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Castlevania (2017)
Decent... for a western production.
There are 3 major problems with this show for its entirety:
1) un-Castlevania art-design & mythology: the most likable aspect of original game series is that it uses the mix of wide-range real-world folklores for its art-design & mythology, especially monsters. This show replaces it with generic uninspired wooga-booga meat-freaks straight from cheap American so-called "horror" B-movie.
2) Try-hard edginess in scene direction and dialogues: all characters behave and speak like moody edgy modern teenagers and their motivations largely juvenile, gore is splattered generously to feign some kind of sense of "adultness". As someone else said here: "there's some real mustache twirling levels of cartoonish villainy in just being so predictably evil".
3) Pacing: its runtime is unnecessarily prolonged with deliberately drawn-out scenes and substance-less dialogues while potential for putting more source game-lore is wasted.
The positive is that at least it has some connection to the core concepts of the source and production quality is high enough to not be embarrassing, like it often happens with these things. Certainly better than watching most high-budget Holywood movies.
This is especially sad if you're familiar with post-SotN/NitM Metroidvania-style games and Lords of Shadow remake duology that perfectly remade lore of the originals in the most cinema-ready way possible by actually creating 3D world where all real world's myths coexist and religions are much more than mere ideological cults.
The Kid Detective (2020)
Excellent dark comedy
Even though I find it more tragic than comedic, journey with these characters on their mystery was very engaging. Probably, more likely because of excellent acting, cinematography, editing and sound-work than complexity of the script itself, which is also quite competent. One of sleeper hits of 2020.
Fatman (2020)
Surprisingly decent dark comedy thriller with western undertones
Despite some questionable decisions that other reviewers pointed out, story, acting, cinematography, score are all well-done. Ending is quite satisfying, surprisingly dark and optimistic at the same time.
Juusan kihei boueiken (2019)
Undoubtedly the greatest sci-fi story ever shown !
It's been years since I, a transhumanist, have seen a decent audiovisual science-fiction story that is not a fantasy masquerading as one. What I couldn't hope to expect is this, a biblical-scale secular epic about nature & struggles of conscious beings that is both incredibly optimistic and existentially horrifying.
It tackles similar themes and on the same grand level (or more) as Metal Gear Solid 2, NieR: Automata and Outer Wilds. Also has music just as good as legendary superb soundtrack of N:A.
It heavily references famous works of fictions all throughout 20th century: literature, VNs, anime and films such as Neon Genesis Evangelion, Steins;Gate, Madoka Magica, Ghost in the Shell (first 2 movies and SAC), Pacific Rim, All you need is kill / Edge of Tomorrow, The Alien Machine / This Island Earth, Star Wars, WALL-E, Men in Black, Terminator 1/2/3, Total Recall, Sixth Day (unfortunately), Back to the Future, WarGames, fiction of Arthur Clarke, H. G. Wells, Isaac Asimov.
There is only 3 "flaws" in it: the fact that it was made with a shoelace budget and that not a single point about it's story could be told or shown without spoiling a major revelation. Even START menu visual transition, name of main musical theme and first minute of prologue's intro are endgame spoilers with some context. With all that, it is a massive >30-hour heartbreaking story of tens sympathetic characters.
The 3rd flaw is that difficulty modes "Casual / Normal / Intense" should be more aptly called "Absentmindedness / Casual / Easy".
The Umbrella Academy (2019)
Still not sure if it's intentional parody or not.
After watching whole 2 seasons of this I'm still not sure if it's intentional parody or not, unlike excellent "Future Man" dark comedy series.
All main characters are egotistical infantile short-sighted stereotypes from the beginning to the end, who act purely on mood at the moment and can't comprehend the concept of "world-wide annihilation" expanding outside of a current room. They "just don't feel like" surviving a week.
But the funnies part is constant usage of "sad tiny violin" soundtrack at the silliest scenes, which is all "sad" scenes. In addition to all that there is no logic & consistency in magic & pseudo-science / rules of the world. Instead, things just happen as plot-devices convenient to writers.
And let's not forget mandatory tokenism of said stereotypes. Again, the funniest part of that is, probably, meme-worthy usage of "the first black US president", same oligarchical functionary of the same system since Truman, as inspiration for embarrassingly belated (for US) egalitarianism of all citizen.
So, it's kind of amusing... but maybe not the way it was intended... or is it ?
The Boys (2019)
Best "superhero" cinema since Dark Knight and best modern satire of corporatism
Just finished watching Season 2 and can confidently say that it was the best "superhero" themed cinema since Dark Knight, better than whole MCU. Not because it's funnier but because it's more relevant. In fact, "superhero" aspect is secondary to excellent satire of both American/western sugar-coating "right-wing" and virtue-signalling "left-wing", as well as their beloved neo-feudal corporatocracy. The only thing that I find silly and misguided is portrayal of corporatist media as an actual neutral party instead of the collection of propagandist oligarchical mouthpieces and memetic trend fire-fanning opportunists that it is.
I also quite enjoyed Butcher's "British" accent that so many Brits seem to despise for its "fakeness", yet have no problem with ceaseless mockery of "accents" for every other language, such as joke of a "Russian" accent from Season 2.
This is how we in non-western world see America/NATO/OECD and hear British.