many questions are raised here, but many simply remain unanswered.

1. Why was Terry so calm?

I get that people react in different ways to certain situations, but Terry was oddly calm for a man that was accused of brutally murdering a child - wouldn't everybody lose their mind over this?!

2. Why did El Cuco didn't contact the detectives directly?

He had the opportunity to contact Ralph, Holly, Alec, Howard, Andy, Yunis, hell even Glory would've worked. But instead he contacted Jenna - a little Girl that of course nobody would believe first, Tamika - a police officer that isn't involved in the case at all, and Jeannie - the wife of a police officer that can actually make decisions, instead of just the police officer directly. If El Cuco would've pay Ralph a few visits, he for sure would've taken the whole thing more serious.

3. To come back to the visits - how the hell did El Cuco manage to even get in the houses in the first place?

The show makes it clear many times that he is something supernatural, but that it still had a physical manifestation. The show never mentions or shows any special ability that he had, that would allow him to enter a house without leaving any kind of signs of burglary.

4. What exactly the purpose of all this furniture Jack brought El Cuco?

For what did El Cuco need all this stuff? I can't make sense out of it.

5. Why did Tracey let himself kill by the police?

I get that he suffered, because he was still effected by being "infected" by El Cuco, but why go all the way to threaten an innocent man, by pointing a gun to his head and get the whole police department there, just to die? Why not just shoot yourself?

6. Why would they not check for any scratches on the body of Sam and his Grandfather?

They even asked both of them if they have been scratched, but they don't bother to take a look at their arms at least?!?

7. What was the point of bringing up another child Murder in another state at the end?

Was this just to show that there are more than one El Cuco, because it couldn't be the one who they are chasing right now?

8. Why was Jack so amused, while shooting them?

Was it just because he was going "insane"? It that was the case, it was pretty easy to bring him to come to his senses, just by Holly shouting at him...

9. So what is with María and Heath now?

They made an effort to clear Terry's name, but what about María that is still rotting in jail? Or Heath - he doesn't have any family left, but in the eyes of the people he is still a child murderer...

At least the acting was OK, the music was atmospheric and the camera was used quite well. All of this makes the series somewhat bearable.

Better Call Saul (2015–2022)

TV history has been written!

[9/10 · 14 April 2024]

"Better Call Saul" is probably the series that was expected a lot from even before it began. "Breaking Bad" was not only a huge success, but was often listed as one of the best series of all time, which meant that the shoes that "Better Call Saul" had to fill were huge. And after the series finale, you can't help but express your utmost respect to Vince Gilligan - he made TV history with "Better Call Saul" by creating a spin-off series that is not only good, but can even hold a candle to its predecessor. Even though "Better Call Saul" logically takes a slightly different direction than its predecessor and is much quieter, this series once again tells an excellently exciting story.

I still prefer "Breaking Bad", but "Better Call Saul" is a more than worthy successor!

Dig Deeper - Das Verschwinden von Birgit Meier (2021)

Very interesting and frustrating story.

[8/10 · 27 March 2024]

I personally liked "Dig Deeper: The Disappearance of Birgit Meier" unexpectedly.

I went into the documentary expecting that it would be nothing more than a simple murder documentary in which everything would probably be relatively standard, but the documentary actually tells an interesting story and is also unusually well directed.

Sadly the story also let's you question yourself what was wrong with the police at the time and why did they do their job this awful.

The Interviews with her family and friends are almost heartbreaking, because you can her the frustration and sadness in their voices.

The Last of Us (2023– )

Feels as natural as possible.

[9/10 · 26 March 2024]

First of all, I would like to say that I have never played the games and therefore cannot make any comparisons.

But that was not a problem at all. You can understand the series completely even if you have not played the games.

The first thing that caught my eye were the incredibly beautiful and detailed sets. Even though you can clearly see here and there that some things were done with a the computer, that does not take away from the atmosphere of the series at all.

The other thing that struck me as very positive was how natural the relationships and dialogues felt.

The relationship between Elli and Joel in particular felt more real than I have rarely seen in a series.

The acting was also good. I already knew Pedro Pascal and therefore expected him to do well, which he did without question.

I had not heard of Bella Ramsey before, so I did not know what to expect, but her performance really blew me away. She did her role damn well and I am convinced that she has a successful future in acting ahead of her.

Aqua Teen Hunger Force (2000–2023)

Goofy, but entertaining.

[8/10 · 20 March 2024]

The selfish milkshake "Mastershake", the ingenious bag of fries "Frylock" and the simple-minded meatball "Meatwad" form a shared apartment in a suburb of New Jersey and experience all sorts of extraordinary adventures, in the course of which they often infuriate their grumpy neighbor Carl Brutananadilewski.

It sounds extraordinary - and it is.

"Aqua Teen Hunger Force" entertained me very much and made me laugh every now and then.

Unfortunately, many episodes follow the same pattern, which is why it's a bit repetitive at times, but that's probably simply due to the fact that the series is made for television and you usually rarely watch more than 2 episodes in a row.

Upload (2020– )

Worth a watch.

[7/10 · 7 March 2024]

What if death is not the end, but the beginning of a carefree life?

"Upload" answers this question and thus presents a unique setting.

Apart from that, the actors do a really good job here and everyone does an oustanding job in portraying their roles.

"Upload" gave me a good and entertaining time and is definitely worth seeing in my opinion, of you search for a fun lighthearted show.

Are there better sci-fi series?

Yes.

Are there better mystery series?

In any case.

Are there better comedy series?

Definitely.

But "Upload" still deserves to be watched.

(Also just turn your head off and don't search for plotholes, because you WILL find them.)

The Fall of the House of Usher (2023)

You are better of just taking a sleeping pill.

[5/10 · 29 February 2024]

Unfortunately, "The Fall of the House of Usher" didn't appeal to me at all. Even after watching half of the series, the series just doesn't hold much interest for me.

One of the big problems this series has is that it's just too damn long-winded. You have such an interesting premise here, but you just don't use it properly. The episodes are usually filled with boring scenes and bad dialogue until the last minute, to end the episode with a big shocking moment to send the audience with a positive feeling to the next episode, which repeats the same pattern.

Another problem is the number of characters - there are simply too many in one go. Around 15 characters are introduced in the first episode, who continue to be important to the story - how am I supposed to remember all the names and faces all at once?!

This gives rise to another problem.

Because there are so many characters, they are written extremely flatly.

Every character feels like they have a single character trait and of course this has to be made clear in every scene in which this character appears.

I found the main plot very interesting and I also read a summary of it when I decided not to continue watching the series after the end scene of the 4th episode (oh dear, that was bad) and I have to admit that the story is really good, but you can also make the most delicious smoothie ever, if you end up throwing dog poop into the blender, that smoothie will probably not taste good.

Ultimately, "The Fall of the House of Usher" simply doesn't create any atmosphere at all and quickly becomes boring.

Unfortunately, Mike Flanagan remains a "one-hit wonder" for me when it comes to series, as I only really liked "Haunting of Hill House" - the rest of his series ranges from pretty bad to mediocre at best.

Wild Wild Country (2018)

A documentary that will not let go of you for 6 hours.

[9/10 · 28 February 2024]

"Wild Wild Country" tells a story so full of drama and tension that it could easily have come out of a Hollywood script. I couldn't believe that I had never even heard of this story before watching this documentary.

What I liked best about the documentary series was that no sides were taken throughout the entire duration.

Both the story of the Neo-Sanyassins, who set up a commune in a small town in Oregon where they practiced their religion, which was characterized by spiritual freedom, and the reactions to this from the residents of this town, most of whom had a problem with it and took measures, are only told here based on facts and interviews with those involved. So it is up to the viewer to form their own opinion about the situation.

Because they managed to get a lot of people in front of the camera for this documentary series who were deeply involved in the matter and because a lot of the events were filmed back then, you get a very detailed presentation of the events of that time.

"Wild Wild Country" is one of the best documentary series I have ever seen and I can only recommend everyone to take the time and lose themselves in this exciting story.

Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (2002–2005)

Sadly not what I was expecting...

[7/10 · 25 February 2024]

"Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex" makes me sad in a way because I expected to like the series a lot more than I ended up doing... I found the premise of a futuristic society in which brains are planted in artificial bodies and AIs can hardly be distinguished from humans to be extremely appealing!

Coupled with the philosophical question of what humanity actually is and where the boundaries between human and artificial intelligence blur, I thought this series HAD to be good. When I read all the good reviews, I was completely convinced and excited to watch the series.

Unfortunately, in my opinion, the series makes only moderately good use of this premise. Although dystopian visions of the future are shown here, the series spends much more time showing political problems in this apparent utopia. A majority of the scenes take place in offices, and not in the futuristic city that is so interesting to me.

The political aspect makes the series extremely complicated at times and therefore often quite tiring to watch.

So this isn't an anime to put your feet up on. A lot is required of you to understand the series and its political drama. I actually always listened with concentration, but I still had to rewind scenes again unusually often because I didn't fully understand them.

Other things I didn't really like were the rather superficially written characters and the action sequences. The main characters are mostly likeable, but you don't get to see much of their lives outside of work in Section 9 - I would have liked that more.

And while there is action, it's often pretty standard and hardly exciting.

However, I found the antagonists of the two seasons and their motivations very interesting and very well implemented, although I liked the first season better in that aspect.

In the end, I had false expectations from this series and therefore could only be disappointed. If I would've a general idea of the nature of this show, before I watched it, I probably could've enjoyed it more and then also rated it better.