Topic: Thread of totally awesome Netflix Instant recommendations

Finished up last year's seasons of the "Arrowverse" shows (suprised I got through them all within the month, lol).

Arrow season 4 - I actually liked this more than season 3 (an unpopular opinion, I know). While I wasn't sure on the villain at first, the magical element grew on me, giving the show something a little more to stand out against it's peers (though it's still the weakest of the bunch). I also liked the return of the island in the flashbacks. I was excited for last season's flashback location at first, but it ended up never really grabbing me.

the Flash season 2 - I felt like season 1 was the perfect example of what I want to see from a superhero show, and season 2 continues that tradition! It has the action & drama, but still remembers to be fun & exciting (really the closest thing to the vibe of Marvel's films, that I've seen a superhero show get to). It's also one of the only shows on TV that legitimately tugs on my heart strings, especially when Barry's mom is the subject.

DC's Legends of Tomorrow season 1 - Take some notable heroes & villains from the last 2 shows, mix them up with some Star Trek & Back to the Future, and this is what you get. It takes a wholly different approach than it's peers, and it pays off. I loved the time jumping antics of the crew, which at points sometimes felt like a little Avengers TV show.

@RR529 You can down load the free CW app and watch the new season of all those shows now.

@Tasuki, I contemplated that, but I think I'll just wait until Netflix gets them next year.

While I do like them, after dedicating the last month and a half to those 3, and Supergirl & Luke Cage before, I'm a bit superheroed out at the moment, lol.

Mystery Science Theater 3000 is returning on Netflix. I'm excited.

Just to warn you though,.the might get pulled from Netflix. Hulu use to have them all but since the CW app was able to be on more devices they have since been removed from Hulu. Not sure if or when they will get pulled from Netflix but I wouldn't be surprised.

Whew, there aren't ANY movies (or TV shows) in the first of the month acquisition wave I'm interested in this month. MAYBE the Wiz (for curiosity's sake as I haven't seen it) or Hero (though I burnt myself out on Hong Kong martial arts flicks a long time ago), but that's it.

Luckily, I still have enough films yet to be watched in my queue to cover me for the month (and I suppose they may get something in the middle of the month I'd like. I think they're getting the new Jungle Book later on in the month).

Anyhow, I've been watching a live action Japanese romantic comedy-drama called Mischievous Kiss: Love in Tokyo: Volume 1 since I liked Good Morning Call so much. I don't like it quite as much as GMC (though that may just be because that one was my first experience with the genré), but I am liking it a bit more as it goes on (I've watched 11 episodes so far). The male lead was a bit of a jerk for the first 5 or 6 episodes (they're going for the whole, "he's really a nice guy, just has a hard time showing it" thing, they just didn't execute it well, IMO), but now that he's starting to open up more, it's getting more enjoyable.

Anyhow, I finished up Mischevious Kiss: Love in Tokyo: Volume 1 up today.

It was a silly Japanese romantic drama-comedy, and while I didn't think it was as good as Good Morning Call, I still ended up quite enjoying it, in a silly campy sort of way (worth a watch if you like Japanese television or feel good, silly, campy TV in general).

Over the past few weeks I watched Mischevious Kiss: Love in Tokyo: Volume 2.

Very much like the first one, you'll like it if you liked the first. It's not quite as good as the first season, but they do a lot of things to shake it up. They have 3 "travel" episodes (one to Okinawa, Kobe, and the countryside, that last one was the best), shift to focus on their early days in the workforce, and shakeup the supporting cast.

Next up for me is Roman Empire: Reign of Blood (Netflix Original).

I am ashamed to admit that my most-viewed Netflix video is probably the HD Fireplace: Birchwood Edition. Lol. When I'm not "watching" anything I leave it on in the background so that I can relax and pretend I have a fireplace. I should put a space heater in front of it for the full effect...

In all seriousness though I need to check out a bunch of new stuff. I finally brought myself to watch "Revenge" and loved it.

I got hooked on "Bloodlines" and can't wait for another season. It started slow, but the acting and cinematography was engaging.

Finished up Roman Empire: Reign of Blood (Netflix Original) last night.

It's not the next "must watch" series, but I enjoyed it for what it was. However, it didn't seem quite confident in what it wanted to be, so I'm not sure how much of an audience it'll build.

First & foremost, it's a documentary about the rule of Roman emporer Commodus (the bad guy from the movie Gladiator), so there are times when modern day historians will take up screen time, explaining why so & so did this or that, and they use a lot of documentary like film techniques, such as reusing the same shot over & over (expect to see the same shot of the Senate building 2-3 times per episode), some of which don't even look HD (mostly shots of random Roman citizens in the streets, like they were ripped out of an earlier program), but by far most are HD. Whatever the case, don't go into it expecting the next sword & sandal epic, like Spartacus or Marco Polo.

Secondly, you have the dramatic reinactment parts. These all look nice, and while the acting won't win any awards, they do their job of framing the various figures' actions, and I enjoyed them well enough. However, not quite sure of itself, in what I can only assume is a misguided attempt to lure in the Spartacus crowd, are the relatively common nude (and even sex) scenes. Because of that, I can't see it being used in most educational situations, maybe dulling it's purpose as a documentary.

Again, I liked it, and it's only 6 episodes long, so by all means give it a try if it seems at all interesting to you, I just don't think it'll hit the numbers it could have, had it been more confident in itself.

Next up for me is Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories (Netflix Original).

Also, it's the start of a new month, so lots of new additions to my queue.

In terms of movies, I've added the Angry Birds Movie (don't have high hopes for it, but I check out all the big animated flicks), Animal House (the grand daddy of all modern raunchy comedies, and I like it's contemporaries more than modern efforts, so I'm excited to give it a watch), Heathers (another 80's flick focusing on high school culture of the time, and I tend to enjoy these), and Honey I Shrunk the Kids (liked it as a kid, and it's been a long time since I last watched it). Later in the month they're getting Spectral (a Netflix Original, it's a military sci-fi flick), and Marvel's Captain America: Civil War.

In terms of TV, I've added My Little Lover (another Japanese romantic dramedy, about a girl who becomes tiny and gets stuck in her childhood friend's house, who she has a crush on), and later in the month they're getting Fuller House (Netflix Original) season 2, and I believe White Rabbit Project (another Netflix Original, it's a spiritual successor to MythBusters, featuring that show's "B" team, of Grant Imahara, the redheaded woman, and the other guy).

@RR529 I think you mean KarI and Tori.

@Tasuki, you're probably right. It's been awhile since I've watched MythBusters, lol.

Finished up Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories (Netflix Original), which is a live action Japanese production, and it's a hidden gem, so go watch it!

It centers around a warm little diner tucked away in the cluttered side streets of Akihabara that's only open overnight, and while there are a few regulars (such as the eatery's patron, who is simply referred to as "Master"), each episode is it's own self contained story centered around whatever customer(s) happen to wander in that episode, and there's always some food dish that resonates with them (for example, one centers around a culturally mixed romance & the troubles they have to overcome, another around a shop owner who's facing a midlife crisis, while another focuses on a gambler who has to raise his young son, etc.). It just has a really cool vibe, and made me feel a variety of emotions across the various tales.

Oh, and there was even a Dreamcast sighting in episode 7, lol. Even though, the character that had been playing it was depicted as a bum...

Next up for me is the Crown (Netflix Original), which is a biography of Queen Elizabeth II.

Finished up the Crown (Netflix Original) quicker than anticipated.

As mentioned before, it's a biography of the early years of Queen Elizabeth II's rule (though it also focuses on other prominent British royals & politicians of the time), and ultimately the internal struggle between oneself & the position you hold.

The filmmaking & acting are movie quality (seriously the best on a technical level that I've seen from a Netflix series, and I could watch Lithgow's Churchill in a stand alone series, lol). In addition, I never tired of the sight of the beautiful British countryside, the ornate pageantry of the various royal ceremonies, and the period vehicles. It's not for everyone, but it's seriously high quality, and coming from someone who usually doesn't watch this sort of thing, it completely held my attention.

Tonight I finished up My Little Lover, another live action Japanese romantic dramedy.

A high school senior is somehow transformed into a "one inch princess" (referencing a Japanese folktale) after having an argument with her family, and is taken in and protected by her next door neighbor & childhood friend who she has a crush on, but they drifted apart long ago.

Of course, the formula is pretty predictable after the similar series I've already watched this year, but it's unique hook helps it to stand out, and I generally still find the setup to be charming. Furthermore, it's shorter episode count kept things from getting too long winded, the love interest probably had the best reason to be aloof yet, and it had the most satisfying conclusion of the bunch (lastly, I got a kick out of the fact that it referenced the last of these types of series I watched, Mischievious Kiss: Love in Tokyo, most heavily in episode 8).

Finished up White Rabbit Project (Netflix Original) season 1 today.

It's a fun science program starring MythBusters' "B" team of Grant Imahara, Kari, & Tori. It's very much it's own show with it's own feel, but if you liked MythBusters, you'll probably like this too. Of course, you're mileage will vary episode to episode depending on your interest in whatever topic they're currently covering, but I generally had a good time with it.

Overall, I became quite the Netflix junkie this past year, watching more TV than I've ever watched before on it:

• Arrow season 4
• Atelier (Netflix Original) season 1
• the Crown (Netflix Original) season 1
• DC's Legends of Tomorrow season 1
• the Flash season 2
• Fuller House (Netflix Original) season 1 (still going through season 2 with my bro)
• Good Morning Call (Netflix Original) season 1
• Hibana: Spark (Netflix Original) season 1
• Marco Polo (Netflix Original) season 2
• Marco Polo: One Hundred Eyes special (Netflix Original)
• Marvel's Daredevil (Netflix Original) season 2
• Marvel's Luke Cage (Netflix Original) season 1
• Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories (Netflix Original) season 1
• Mischievous Kiss: Love in Tokyo: Volume 1
• Mischievous Kiss: Love in Tokyo: Volume 2
• My Little Lover season 1
• Roman Empire: Reign of Blood (Netflix Original) season 1
• Stranger Things (Netflix Original) season 1
• Supergirl season 1
• White Rabbit Project (Netflix Original) season 1

Alphabetical list.

I've watched a couple of shows since the start of the year.

CNN's The Eighties - 8 part documentary series about the notable events of the decade revolving around it's Television (2 parts), Tech, Music, Economy, Fall of the Soviet Union, AIDS Crisis, & the Reagan presidency (episodes not in that exact order). Pretty interesting stuff if you're into the era. As a Nintendo fan, it's a tad disappointing that it's only appearance is a quick shot of a Gameboy in the closing seconds of the Tech episode, but I guess in the grand scheme of things, they're not as important to society as the things they mentioned (In the Tech episode, they mostly talked about the emergence of the home computer market & the rise of Apple. They also talked about the first cell phones & the Sony Walkman. In terms of games, they mostly talked about the arcace craze, with a little offshoot about Atari when it came to the home side of things).

Tokyo Trial - 4 episode mini-series docu-drama about the post WWII tribunal that looked at if certain Japanese government & military officials were guilty of war crimes. It's from the perspective the judges overseeing the ordeal, and was a pretty interesting watch.

Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (Netflix Original).

Series based on the popular book series, with this season covering the first 4 books (2 episodes per book). It's been years since I last read the books, so I'm not sure how authentic it stays (though I'm sure there's some stuff they had to cut/alter, as with any adaptation), but I think they did a good job. In terms of costuming & set design I felt like they did a good job of capturing the vibe of the series. It's a bit more silly than I remembered the books being, but as I read them as a kid, they could have just seemed more serious.

Also, that was an astounding troll. I knew the parents weren't going to find them by season's end, since they have much more books to go through, but I never imagined that they weren't going to even be their parents. TBH, I can't even remember if the parents were still alive in the books, and don't tell me).

http://usa.newonnetflix.info/info/80099683/s

An enjoyable Aussie comedy series about a courier depot. I've heard stories about being a courier from my dad, and while the show over-exaggerates, I see that there is more than a grain of truth at the heart of it. Mario and Luigi make an appearance too.

Frontier (Netflix Original) - Series set in the wilderness of Canada in the late 1700's, with a variety of factions vying for dominance over the fur trade in the area. The big power is the British owned Hudson's Bay Company, and the smaller companies wanting a piece of the pie have to team up to take them down, but with everyone willing to backstab the person next to them for the slightest advantage, such a union isn't as easy as it sounds. I thought this one was actually pretty good, though criminally short (only 6 episodes long).

Also, awhile ago my bro & I finished up season 2 of Fuller House (Netflix Original). Pretty standard stuff. If you liked the first season, you'll probably like this. If not, it'll do nothing to change your mind.