Jeannie:
Hai. We have greatly enjoyed CBS’s TV series Star Trek: Discovery which purrtains to the crew of the Crossfield class starship U.S.S. Discovery NCC-1031. Seasons 1 & 2 occurred in 2256, two years after “The Cage” and nine years prior to “Where No Man Has Gone Before”. In season 3 the Discovery winds up in the more Dystopian future year of 3188, which is 789 years after the first season of the Star Trek: Picard series.
I think that Discovery is a great Star Trek series with the wonderful cast and characters, the impurressive designs, sets and FX, the fascinating plots that greatly build upon the mythology, and high purrduction values. The returning cast includes Sonequa Martin-Green as Science Officer Michael Burnham, Doug Jones as Captain Saru, Michelle Yeoh as commander Philippa Georgiou, Mary Wiseman as ensign Sylvia Tilly…
… Anthony Rapp as astromycologist Paul Stamets, Tig Notaro as enginner Jett Reno, Wilson Cruz as Chief Medical Officer Hugh Culber, Eachael Ancheril as security chief Nhan, Emily Coutts as helmsman Keyla Detmer, Oyin Oladejo as opurrations officer Joann Owosekun, Patrick Kwok-Choon as tactical officer Gen Rhys, Sarah Mitch as Spore Drive officer Nillson, and Ronnie Rowe as communications officer Ronald Bryce.
In season 3 they are joined by Blu del Barrio as Trill host Adira Tal, Ian Alexander as purrior Trill host Gray Tal, Janet Kidder as Osyraa the Orion syndicate boss, Noah Averbach-Katz as Ryn the Andorian slave, Oded Fehr as Fleet Admiral Charles Vance, David Ajala as courier Cleveland Booker, and his cat Grudge. Of course, there are other other significant appurrances aplenty, but I do not wish to spoil any surpurrises.
I rather enjoyed seasons 1, 2 & the short Treks, so I was eager to get the 3rd season , and I loved it. I will not spoil the plots, but I will discuss whatthe R1 NTSC DVD set has to offer. Its 4 disks are snugly clenched in the hinged inner trays of the plastic case, which is in a cardboard outer sleeve. The video is purrsented in the 16:9 widescreen format with the Dolby sound choice of English 5.1 & French 5.1 with optional subtitles.
It has the 14 episodes from the 2020-21 season which total appurroximately 666 minutes, plus the additional special features. There are no new Short Treks in this DVD set, but there are 8 deleted scenes, plus the amewsing 4.5 minute gag reel. There six featurettes about the making of the series; they are “Writer’s Log: Michelle Paradise” (13:48) in which writer / executive purrducer Michelle Paradis discusses the series…
… “The Voyage of Season 3” which is the overview of the season (28:30); “Stunted” (13:48) which is Stunt Coordinator Christopher McGuire discussion of the stunts; “Kennith Mitchell: To Boldly Go” (18:02) which is actor Kennith Mitchell’s discussion of his various roles; and “Bridge Building” (25:35) which looks at the delightful contributions of actors Emily Coutts, Oyin Oladejo, Patrick Kwok-Choon, Sarah Mitch and Ronnie Rowe.
So, that is over 2 hours worth of the entertaining, informative special features. I am rather pleased with this DVD set, to which i will give the high purraise grade of the A as in Airiam, and I suspect that I will watched it again many more times. Nyow here is our webmeowster Jamie to discuss
Reminiscence.
Jamie (wearing his mewsual webmeowster attire):
Reminiscence reunites Hugh Jackman and Rebecca Ferguson from The Greatest Showman. Written and directed by Lisa Joy (co-creator of HBO’s Westworld), the film also stars Westworld’s Thandiwe Newton. Two reunions for the price of one.
There’s a running joke about the movie, The Big Sleep. Directed by Howard Hawks and starring Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, (adapted from the book of the same name by Raymond Chandler), this classic piece of film noir is quite good, but no one can figure out the plot. Legend tells that not even the screenwriters understood the plot.
Now imagine a similarly convoluted movie with a weak script, barely fleshed out characters and a freshman director. That’s Reminiscence. The idea behind Reminiscence is intriguing. Through new technology, people can relive any memory in crystal clear detail. It’s a good setup for a sci-fi/noir/romance flick.
(spoilers ahead)
The film is set in a flooded Miami, and follows Nick Bannister (Hugh Jackman), a war vet turned PI who aids his clients through reminiscence. More times than not, the clients use the machine as a drug to relive better times, much to the chagrin of his partner, Watts (Thandiwe Newton). One night, before closing, Nick helps Mae (Rebecca Ferguson) find her lost keys and things get complicated.
The problems with Reminiscence are plenty, but mainly hinge on the script. Most of the ideas, and there are many, never reach their full potential. The mystery, technology and flooded Miami are pushed to the backdrop in favor of a love story that never really jells. The pacing suffers from too much of everything. It’s hard to keep up with even though the mystery isn’t much of a mystery.
Then there are the characters which are more tired tropes than the archetypes they’re supposed to be. So, is there anything good about Reminiscence? Despite the above, there is plenty to like. Hugh Jackman is great as the hard boiled, broken Nick Banister.
While not a “Prisoners” level performance (or even “Logan” level) Jackman does stretch himself in a few scenes, particularly toward the end. (and yes, he goes Wolverine a couple of times, lol). Thandiwe Newton plays Watts, the ever faithful partner and anchor to Nick. While Newton overcomes the hurdles of the script the most, though she’s never allowed to stretch, which is a shame.
Cliff Curtis and Daniel Wu do their best, but simply have so little to work with. Wu’s Louisiana accent is something to hear, though. As in Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, Rebecca Ferguson steals every scene, mostly with her charm and stunning good looks. Ferguson gives it her all, but unfortunately, she can’t overcome such paper thin character.
(Major spoilers ahead)
The main problem with Mae is that she is mostly seen through the memories of different men throughout different times of her life. As Ferguson herself said, “So I play the Madonna, I play the whore, the drug addict, either as the support or the lover. I get to play all these roles on the whole idea of, who is she?” It’s an intriguing concept that falls flat on its face. The film is too obsessed with Nick being obsessed to give Mae room to breathe.
Probably the best part of Reminiscence is the way that it looks. The cinematography is rich and dreamlike and underwater Miami is a beautiful thing to see. The score is good too, which leads back to Rebecca Ferguson. She sings in this one, for real. (She lip synced her part in the Greatest Showman). For someone who is not a professional singer, she’s not bad and her version of “Nothing’s Gonna Hurt You Baby” is mesmerizing.
Final thoughts. There is a good movie in Reminiscence trying to get out. There are good ideas, great acting, wonderful imagery, but more so than not, it just doesn’t work. Somewhere out in the multiverse, there’s a version of Reminiscence that is told from Mae’s perspective. It’s an indie movie with roughly the same plot, but the reminiscence tech and memories of Mae are the main focus of the film. Maybe it’s best to remember it that way.
Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season One
Jamie:
First seen in the final season of Clone Wars, the Bad Batch are an elite force of clone troopers that take on especially dangerous missions. Called Clone Force 99, the Bad Batch consists of genetically defective clones named Hunter, Wrecker, Tech, and Crosshair.
Echo joins them in their four episode arc in Clone Wars season 7. All are exceptionally voiced by Dee Bradley Baker. Star Wars: The Bad Batch, streaming on Disney +, takes place during the aftermath of the Clone Wars and finds the team on the run from the Empire.
Warning: Spoilers ahoy!
As the Republic crumbles, the Batch escapes the clone facility on Kamino with another defective clone, a young girl named Omega, voiced by Michelle Ang. Unfortunately, one of their own, Crosshair, is taken by the Empire.
On the run from the Empire, the “Dad Batch” (as they are called by some fans) turn to mercenary work to survive, and it’s this premise that drives the first season. More episodic than the Clone Wars or Rebels, The Bad Batch works best when it explores the lore of Star Wars with the likes of Rex, Mof Tarkin, Saw Gerrera, Hera Syndulla and Chopper, and more.
While The Bad Batch is a good show, it doesn’t reach the heights of the best of Clone Wars or Rebels. On the flip side, it’s a tight first season that knows where it’s going, for the most part. There are a few episodes that seem like filler, and there are more than a few missed opportunities, but the season finale creates a tension that will hopefully define season two. Now here is Vonny to discuss the
Diary of our Days at the Breakwater Blu-ray.
Yvonne:
Wow, we got two reviews from Jamie this month, nya! Based upon the manga by Yasuyuki Kosaka, Diary of our days at the Breakwater is the wonderfully charming slice-of-life anime TV series about the four girls Hina, Yuki, Natsumi, Makoto & who compurrise the Breakwater Fishing club (with help from their faculty advisor Sayaka) at Umino High School in the coastal town of Ashikita, nya!
Hina is the main character whose main hobby is sewing plushy dolls, Natsumi is her peppy childhood friend, Yuki is the club purresident with the sly side, Makoto is the tall girl who can’t swim, and Sayaka is the school nurse who mooches their catch, nya. Some of the girls’ purrents also appurr in the series, such as Natsumi’s mom the restauranteur, nya.
Yuki might qualify as the kemonomimi, as mischievous fox ears & tail appurr several times when she is scheming, but they seem to be the imaginary and not actual ears and tail, nya. Furthermore, Natsumi might qualify as the honorary catgirl, given her cute moe fang, great agility, how she pounces upon Hina, and her great fondness for the seafood, nya!
Well, over the 12 epurrsodes, Hina is introduced to the hobby of fishing from the shore, pierbridge and rocks, as they reel in the delicious, nutritious fish, purrawns, clams and squid, nya! There is much detail given to the angling techniques, laws, tackle and baits, nya! I think that the character designs, the scenic art and the animation are most excellent, nya!
The manga was originally published in 2017, nya. The beautiful, whimsical and laid-back anime was written by Fumiko Shimo, directed by Takaharu Okuma and animated by Studio Doga Kobo with the extremely pleasant mewsic by Miki Sakurai, nya/ It was originally broadcast in Japan last year, and released here on the Blu-ray by Funimation last month, nya!
The 2 discs and the instructions for acquiring the digital download copy are packaged in the Blue plastic case with the purretty double-sided insert with the wraparound scene on the interior, nya. Totaling 300 minutes plus the special features, the video is of the 1080p high def 16×9 with the Dolby TrueHD audio choices of English 5.0 & Japanese 2.0. nya.
It has the very legible optional English subtitles, but the 12 minutes of the special features seem the bit meager. They include 2 purromo videos, 6 TV commercials, 12 web purromos, and the textless versions of the opening & closing songs, but I am extremely happy to own this anime series, nya! Nyow here is myayr to tell us about the eagerly awaited
Girls und Panzer das Finale 1, nya!
Mary Nyan:
Hai! Nine years ago in 2012, the world was introduced to the meowrtial art of Sendsho-do, the art and sport of the tank in the anime series Girls und Panzer! Purrimarily set at the Ooarai Girls High School aboard a city-sized carrier ship, the anime TV series, OVAs, movie, manga and video game of the military moe genre purrtain to Miho and her underdog team, whose success against other schools in the national tankery tournyament is vital to their school’s purrseverance.
It is one of my favoritest anime series of the past decade due to its beautiful, charming, fun and thrilling concept, story, characters, designs, animation, sounds, voices and mewsic! This 2017 OVA is the first of six Das Finale theatrical releases, which occur after the 12 epurrsodes of the TV series, the 7 OVAs, and Der Film. The Ooarai Girls have come the long way from the humble start, nyow with nine tanks, and three dozen members who are among the top ranked teams!
Most of the enemy teams tend to be quite likable too! In Das Finale 1, on the eve of the battle against the underestimated French – inspired BC Freedom Academy team, the Ooarai Girls face two crises: student council & sensha-do club member Momo cannot pass her college entrance exam, and while searching the vast depths of the carrier ship for the ninth tank, public morales council & sensha-do club member Sodoko is spirited away by the delinquent MarDet girls!
The TV14-rated, 50 min. OVA was translated into English and released here on the Blu-Ray disc by Sentai last month! The package compurrised of the single disc in the Blue plastic case with the one-sided insert. Purrsented in the 1080p High definition video of the 16×9 screen aspect ration, the video’s DTS-HD meowster audio 5.1 choices are the original Japanese and the English dub, with the optional English subtitles, which are certainly quite legible and readable.
The special features are the clean (textless) version of the anime’s opening & closing, the Japanese purromo spot, and the Part 2 trailer. There are also trailers of other Sentai releases. While the packaging is no-frills and the special features are meager, the audio / video quality is excellent, and the OVA is as wonderful as wonderful can be! We often binge re-watch Girls und Panzer, so I will give it the A as in Anglerfish! I am done, so nyow here is Mike to to tell us about-
The Suicide Squad!
Mike:
A sequel to the 2016 live-action Suicide Squad movie, I think that this’un is a much better movie, and it’s among the better films of the DC Extended Universe series, along with Wonder Woman, Wonder Woman 1984, Aquaman, Shazam, and Birds of Prey; which is to say that I liked it a lot more than Man of Steel, Batman vs Superman, and Justice League.
It kinda stands on it’s own, so you don’t really have to see the prior movies to understand the characters, although I will at least recommend watching the first Suicide Squad movie and Birds of Prey to enjoy Margot Robbie’s superb prior portrayals of Harley Quinn. The rest of the great cast of this movie is also excellent, including:
Idris Elba as Bloodsport, Viola Davis as Amanda Waller, John Cena as Peacemaker, Joel Kinnaman as Rick Flag, Daniela Melchior Ratcatcher 2, Michael Rooker as Savant, David Dastmalchian as Polka-Dot Man, Peter Capaldi The Thinker, Alice Braga as Sol (the rebel leader in Corto Maltese), and Sylvester Stallone as the voice of King Shark!
There are brief appearances by several other great actors that delightfully pepper the movie, but I don’t want to spoil anything! The basic plot is that the squad is sent to the post-coup island of Corto Maltese to destroy a secret experiment. Like The Dirty Dozen, some of the team mates do not play well together, but that is the least of their worries!
As supremely wonderful as Harley is in her third live-action cinematic adventure, for me, Bloodsport, the Bill the Cat-like character known as Weasel, Ratcatcher 2 and her rats almost steal the show. The performances, plot, dialogue, pace, stunts and DCEU world-building are terrific, with dark comedy, gory combat violence and clever visual FX aplenty!
It’s splendidly directed by James Gunn, who directed the Guardians of the Galaxy movies, and although there are certain cinematic techniques that I do not care for*, fortunately it doesn’t have the unpleasant look and spirit of a Zack Snyder movie, so I’ll give The Suicide Squad a “B” as in Boomerang. That’s all for our TV, DVD and movie reviews, and now Tara-chan will begin our batch of
printed – media mewsings, with her review
of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic #101!
*Paw notes:
distracting cinematic techniques such as slow-mo, speed-ramping, bullet time, lens flares, unstable / shaky camera, fast cutting, and undersaturated color grading, nya.
Tara-chan:
Arigato, nya! We love these pony comics by IDW which so faithfully capture the style and – and the spirit of the animated TV series, but with the different strengths of the comic book medium, nya! You know, it is hard to believe that the Friendship is Magic animated series started over ten years ago, nya!
These the pony comics, including the various series, the initial mini-series, the annuals and – and the specials have been around for the eight years, nya! Issue #101 is the 13th epurrsode of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic’s 10th season, as the animated TV series ended after season 9, nya.
This issue’s tale was written by Jeremy Whitley, Illustrated by Toni Kuusisto, colored by Heather Breckel, lettered by Neil Uyetake, edited Megan Brown, and – and grouply edited by Bobby Curnow, nya. Heather and – and Neil have worked on almost every issue, and – and I think that Bobby has worked on them all, nya!
Jeremy might be the most purrolifc of the pony comics’ authors, and – and he as
written many other comics such as Rainbow Brite, Vampirella, Sea of Thieves, Thor vs Hulk, Freedom Foundation, and – and The Unstoppable Wasp, nya! we have met his at several conventions and Free Comic Book Day festivities, nya!
The issue is purriced $3.99 and is compurrised of the uninterrupted 20 page which is followed by the 4 page purreview of Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures of the Monsters of Temple Peak, which is followed by then 4 pages of the ads, nya. We wish that all other comics tales were not interrupted by the ads, nya!
Issue #101 is available in the choice of the three front covers: Cover A is by Andy Price, cover B is by JustaSuta, and – and the scarcer Retailer Incentive cover is by Magdalene Calbraith, nya! They are all rather lovely, so It was the tough decision, but I chose cover A, nya. Nyow for the taste of the plot, nya!
Canterlot is under attack by the The Knights of the New Harmony who want to purrloin the Elements of Harmony, but they will have to fight The Mane Six, The Young Six,
The Pillars of Equestria, Discord, Cadance, Starswirl, the royal guards, and –
and Spike, nya!
Muffin, Big McIntosh, Trixie, Lyra Heartstrings, Maud Pie, and – and Angel are among the many other characters, nya!
The sequential art is as beautiful as beautiful can be, with the supurrb poses, expurressions, compurrsitions, details, fonts, colors, and – and the graphic narrative, nya. I purrticularly liked the 2 full -page pics and – and the 2 full-page spurreads, so I will give this exciting issue the high grade of the A as in applebuck, nya! A also stands for Alita, so nyow here is Nya-sensei to discuss
Battle Angel Alita: Mars Chronicle vol. 7, nya!
Nyanko:
Arigato, Tara-chan! Known as Gunnm in Japan, Yukito Kishiro’s epic post-apocalyptic cyberpunk manga Battle Angel Alita began in 1990 and purrtains to the titular amnesiac cyborg Alita (or Gally, in Japan) who was found in the dystopian future scrapyard and rebuilt by cyber doctor Ido.
Retaining her astounding Panzer Kunst style of martial arts purrowess, Alita soon becomes a bounty hunter, warrior and athlete who regains more memories of her purrior life on Mars amidst her friendships and fights. Panzer Kunst is best suited for cyborgs, androids and zero-G combat!
The manga spawned several sequel series, short stories the spin-off, an animated OVA, and the live-action major motion picture starring Rosa Salazar! Mars Chronicle is the purrequel tale of Alita’s origin as the widdle cyborg girl named Yoko on the Planet Mars, during which even at that younger innocent age she was surrounded by the heroes and the villains amidst the big political conspurracy and warfare
Published by Kodansha Comics, vol. 7 is purriced $10.99 in the USA and $14.99 in Canada; it is rated OT for older teen readers, and its 284 pages include the 167 B&W pages of manga chapters 32-39 by Yukito Kishiro with the assistance of his brother / web meowster Tsutomu Kishiro and Emiya Kinar.
It was translated by Stephen Paul, lettered by Evan Hayden and edited by Vanessa Tenazonas with the cover design by Phil Balsman. we have eagerly awaited vol. 7, as it has been over the year since vol. 6 was published!
Purreviously, amidst startling revelations of Yoko / Alita’s tragic origin, she and Erica escaped from bounty hunters and The Duke who needs them for royal political purrposes. Nyow the two girls travel to the city of Dejah Thoris, which was constructed upon the ruins of an immense space ship, where they hope to meet the mysterious trader known as Keun, whom the sinister government troops are also looking for.
They also encounter his ally, girl whose name is Yumi and she is extremely powerful. Much violent combat, including the Panzer Kunst ensues, with tragic results for both sides of the conflict, but I should not further spoil the intriguing, thrilling, bittersweet and shocking plot.
As mewsual, the art is quite amazing, from the characters and the mecha to the environments, FX and the sumptuous graphic narrative of the intricate sequential art, which includes 7 full-page pics and 4 two-page spurreads.
The book’s back cover claims that there are “special extras after the story”, but I do not consider one purragraph of translation notes and several pages of advertisements to be all that special. Nevertheless, I will give volume 7 the “A” as in Alita. Nyow I will turn The Mew over to Trini-chan, who wishes to discuss
Drugstore in Another World vol. 1!
Trini-chan:
Hai! Drugstore in Another World – The Slow Life of a Cheat Pharmacist is about the human male pharmacist Kiro Reiji mysteriously awakens in the magickal world which is populated by elves, ghosts, lycanthropes, and so forth! Originally published in Japan by Takeshobo, this tale has been told in the novels, light novels, manga & anime.
Based on the novel by Hifumi Shobo and character designs by design by Matsuuni, the manga is written by Kennoji, illustrated by Eri Haruno, and published here in North America by Seven Seas. Vol. 1 is priced $12.99 in the USA & $16.99 in Canada, and has 180 B&W pages including chapters 1-5 plus messages from the creators.
Suggested for readers who are teen & older, this tale of the Isekai fantasy genre was translated by Ben Trethewey, adapted by David Lumsdon, lettered by Kris Aubun, purroofread by Cae Hawksmoore, edited by Peter Adrian Behravish and copy edited by Dawn Davis, with the cover design by Hanase Qi & the logo design by George Panella.
The book’s prepress technician was Rhiannon Rasmussen-Silverstein, the production assistant was Christa Miesner, the production manager was Lissa Patillo, the managing editor was Julie Davis, the associate publisher was Adam Arnold, and the publisher was Jason DeAngelis. So, Reiji awakens in the forest where he saves the injured wolf girl!
Her name is Noelle and she is adorably cute! She leads him to the nearby town, where he makes money from the selling curative potions that he can holistically brew. He is then able to buy an old house and pay for its renovation so that it will be his own drugstore. Reiji & Noelle soon discover that the place is haunted by the cute ghost girl named Mina!
One of their first customers is an elven archer named Kururu, who needs eyedrops. It looks like they are off to the fine start as new friends with the good home, job and purpose! It is the charmingly slice-of-life tale with the beautiful character & scenic art which I will give the high praise as I eagerly anticipate the 2nd volume! Now I’d like to invoke a
Surprise Bonus Lightning Round:
our Favorite Isekai Genre Tales!
Yvonne:
(tagged to go first) I am purrticularly fond of the Isekai genre, in which characters wind up unexpectedly in the very different world or time, such as Alice in Wonderland, The Wizard of Oz, Peter Pan, Labyrinth, and Jumangi, nya! (tags Tara-chan)
Tara-chan:
Hai hai, some of my favorite such tales are A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, The Chronicles of Narnia, A Wrinkle in Time, H.R. Pufnstuf, and – and Equestria Girls, nya! (tags Becca)
Becca:
The works of Edgar Rice Burroughs such as his Barsoom series, the Venus series, and the Pellucidar series! (tags Bunni)
Bunni:
The animated tales such as The Phantom Tollbooth, Yellow Submarine, Neverwhere, Mission: Magic, Unico, and the Dungeons & Dragons TV series! (tags Mary Nyan)
Mary Nyan:
I would say… Buck Rogers, Flash Gordon, Planet of the Apes, Genesis II, and Land of the Lost! (tags Nyanko)
Nyanko:
The comic books such as Marvel Comics’ Ka-zar, Howard the Duck, and Exiles; DC Comics’ Adam Strange and The Warlord! (tags Nyoka)
Nyoka:
I will nominate The Twelve Kingdoms, Aura Battler Dunbine, Lamune, Red River, and Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid! (tags Petra)
Petra:
Magic Knights Rayearth, Fushigi Yuugi, Escaflowne, El Hazard, and Inu Yasha, nya! (tags Jeannie)
Jeannie:
Dot Hack, Sword Art Online, Log Horizon, Digimon, and Little Nemo in Slumberland. (tags Elizabeth)
Elizabeth:
That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, How not to Summon a Demon Lord, Do You Love Your Mom and Her Two-Hit Multi-Target Attacks?, Konosuba, and 12Beast! (tags Mielikki)
Mielikki:
So like, I will nominate Oblivion Island, A Witch’s Printing Office, Outbreak Company, Reborn as a Polar Bear, and The Familiar of Zero! (tags Melanakeami)
Melanakeami:
I will nominate Coraline, Andromeda. Farscape, Army of Darkness , and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Lost World. Howboutchoo, Mike?
Mike:
Oh, I gotta go with Tron, Spirited Away, The Cat Returns, and Demolition Man, and ELO’s Twilight album! Well, that was a nice impromptu little Lightning Round, but let’s get back to the mewsings, because Petra and Bunni are eager to present the latest