I'm currently half-way through the final installment of the series. I saved the "Korea" installment for last, because I knew that RJ's heritage is Korean. Fortunately, installments do not have to be viewed in order--which was fortunate, because I encountered the series on Episode 3! It is interesting, however, to see the progression of RJ's presentation. On Episode 1, he places strong emphasis on the ghost concept. As the series progresses, he places less and less emphasis on fulfilling the ghostly aspects of a story and more and more on the history.
I find this particularly satisfying because I am nearly 60, and have lived through the eras which provide the setting for many of these histories. In some of the episodes, such as that of Vietnam, I'm now far enough away from the time period to be emotionally ready to look at these "stories" from a point of view other than that of an adolescent from a very republican family who was forced to watch the news each night and listen to my parents' commentaries. I found this new point of view not only interesting, but also thought-provoking.
The weakness of the series of the series is the vacillation of camera work. At times the viewer's point of view is through RJ's camera. At others it's through another anonymous camera and its operator. This not only adds confusion for the new viewer, but sometimes it makes the reader question the "truth" of the point of view. It sometimes gives the impression of being at least partially staged.
I'd like to see an additional episode which focuses on how an installment is filmed. For example: How are the fixers selected? Where do they come from? Who is the other camera person? How much of a crew does RJ work with? How much advance work is done in preparation for an episode? In other words, show me some background to reinforce my belief of the content.
I certainly hope a second season is produced. I'd be delighted to see RJ continue to focus on Asian cultures. But I'd also be delighted for him to focus on some other areas of the world. Perhaps he can continue to center his thoughts on "ghosts" to be explored; perhaps he can focus on something else. It would be very interesting to see him probe some unknown, yet rich-in-history and cultural areas of the world, Dar-es-Salaam, for example.
Good job, and keep going!
I find this particularly satisfying because I am nearly 60, and have lived through the eras which provide the setting for many of these histories. In some of the episodes, such as that of Vietnam, I'm now far enough away from the time period to be emotionally ready to look at these "stories" from a point of view other than that of an adolescent from a very republican family who was forced to watch the news each night and listen to my parents' commentaries. I found this new point of view not only interesting, but also thought-provoking.
The weakness of the series of the series is the vacillation of camera work. At times the viewer's point of view is through RJ's camera. At others it's through another anonymous camera and its operator. This not only adds confusion for the new viewer, but sometimes it makes the reader question the "truth" of the point of view. It sometimes gives the impression of being at least partially staged.
I'd like to see an additional episode which focuses on how an installment is filmed. For example: How are the fixers selected? Where do they come from? Who is the other camera person? How much of a crew does RJ work with? How much advance work is done in preparation for an episode? In other words, show me some background to reinforce my belief of the content.
I certainly hope a second season is produced. I'd be delighted to see RJ continue to focus on Asian cultures. But I'd also be delighted for him to focus on some other areas of the world. Perhaps he can continue to center his thoughts on "ghosts" to be explored; perhaps he can focus on something else. It would be very interesting to see him probe some unknown, yet rich-in-history and cultural areas of the world, Dar-es-Salaam, for example.
Good job, and keep going!
