The Quatermass All-Purpose Media Review Thread

[Quatermass]

REVIEW: Chainsaw Man Episode 1: Dog & Chainsaw, Episode 2: Arrival in Tokyo, Episode 3: Meowy’s Whereabouts and Episode 4: Rescue by Hiroshi Seko, from the manga series by Tatsuki Fujimoto

TYPE: TV series

DETAILS: CSM1.1-1.4, 4X25 minute episodes

Chainsaw Man was one of those manga series that grew on me, albeit like a fungus at first. But it went from strength to strength, and I felt it was time to start the anime adaptation, created by MAPPA who also adapted Attack on Titan. But how would it fare?

In a world living in fear of Devils, teenager Denji is making a living killing them to pay a debt he owes the Yakuza thanks to his late father. He is helped by his only friend, a cute Devil known as Pochita, a dog-like creature with a chainsaw snout. After being betrayed and murdered by the Yakuza, Denji is revived by Pochita, and becomes the Chainsaw Man, a Devil Hybrid. Conscripted by the alluring and sinister Makima of Public Safety into becoming a Devil-Hunter for the Japanese government, Denji needs to figure out what his dreams in life are…

It feels like the adaptors took what was good about the manga, and polished it to a mirror shine. True, it’s still in the stage where the plot is finding traction, some of the humour (especially where Denji’s obsession with sexual activity is concerned) falls very flat, and there’s questionable character interaction. But they manage to polish, if not a turd, then something that was mediocre or average in its initial stages, and make it better.

The casting is superlative. True, Denji’s obsession with breasts gets old quickly, but Ryan Colt Levey infuses the crass, socially-impaired teen with relatable humanity. Reagan Murdock does well as Aki, a character I admittedly despise at this early stage. Yet aside from Levey, the stars in particular as Suzie Yeung as Makima and Sarah Wiedenheft as Power. Yeung infuses Makima with maternal warmth that can switch to cold pragmatism in the blink of an eye, all in the same gentle tones, while Wiedenheft channels Japanese voice actress Farouz Ai in doing a fun and chaotic take on Power who remains more human than the Blood Fiend would like.

The production values are where the series truly shines. Drawing on experience from Attack on Titan and other shows, MAPPA gives the series an energetic nature in a nonetheless realistic setting. The chaos of the opening titles, the cinematography of the quiet moments, the battles between Denji and first the Bat Devil, and then the Leech Devil, are great.

Chainsaw Man’s initial episodes take what is in the manga and polish it to a gleam. Not perfect by any means, but an impressive improvement all the same…

****

 

[Quatermass]

REVIEW: Avatar: The Last Airbender Book 1- Water, Chapter 4: The Warriors of Kyoshi, Chapter 5: The King of Omashu, and Chapter 6: Imprisoned by Nick Malis, John O’Bryan, and Matthew Hubbard

TYPE: TV series

DETAILS: ATLA1.4-1.6, 3X25 minute episodes

So, here we are, with my embarking on more episodes of Avatar: The Last Airbender. But after an enjoyable beginning, how would these episodes fare? Let’s find out…

Aang and his friends’ quest have meandered somewhat. A stayover in Kyoshi, founded by one of Aang’s predecessors, nearly leads to disaster when Aang lets his fame goes to his head. A stop in Omashu brings back memories for Aang, and leaves them prey to the elderly and crazed king of the city. And when they come across a village whose Earthbenders have been imprisoned by the Fire Nation, Katara makes a mistake that will see her willingly go to prison to make up for it…

After the excitement of the first few episodes, I have to confess, the next lot were a bit of a letdown, with the rather simplistic morality and character development. True, this is a kid’s show, and the episodes aren’t bad, I was just expecting more. The particular highlight was the second episode, giving a window into Aang’s past, and introducing the fun character of King Bumi of Omashu.

The main voice cast do well in their roles, even if Sokka’s chauvinism gets old really quickly in the first episode. However, Andre Sogliuzzo is a delight as the seemingly-deranged Bumi. I do feel George Takei was wasted in the third episode: an actor of his calibre seems to be overqualified to play the Prison Warden in that episode, as much as Takei gave the role an air of urbane menace as a thin veneer over his cruelty.

The production values are pretty good. True, it’s not a patch on many modern animated series, Japanese or otherwise, but it does a damn good job for not only its time, but now. One particular highlight is the second episode, with the high-speed chute ride and the final battle between Aang and Bumi in particular getting my notice.

Overall, while not as great as the first set of episodes, these were enough to keep my interest. Let’s hope the next set gets better…


***½

 

[Quatermass]

REVIEW: Chainsaw Man Episode 5: Gun Devil, Episode 6: Kill Denji, and Episode 7: The Taste of a Kiss by Hiroshi Seko, from the manga series by Tatsuki Fujimoto

TYPE: TV series

DETAILS: CSM1.5-1.7, 3X25 minute episodes

So, here I am embarking on the next set of episodes of Chainsaw Man. This set of episodes adapts the Eternity Devil arc in the manga. But how would it fare?

After receiving his reward for rescuing Power’s pet cat, Denji is at a crossroads with his life. Makima manipulates him by offering him anything he desires in exchange for slaying the atrociously powerful Gun Devil, a monster responsible for slaying over a million people in a brief rampage. Division 4’s quest to seek out Devils mutated by fragments of the Gun Devil’s flesh lead them into a hotel…only for them to be trapped on the eighth floor by the Eternity Devil, who offers them an escape. But in exchange, they must slay Denji…

The anime does a decent job of adapting the manga chapters, though it’s by this point that the manga itself is finding its feet. Still, some elements are frustrating (albeit as flaws from the original manga), and I feel this arc could have been over sooner. But it does manage to remain engaging with some nice character moments, some fun, some awesome, and some utterly disturbing.

The main cast is mostly fun, with Ryan Colt Levy and Sarah Wiedenheft providing the diabolical comic relief as Denji and Power, and Suzie Yeung exuding charm and menace as Makima. A particular highlight is Bryn Apprill as the neurotic Kobeni: as much as I am not fond of the character, Apprill does a great job of portraying her hysterics. Meanwhile, Katelyn Barr is great as Himeno, showing both a serious side and a comic side.

The animation is pretty well-done by Mappa. True, I feel there’s a few blips, especially when the Eternity Devil first appears, and I feel the fight between Denji and the Eternity Devil could have been a touch more epic. But overall, the production does well at conveying the story, the good, the bad, and the very ugly.

Overall, this was a great continuation of the series. I just hope it picks up a touch…

****

 

[Quatermass]

REVIEW: The Saga of Tanya the Evil: Episode 5: My First Battalion, Episode 6: Beginning of Madness, and Episode 7: The Battle of the Fjord by Kenta Ihara, from the light novels by Carlo Zen

TYPE: TV series

DETAILS: STE5-7, 3X25 minute episodes

After a very long hiatus, I’ve come back to The Saga of Tanya the Evil. But would absence make the heart grow fonder for this dark isekai series? Let’s find out…

Entrapped into forming a rapid response group of mage soldiers, Tanya Degurechaff resolves to put her recruits through Hell to force them to drop out. Unfortunately for her, they find the resolve to make their way through training. And with more countries entering the war against the Empire, possibly influenced by the sinister Being X, Tanya’s hopes of a peaceful life are slipping away…

This is still a pretty enjoyable series. True, there’s still some faults, with both the dark subject matter and omitting many of Tanya’s humanising moments. Yet the series also feels a bit more clearer than the original novels in elucidating the plot and strategies in wartime visually, a boon for audiences who can’t grasp such things from the books. Plus, there’s some dark comedy at the end of the first episode of the batch, where Tanya works around wartime regulations to darkly funny effect.

Monica Rial is a delight as the sociopathic Tanya, going from thoughtful to unhinged at the drop of a hat. Jeannie Tirado also does well as Viktoriya, trying to cope with her CO’s nature, while J Michael Tatum is good as Rerugen. Rounding out the cast is Jarrod Greene as Anson Sioux, giving him empathy and weariness that is much needed in this series.

Production values are, for the most part, excellent. True, there’s some blips at times, with the blatantly CGI ships in the third episode of this batch being poorly-done, but otherwise, there’s a lot to be said about the animation, especially in the battle scenes. It all comes together as a near-cohesive whole.

The Saga of Tanya the Evil may be a touch dark and alienating for many people’s tastes, but these episodes were a great continuation of the series. I intend to watch more…


****

 

[Quatermass]

REVIEW: Doctor Who: The Church on Ruby Road by Russell T Davies.

TYPE: TV series

DETAILS: Serial 304, 1X55 minute episode

I have to admit, after the overseas broadcasting rights for Doctor Who were sold to Disney+, I worried about ever watching new episodes of the series again, including those starring Ncuti Gatwa as the Doctor. But eventually, not only did I read the novelisations of this new series, but now, after a considerable wait, I now have the home video set. But how would Ncuti Gatwa’s first full story as the Doctor fare?

Ruby Sunday, a foundling adopted by a loving foster mother Carla, has been lately plagued by bad luck. An interview with Davina McCall to find her long lost mother merely marks the beginning of a string of bad luck. Into this mess comes the Doctor, and when Lulubelle, the new foster child of Carla, is kidnapped, the pair of them must work together to save Lulubelle from her kidnappers: Goblins…

As I mentioned while reviewing the novelisation, the plot is very lightweight, and seems to be swerving a little too much into outright fantasy than the soft science fiction/science fantasy the franchise normally does. I also feel the pacing is a touch off, spending too much time on certain scenes and making things awkward, and the Goblin Song is just distilled childish cringe. Still, on the whole, it’s still a wonderful romp with just the right amount of sentiment and adventure that serves well as the first story of Ncuti Gatwa as the Doctor.

While his casting could have been very gimmicky, Ncuti Gatwa plays the role of the Doctor very well. Full of energy, life and wonder, he transcends what could have been stunt-casting. The rest of the cast do well, even if I think Millie Gibson, so far, is a somewhat generic companion as Ruby Sunday.

Production values are pretty good. True, I feel that the Goblins and their ship appear to be too blatantly CGI (though apparently the Goblins were portrayed by costumed actors), and I feel that some pacing issues could have been tightened up somewhat in the edit. But the look of the series seems to hearken back to a considerably more polished version of the pre-Chibnall era, looking colourful and grounded.

Overall, this was, while not great, a decent start to Ncuti Gatwa’s tenure as the Doctor. Here’s hoping things improve…

***½

 

[Quatermass]

REVIEW: Chainsaw Man Episode 8: Gunfire, and Episode 9: From Kyoto by Hiroshi Seko, from the manga series by Tatsuki Fujimoto

TYPE: TV series

DETAILS: CSM1.8-1.9, 2X25 minute episodes

So, here I am once more watching the anime version of Chainsaw Man. But how would these episodes fare? Let’s find out…

Denji and Himeno mend bridges and resolve to help each other win the hearts of those they hold dear. But things go awry when Yakuza thugs and a Devil-Hunter in the employ of the Gun Devil attack, and Tokyo’s Public Safety is decimated, including, seemingly, Makima. Even Denji seems powerless to fight back. But a surviving Makima shows there is more to her than meets the eye…

Admittedly, this part of the manga has little plot, but lots of action. It’s adapted faithfully and pretty well, but it didn’t quite have the same impact as the manga volume, which admittedly had more from storylines before and after. A shame, really.

As mentioned before, Ryan Colt Levy as Denji and Sarah Wiedenheft as Power are fun. Jason Marnocha as the Katana Man and Emi Lo as Akane do pretty well themselves, as does Bryn Aprill as Kobeni. But the highlight is Suzie Yeung as Makima, doing so much with so little, giving Makima both elegance and danger.

The production values are the high point here. The clash, brief though it is, between the Katana Man and Aki is a case in point. And the scene where Makima slaughters the Yakuza remotely with a ritual is an intensely horrific and thrilling scene that manages to be better than the already tense manga version.

Overall, this was a good set of episodes. And things are set up for the season finale…


****