jokiko-59457 Reviews

Dragon Ball Super (2015–2018)

Goodbye childhood

[1/10 · 19 February 2017]

I was a huge fan of Dragon Ball Z. It was my favorite manga and anime growing up, and I was very excited to see a new series return. But Dragon Ball Super is nothing more than a cash grab.

People will defend it because of the legacy DBZ left behind but not because of what it is now. The animation is terrible, the characters are parodies of themselves - the show pretty much revolves around Goku and Vegeta and nobody else. Forget logic and creativity, every "new" character is a copy from an old one. Every "new" story line is unoriginal and done before, smarter and better.

Do yourself a favor and act like this doesn't exist so that the amazing legacy, left behind by DragonBall and DragonBall Z can survive.

Shadowhunters (2016–2019)

Shadowhunters: from ZERO to HERO

[10/10 · 12 April 2016]

I've been a fan of the books years before the TV show started, so I had high expectations. But I also saw enough book to TV adaptations to know what expectations were realistic. Did Shadowhunters blow me away? No, but it did manage to pull me in, very slowly. The show begins with a lot of potential but also with a lot of issues. It's cheesy, the acting was a bit off for some of the actors, it doesn't have the best special effects and the script lacks here and there. And yet I didn't give up on it and I'm so glad I didn't.

While season 1 certainly has it's issues, the show also proved that it keeps evolving. It keeps getting better. And when you see the progression they made from the first episode to the finale, you can be sure that this show will deliver once it returns for season 2.

Compared to other book to TV adaptations, Shadowhunters stayed very loyal. They stay true to most of the characters and the story, they just told it in a different way so that even book fans can be surprised, which is a good thing in my opinion. The first few books are (mostly) from Clary her point of view, so I was very happy to see characters that I love get more attention. To give an example: the show made us part of Simon his journey to becoming a vampire every step of the way, we got to delve deeper into the Lightwood family dynamic and the parabatai bond between Jace and Alec. But mostly, we were part of Malec (Magnus & Alec) their love story from the first time they saw each other to their first kiss. The episode of the same name – 1x12: Malec - is probably one of the strongest they did.

There is a great balance between the books and the TV show; some things I like better in the books, other things in the show. Which makes both enjoyable for different reasons.

In a lot of ways Shadowhunters reminds me of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Maybe people won't remember this but Buffy didn't have a great start. Season 1 was cringeworthy and it needed time to find it voice, and it did. There is a reason why Buffy was the pioneer of this genre. I feel the same way with Shadowhunters, not that it will ever get the same impact as Buffy had, but that it needed a bit of time to find its strength.

Cassandra Clare created a wonderful world, where the characters and their relationship are the beating heart and the show was able to bring this to life. And mostly, Shadowhunters is fun. It has a great sense of humor and likable characters.

I wish people wouldn't have rated the entire series based on the pilot alone. Hopefully people will give it a chance. Just binge-watch season 1 and by the end of it, I'm sure you're gonne wanne see what happens in season 2. If the books are any indication it's gonne be one hell of a roller-coaster.

Fuller House (2016–2020)

To much cheese to swallow.

[5/10 · 26 February 2016]

If you are able to "survive" the opening - maybe even enjoy it - than this might be a show for you. Just to give you an idea of what it looked like without spoiling anything: it's like live theater. Every character shows up gets a big round of applause, says something not so funny and get a good hard laugh from the audience. And this for EVERY character on the show. It takes a while and it's a lot of cringe to get trough. If you're still alive and watching when the introductions are over I can reassure you, it gets better. But not much.

I grew up with Full House and I loved it. It made me laugh and cry and I hoped this show could do that too. But I think the world has changed too much to still be able to bear this kind of corniness. The show relates on the nostalgia factor: almost every character is back, we get the same location, the same catchphrases and the same story. Did I expect them to be more creative? No, not really but it would have been a nice surprise.

I'm sure the nostalgia factor will help the fans get trough it and probably even enjoy it. But I had a hard time getting trough one episode and I'm not ready to dive back in. This "comeback" felt awkward and embarrassing for many of the actors. On a bright note; John Stamos is looking amazing. I did enjoy his scenes with aunt Becky and him singing "Forever" was a sweet moment. Also little spoiler; Comet junior junior was a nice addition.

I've been nice with my 5/10 I wanted to give less but this silly feeling of nostalgia prevented it.

The Magicians (2015–2020)

Not bad but disappointing

[6/10 · 18 February 2016]

I waited to rate this show till I had more than just a few episodes to forge an opinion. We are now 5 episodes in.

This is not a bad show, it has a lot of potential and great idea's, the problem is the execution of those idea's. It's messy, it lacks direction and for a show set up in a school there is not much learning involved. A lot of the time the characters just mimic movements and they are able to do complicated spells.

The show seems to borrow a lot of idea's from other known stories like Harry Potter and Narnia. It tries to give it it's own identity and to some degree that works, but it isn't able to reinvent the idea or surpass it which makes it into something we've already seen, done better.

Another problem are the characters; they all have the potential to be great and interesting, the real issue here is that we stay with the same three in the lead while all the rest operates in the background. After 5 episodes we still don't know much about Eliot and Margo while Quentin, Alice and Julia get too much attention, which isn't doing their characters any favors considering the frustrating material they get and their frustrating ways to deal with it.

For now I give this show a 6/10 I think it can be better and probably will get better. And I'll be the first to come change my rating if it starts delivering what I hoped to find when I started watching.

Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials (2015)

Fast-paced action-packed

[9/10 · 21 January 2016]

The Scorch Trials was very different than the books, and as a fan of the books this could have been a bad thing. Not in this case. The book was clearly his own thing, just like the movie is. You do have the same story and characters, they are just dealing with the story in a different way, a way that is probably better when you wanne do it justice in only 2 hours.

Before watching it, I think it's important that you watched the first movie or else you'll be completely lost about what exactly is going on. But it's such a roller-coaster. The action is faced-paced and looks very spectacular. There are a few run and fight scenes that are dealt with in such a strong way that it had me jumping up and down in my seat. I can't stress enough by writing how much I enjoyed this movie. And most of that has to do with the incredible cast. The writers were able to put in a few heartfelt moments in there so that we don't lose touch with the human side of it all. And the acting helped elevate those moments.

It's beyond me why IMDb has such a low rating for this movie. It was an entertaining popcorn movie and I can't wait for the last part.

Supergirl (2015–2021)

Popcorn entertainment

[9/10 · 15 January 2016]

In what universe does this has such a low rating? This show is so much fun. The actors are amazing, the characters likable, the action and special effects look great. The story is solid and is going into an interesting direction.

It's also part of the DC universe so you can expect some major character to show up at one point or another, like already happened. And if this has enough seasons, I'm pretty sure that they'll let Superman come over. But before that happens, I really like how they are dealing with him. We saw a glimpse of him and we know Kara is in contact with him. I think it's really smart of the writers to not ignore that bond. Just watch the show and enjoy it. And seriously, give this some better ratings, this does not deserve this!

The 100 (2014–2020)

Insanity

[10/10 · 15 January 2016]

The 100 learned me to give a show some time to develop before giving up on it or even rating it. Now we are 2 seasons far and I can write a honest opinion about it: this is one of THE best show on TV right now.

While season 1 started out as a soapy teen show who tried to be like LOST and BattleStar Galactica, it developed into something I never expected. The change begun at the end of episode 3 and slowly by the end of season 1 it turned into a must watch show. Season 2 was able to maintain that level of intensity during their 16 episodes without never letting go of it.

The characters/actors get better, they are more complex and compelling, especially Bellamy, Octavia and Clarke go trough a very intense and dark (for two of them) transition. Amazing show you should be watching.