Topic: The Unoffical TV Show Mega Thread

@Sunsy It sounds like something I'd watch, I'm gonna look into this show more.

@Kermit1 Alright, enjoy it if you decide to watch it.

Magic User's Club - Anime series revolving around the relationships of group of Japanese high schoolers as they practice sorcery with the help of an ancient tome found in a cave... which also happens to bring them to the attention of the occupying alien overlords who have so far thwarted all resistance from the world's militaries.

I thought it was pretty cute. It actually consists of a 6 episode OVA series followed by a 13 episode TV series, and of the two I prefer the former. The TV series (despite tying up some loose ends in the first episode) completely drops the sci-fi element, and changes focus almost entirely to the slice of life relationship element (there is a mystery revolving around, an obviously supernaturally related, new student, though I had the truth figured out pretty early on).

Again, it's pretty cute throughout, though I lament the excising of the OVA's sci-fi element (which I thought brought a nice contrast to the magic). Just be aware of typical anime tropes if you decide to watch it.

Pretty disappointing end to Moon Knight for me. I like the tokusatsu influences, but the CG was rough, major fight sequences happened off screen and overall this was just kind of a nothing show for me, really.

I ain't gonna tell you they are high art, but in the context of the wider MCU, the shows tried to enrich, expand and deepen characters, while also trying to tackle bigger, or more challenging ideas, than maybe they would have wanted to risk tackling in the context of the blockbuster landscape. All while trying to deliver the same MCU thrills, albeit maybe on a smaller scale.

This was just Isaac doing stupid voices, lots of bad CG and then a flash of an interesting story when the truth around one of the characters is revealed but then back to pew pew laser beams and cringy forced representation.

@Pizzamorg, I still have 2 episodes left but yeah, Moon Knight hasn't entirely clicked for me either.

I think the best part so far was the car chase early in the series, which I thought was good fun. A lot of the action since getting to Egypt has been so (visually) dark that I've had a hard time seeing what's even going on (even with the picture setting on "Vivid"), especially in the tomb episode (maybe it's to hide all the dodgy CGI creatures). Not sure what's up with the CGI suit either, unless it's supposed to signal to the audience that we're not supposed to know whether or not it's "real" ourselves (they could certainly afford to make one), though TBH that in and of itself hasn't bothered me much.

Maybe it's just because it doesn't have any established figures, but I've enjoyed all the other D+ Marvel shows much more that it so far, and this is coming from someone who liked the Falcon & Winter Soldier more than most.

EDIT: I really hope Obi-Wan can step things up, as between the Book of Boba Fett & Moon Knight, the D+ content seems a bit weaker so far this year than it has in the past (though Boba Fett was overall better than Moon Knight, and admittedly had a few really good episodes).

The novelty of him blacking out and waking up to find everyone dead was fun to start with, but when it becomes an excuse for major fight scenes to happen off screen. Not so much.

But yeah, throughout, the action was honestly pretty rough. I think with the way it was hyped up, we were expecting some crunchy, Daredevil like fight scenes. Not a lot of flash, but a lot of bloody, visceral, hard hits. Instead, the action scenes were all basically straight from a Saturday morning cartoon. It did kinda add to the whole tokusatsu vibe it had, in a way, but those are made on a shoestring compared to what Marvel shows should be on theoretically given how much money they make, but I think you'd hardly notice a difference.

Talking of the shows, Agents of Shield will always be my favourite, but of the canon Disney+ stuff I think I ended up liking Hawkeye the most out of all of them in the end. I think it probably got off to one of the weaker starts, but just all came to such a satisfying conclusion, whereas I feel like almost every other Dinsey+ show has been the other way around.

My least favourite was probably What If. I'd probably rank Moon Knight one above that and maybe one above Wandavision depending on the time you asked me.

@Pizzamorg, yeah, all the comparisons to the Netflix Marvel shows (which are brought up constantly by mainstream press whenever I read an article about it on MSN) probably aren't helping it in my eyes either now that you bring it up. It really doesn't feel all that tonally different to the other Disney+ Marvel stuff so far IMO (as you said, while he often does end up pretty bloody, we almost never see how that happens). That said, I don't get where you're getting the Tokusatsu vibe either. I'll occasionally watch an episode of Ultraman or some such on Pluto TV whenever I don't have much else going on, and no part of Moon Knight has in any way particularly reminded me of that particular genre.

Surprised you rank WandaVision so low. That one might still be my favorite. I also really warmed up to What If? as it went on. It had a few duds as it started, but I absolutely loved the Doctor Strange episode, and it was pretty solid from then on with an epic conclusion (even the Thor episode, which was maybe a bit too silly, had a really fun fight).

EDIT: So at some point did Agents of Shield become non-canon? I only ever really watched the first season back when it was new, but it seemed pretty tied to the movies at the time, being directly impacted by Thor: the Dark World & Captain America: the Winter Soldier (particularly the latter).

Seems kinda pretentious to talk about wanting high art from a popcorn franchise like Marvel, at the very least talk about Legion which is something that transcends a guy in costume hitting bad men, might makes right etc from Marvel. It's like complaining the actions sucks in a Harold Pinter or Ken Loach film.

I am so bored of people talking about forced representation, it's just such a laziest complaint and has taken over people who say it's overrated as sign to not listen to that person's view.

It is just something about him transforming into the suit and then having fight scenes where he is almost entirely CG and the way in which the fights are put together, just felt very Kamen Rider to me. Then there is stuff in the final battle which I won't spoil and you'll see that driven home even further.

In regards to AoS canonicity, I don't know whether it was officially stated or what, but it is all widely accepted it is no longer part of the canon. The longer the show went, the more it deviated from the MCU and honestly the better it became.

?

You read my post wrong. I wasn't asking for high art, just setting expectations and context for the point I was making. When I say challenging ideas, this isn't Beasts of No Nation, it is still in the context of the MCU.

And I tell you what is lazy, forced representation.

@jump
That's annoying about Killing Eve. Just watched the 4 episode of the latest/last series, and it was loads of fun, but the plot has been lackluster from series two onwards, I think. Good thing the characters and characterisation are excellent, which makes it watchable for me.

I was wondering about the need for a second lot of Russian Doll, but have still not watched it yet.

Second series of Gentleman Jack is shaping up to be as excellent as the first, and Sophie Rundle's character seems less winsome this time round.

@Pizzamorg The context of the Marvel is shallow popcorn fun though and looking for more depth and ideas is a pretty hollow experience, don't get me wrong they are great flicks and I've seen the bulk of them at the cinema at opening weekend but c'mon they refer to it as the Marvel formula for a reason.

With all the effort you put into that not lazy description I can see how all these women and ethnics are ruining a show about a man wearing a jaunty costume hitting people now. lol

If a character isn't well written or whatever why not just say character x is badly written? That's my issue as it voids any legitimate criticism for the sake of populist non-articulate jargon. Not to mention all you really doing by calling it "forced representation" is okaying the mediocrity of white cisgender male characters (I hate that term!) but anything that is not a white cisgender male needs to be justified which kinda proves the point of the old adage work twice as hard to get half which in turns makes the concept of "forced representation" more aggregable if people are so not use to minorities in these types of roles.

But that is the whole point, the other MCU Disney+ shows do provide those things, perhaps in more shallow ways than less mass market products but still nonetheless. Moon Knight failed for me because it didn't take that extra step, like the other shows did. We do get a hint of that when the truth about one of the characters was revealed and I thought that was by far the best episode of the whole show.

Also everything else you just put words into my mouth so you can ***** off with that *****. I was simply referring to the "OMG YOU ARE AN EGYPTIAN SUPERHERO?!" scene, which was almost as cringe as the 'Girl Powah' scene in Endgame. Like thank you brand for telling me how socially aware you are.

@Rambler Yeah after season two they lost both Phoebe Waller Bridge (who did Fleabag) and Emerald Fennell (who did Promising Young Woman) which probably explains the dip.

I've not heard of Gentleman Jack. I've just googled it and seen it's on BBC so I may give it a try, I'm at the point where unless I hear good word of mouth on something I can rarely be bothered to watch it. It took me years to start Fargo despite liking the movie as I didn't hear anyone talk about it.

@Pizzamorg You're welcome, let me know if you need any leaflets on the issue

And it is funny, because the MCU can do these things well. Like contrast it to the way race was handled in Falcon and the Winter Soldier (and the various other themes in that show), they are universes apart from each other. Depending on the day you ask me, I'd probably rank that as my favourite of the shows (it is between that and Hawkeye). And I think because that precedent has been set, it just makes Moon Knight all the more disappointing than it already is.

@jump
Gentlemen Jack is a bit of a typical Sunday evening show, but it's written by Sally Wainwright, and has Suranne Jones being brilliant as the title character.
The rest of the cast are excellent as well, and most are familiar faces.
Even the title music is performed by a wife & wife duo

I'm sure some of the costumes are satirical, as they are utterly ludicrous.

I'd heard of the title character a while ago, and a friend had recommended her diaries, so was intrigued about how they would dramatise her life.

Thought S1&2 of Fargo were amazing, S3 not so much, and might get around to finishing off S4 at some time

@Rambler Sunday evenings so no swearing, sex scenes and gruesome deaths then?

@jump
Don't think there's any swearing, certainly nothing like Jonathan Pryce in Taboo!

Shagging is quite tasteful, but fits with the rollicking, freewheeling atmosphere of the programme - it's certainly not like Normal People (which may be a good thing)

No gore, but a proper icky gruesome death does occur off screen!

@Rambler Is there dirty xxx stuff in Normal People then? I don't remember much naughtiness in it but I've only watched the first episode (I think I checked it out because I was curious about the actress after seeing her in Fresh which is the tamest shocking film I've ever seen) but I seem to have got distracted with finishing it as a million other shows came out.

I will give Gentlemen Jack a watch and I imagine I will instantly start complaining it should be more like True Detective , Sons Of Anarchy and Hannibal.

@jump - yeah it's definitely a series to get the shires tutting away.

Hannibal does have a passing comparison with Gentleman Jack...

Fresh sounds like a laugh from the wiki description. I realised last night that you can rent a stack of former video nasties (courtesy of Arrow Distribution) on the Amazon app

@Rambler You've just sold me on Gentleman Jack now!

Fresh is alright but not nearly as controversial as the hype warranted, it's too slickly made for its own good. It was built up to me like it was the Hollywood version of Raw however it's more like if the people that made The King of Queens or The Big Bang Theory tried to make a serious horror-thriller film but couldn't shake off the Americana clean sitcom feeling to it.