Shojo Beat October 2008

Preview: We Were There by Yuki Obata

The story:  Nanami begins high school but it’s not as easy socially or academically as she’d hoped.  Plus, there’s that very rude Yano.

It’s all about a cute and normal girl in high school who’s not having the easiest time of it.  The preview was long enough but felt a little disjointed.  I personally think that when Yano mislead Nanami that that was ruder than her forgetting a  person’s name.

Preview: Captive Hearts by Matsuri Hino

The story: Spoiled rich boy Megumi warns to his dismay that his family is cursed to serve the members of another family.

Good length for a preview.  Cute premise but I hope it’s short since there’s not much place it can go.

Spoilers ahead…

Planet Karen is burned out of home

Saw this on Lea Hernandez‘s twitter.

DivaLea Undamnbelievable: Comicker Karen Ellis, creator of Planet Karen, has been burned out of her apartment.

Poor Karen.

Ellis’ cartoon on the tragedy.

Joss Whedon’s Dollhouse “Ghost”

Image via Wikipedia

I watched Dollhouse on line today.  I was expecting a really shoddy program from all the negative reviews.

It wasn’t that bad.  Geez.

I’ve covered the basic premise already.  The  pilot introduces us to the Dollhouse – a sort of spa/summer camp/villain’s lair.  Pilots are rarely my favorite episodes of Whedon series but this one does the job.

Echo (Eliza Dushku) is beautiful in a kind of world-weary rather than vacuous way.  Lot of critics said Dushku didn’t have the necessary range, but she looked happy when she was having fun and scared when things were going bad.  I was worried for her at the crisis of the show.  What she did worked for me.

Topher (Fran Kanz) the mad scientist was annoying but smart.  I don’t like his character but I’ll be interested to see what he does.

Paul Ballard (Tahmoh Penikett) is an FBI agent investigating whether the dollhouse exists or not.  The boxing thing was kind of obvious and went on and on and on.  Hope they cut that crap out.  I don’t particularly like the Cassandra-prophet characters but I’ll give Whedon time to show why he’s there.

Boyd Langton (Harry J. Lennix) is a good guy, and thoroughly likable. I hope he doesn’t fall in love or become happy or he’s dead.

The story: Echo is chosen to negotiate the ransom for a little girl.  Of course, things go horribly wrong.

The motorcycle race, the boxing match and all the guns did not appeal to me much.  I prefer the science fiction and character exploration to the gun play.  Maybe they drop this stuff if it becomes successful.

Oh man, I wish Joss wasn’t working for Fox again.  I could use some weekly salty goodness.

episode 1 GHOSTS

episode 2 THE TARGET

episode 3 STAGE FRIGHT

episode 4 GRAY HOUR

episode 5 TRUE BELIEVER

episode 6 MAN ON THE STREET

episode 7 ECHOES

episode 8 NEEDS

episode 9 A SPY IN THE HOUSE OF LOVE

episode 10 HAUNTED

episode 11 BRIAR ROSE

episode 12 OMEGA

Psyched for “Dollhouse”

I’m so going to watch Joss Whedon’s new show Dollhouse.

There will be maybe 5 episodes shown.  Out of order.

The critics don’t like it.  It airs Friday the 13th.  It’s on Fox.

No wonder there’s a campaign to save the show before it has even begun.

Better watch it while I can.

It airs tomorrow at 9/8c.  Eliza Dushku stars as Echo a “doll” whose memory is flashy-thinged and then imprinted with the personality that her clients require.

Salon interview

Zap2it on Dollhouse

Whedonesque – himself on Dollhouse

MTV – interview

Tim Goodman – review

Alan Sepinwall – review

Shojo Beat September 2008

Here we go into the fall months of Shojo Beat

Preview: Blank Slate by Aya Kanno

The story: Amnesiac Zen encounters Russo, a bounty hunter.

Atmospheric piece of storytelling.  The characters are these introspective, sensitive killers.  Not my brand of shojo.

New Series: Honey Hunt by Miki Aihara

I’m excited about this series because I like her art style but I couldn’t endure reading Hot Gimmick.  The premise was squicky to me.  I’m hoping this series will work for me.

The story this month: Downtrodden Yura tires to cope with being the daughter of  famous and indifferent parents.  Then her parents become involved in a scandal and Yura can’t take it anymore.

I guess the story is going to be about Yura recreating herself outside her parents’ shadows.  Yura’s in a difficult situation but everyone she turns to has their own agenda.  I wonder if she’ll develop any backbone over the series.

Series and Spoilers after the break…

Shojo Beat August 2008

Previews before the break.  Spoiled series after the break.

Preview: Mixed Vegetables by Ayumi Komora

Story:  Hanayu wants to be sushi chef, but rather than training for the part, she decides to marry into an established sushi-cooking family.

The wide mouths and solid pupils just don’t work for me.  The storyline annoys me too.  I would have preferred an arranged betrothal that sparked her interest in sushi.

Preview: Wanted by Matsuri Hino

Story: Singer Armeria disguises herself as a cabin boy to revenge herself on the pirate who abducted a kind boy named Luce.

At this point, I ‘m a dedicated Hino fan, so pirates just make it better.

I prefer her lighter series to her drama like Vampire Knight and this series appears to be more on the comedic side.  Did I mention it has pirates?

Spoilers after the break…

Shojo Beat July 2008

I’ll get back to the biopics soon.  To speed things up, I’m only commenting on the previews and series.

Preview:  Sugar Princess by Hisaya Nakajo

It was a lengthy preview and it’s about figure skating so I was helpless to resist.

Story:  Maya is recruited by a coach to learn figure skating.  She has little experience but much enthusiasm to do her best.  Her enthusiasm is dampened by the snobbish but cute guy Shun that her new coach wants her to pair with.

I really don’t like her character design.  She looks like a blank slate.

I was amused by the sparkles when Maya first sees Shun skating.  It was even funnier when she demotes him from ‘Dazzling Diamond Prince’ to ‘Cubic Zirconium’ due to his rudeness.  Maya is easy to identify with.

Preview: Short Tempered Melancholic by Arina Tanemura

This is a a short preview but it’s enough to establish the set up.

Story: Kajika comes from a family of ninja and though she’s supposed to keep it a secret, she performs amazing physical feats when accidents occur.

She looks cute in a ninja outfit.

Unfortunately, I really didn’t like the setup.  She has to give up her unladylike ways to win the approval of Fujisaki whom she likes.  Apparently, it’s unladylike to rescue a child from being hit by a car.  I like it better when the conflicting sets of values have some merit.

Series comments and spoilers….

La Vie en Rose (2007)

Image via Wikipedia

This biopic of Edith Piaf won lots of awards and lots of praise from audiences and reviewers. I don’t have a lot to say about this movie.

The beginning of the movie, especially the scenes in the brothel, were surreal and interesting.

Unfortunately, once Piaf discovered drugs, the movie became dull very fast.  The zipping back in forth through time didn’t help me concentrate either. According to this film, she seems to have been either oblivious to her surroundings or rebuffing most everyone. The movie failed to inspire me to learn more about her life.

It’s actually Piaf’s own vocals.  I fast-forwarded to the musical numbers but even her singing was muted or slurred over in places.

A. O. Scott’s review