Supergirl Season One: Pilot

 

Kara Zor - El (Melissa Benoist) has been living a normal life in Earth ever since her arrival as a young girl from Krypton however she decides to embrace her powers when alien convicts from the Phantom Zone decide to reveal themselves and cause havoc.

 

You know this pilot was a lot better than I thought because unlike the Arrow and Flash this show has to build on the existing mythos of another superhero; Superman. Well first off I shall tell you what I think of the cast starting with Melissa Benoist who really did nail it as Supergirl. It is entertaining seeing her juggle her two personalities of Kara and Supergirl; as Kara she is this likeable, funny, almost goofy newsroom assistant and then instantly become the powerful Supergirl with it feeling forced, she becomes more serious but still retains a light - hearted feel to the character by bringing humour even in a bad situation e.g. when she was lifting the plane. The rest of the cast did an awesome job as well like Mechad Brooks as James Olsen who has this interesting personnel connection with Superman that you want to know more of, her boss Cat Grant (Calista Flockhart) who I actually found to be quite funny and I loved the newsroom scenes with her and her sister Alex (Chlyer Leigh) her sister who is her anchor to a normal life; they all did her job great. I know there are more but one I hope gets developed a lot is Hank Henshaw (David Harewood) because those who have read the comics knows he is Cyborg Superman and I am really interesting in knowing if that is who he becomes. The other standout besides the cast is the awesome action scenes that this show has and I was really impressed with how they where done. We has Supergirl flying all over the place, punching aliens and being punched through walls etc. the effects are really good! Her fights with Vartox (Owain Yeoman) where so cool to watch, they didn't feel at all one sided and it was good and believable how see defeating him in the end. 

 

This was an awesome moment!

As for everything else the whole story of the first episode was done really well (the opening with Kryton was really great) and I liked Kara's transition from normal girl to Supergirl. However I feel that already the show is following an already familiar formula that has already been established on Flash and Arrow. I mean only half way through and already she has this hacker friend, Winslow Schott (Jeremy Jordon), who finds the crimes for her on computer and has a crush on her. Already too many people know her identity like the secret military organization which her sister just happens to be apart of. Plus they have already established that this will mainly be a villain of the week structure and while there is nothing wrong with that they haven't exactly given us any big, overarching story yet. Finally you see I like strong female characters being the lead, which this show is giving the audience, however it is 2015 and it throws the whole feminist issue right in your face. It isn't subtle with it at all like some of the lines the characters say which I expect from a show like Star Trek Next Generation or Stargate SG1 which where both in the 1980s - 1990's. I personally believe men and women are both equal and have been for ages and ages now so it is annoying when a show tries to act like Marvel Agent Carter but that was set all way back in the 1940s so it had a proper reason to use the whole non - equal issue. You know I am not alone in mentioning the issue because I have read a lot of comments like this even when the trailers where just coming out and I really agreed with Cat's reasoning for using the name Supergirl.

 

"Good think I can fly because I don't know how to drive"

Overall a great start to the series which does a great job of establishing the world of Supergirl and the characters.

 

SCORE: 7/10

 

Highlights: The cast of characters especially Melissa Benoist

                   Awesome action scenes

                   The story from Kara at Krypton to who she is now was done very well

 

Let - Downs: Already following a very familiar formula found in Arrow and Flash

                      The feminist issue is not subtle at all                  

Falling Skies Season Five: Reunion

Tom acquires a powerful new weapon for the final fight however an unexpected visitor turns up and Pope launches his attack on the 2nd Mass.

Can't believe that next week will be the finale of the entire Falling Skies series but no time for that now since I have to review this episode. First off the main plot point was the return of Lexi and I was both glad and disappointed; glad because I have always liked the character I just found the storyline in Season Four in Chinatown they gave her to be boring, disappointed because it is a bit of a repeat of the Marhsall Clone episode and it was obvious from the start she was a clone. However I did like the conflict she created by toying with the emotions of the Mason family like Anne and Tom but Matt was really good in it. Him dealing with the decision of bringing her back and justifying it to Hal made for some great scenes; I don't know about anyone else but I just get annoyed with Hal lately and want to punch him right in his smug damn face. All in all her return was handled really well, giving doubts to the 2nd Mass so close to the endgame and wanting you to wish it really was the real Lexi. The next big plot point was with the Dorina and while I am glad to know more about them and see them properly I find their magic bullet to be dues ex machina. I would have preferred the humans to think of their own plan to win rather than rely on an alien weapon that suddenly appeared but I did at least like the testing scenes with Marty and Anne.

As for everything else I did kind of like Pope's attack (good gunfight) on the 2nd Mass but it just felt so lacklustre in the end; it was over so quickly that I'm sure the 2nd Mass just treated it as a five minute inconvenience. Now this could either be because Pope actually survived the explosion and the writers have plans for him next week or they just didn't know what to do with him in the end. I hope it is the first one because this is POPE he just can't go out like this but I hope if he does come back it is for redemption. I will say again I would much prefer him surviving until the end fighting with the 2nd Mass than dying as a villain. Finally there is Ben's determination to get more intel on the Espheni which gives his character something better to do than cry over Maggie, it was like he was back to his old self where he was so important to the plot. The episode ended with an awesome shot of the flying Skitters attacking which should mean the finale will open up with a cool battle.

Overall a really good episode just before the finale, I am not going to put Pope's death in the Let - Downs because I'll save it for the finale if it is confirmed. Still finding out where the Queen is and Tom talking to the other Militia does get me excited for the final battle.

SCORE: 7/10

Highlights: The conflict Lexi Clone created with the Masons
                   Matt and Ben where real standouts
                   The action scene between Pope's gang and the 2nd Mass

Let - Downs: The magic bullet just arriving now to solve everything
                      Another clone so soon after the last one.
                      That was it for Pope's big attack?

Falling Skies Season Five: Hunger Pains

The second 2nd Mass now have to fend off the constant attacks by the Feral Skitters and deal with the crisis of a food shortage.

Wow, now this was one damn great episode for Falling Skies! Now to start off this episode was so action packed it was awesome thanks to the Feral Skitters attacking the 2nd Mass; I mean they where just fighting them throughout so it never stopped except for the end. The shootouts where cool and all of the actions scenes felt really intense with the shots of the hundreds of Skitters and them trying to force their way through the barrier. It also seems that 2nd Mass is continuing to take Tom's words to heart with Anthony torturing one of the Skitters which also brought a small conflict between Tom and Weaver. It is almost like their roles have been reversed since Season One because Weaver used to be more of the aggressive one, for example he tired to send the 2nd Mass on a hopeless mission without orders. So again I am liking that we get a change in Tom for the last season though of course it is through the influence of the new aliens who appeared to him in another vision. Now while I like suspense I do hope the show doesn't wait too long to reveal the true motive of the new aliens because I don't want them to barely have a role then take over all the final episode. Another standout during the fighting was Dingann who made that kick ass drone to stun the Skitters plus we got to learn a bit more about him. I do like his character since he is a useful inventor and I like his role but I hope this means he doesn't get killed off soon because I say again cool secondary characters get killed off all the time on this show to spare the main ones.

The other half of the story focused on the low food supply of the 2nd Mass and it was really interesting seeing starvation affect the characters because it hasn't been an issue before. We got to see how desperate the 2nd Mass got like the really cool and gruesome scene when someone ate part of a Skitter, did not expect that! We also got to see Pope, Sara, Maggie and Ben go on a food run which was also great because while I haven't cared much for Maggie and Ben lately it is great to see more of badass Pope and Sara. I am really liking the pairing between Pope and Sara because Pope has had his time as the detached guy from the group and this gives him someone to care for. This also makes me really want Pope to survive at the end (not just because he is my fav character) because after who he was and how much he has developed I think he deserves to be with Sara and settle in peace in new world if the Humans win. We also got to see another Human/Skitter hybrid and while it is a shame we didn't see more of it, it is not like it was the focus this episode anyway. Finally the fly at the end was really interesting and was probably a spy but I guess we will have to wait and see what the whole collection of flies and Skitters mean next episode. One more thing to say I am glad that damn love triangle took a back seat (with Pope and Sara even saying how silly it is) and it looks like Matt has a love interest now which I guess is alright because it gives his character more to do.

Overall I really can't find any fault myself with this episode; I enjoyed it all the way through,  there wasn't any part that I disliked and unlike last episode a lot more characters got some spotlight. This one is probably one of the best episodes of Falling Skies in my opinion which makes me think I should do a top ten when this season is over.

SCORE: 10/10

Highlights: The constant attacks from the Feral Skitters
                   Starvation as an enemy   
                   Great action scenes
                   Great character moments

Manga Review: Gantz



Back again with another review, been awhile but I have been really busy. This time however I have decided to review and entire manga series, so unlike my Bleach fight reviews I will be talking about the whole story. Also thought I'd say that I won't be reviewing the Gantz anime because even though I do like it and got it on DVD it does not even compare to the manga because of its low animation quality and just terrible original arc they added in the end. I will try and keep this spoiler free for you because going in to too much depth would just take forever to cover.

The story of Gantz follows the main protagonist Kei Kurono who, while waiting for the train, runs in to his old childhood friend Masaru Kato. However while trying to save a homeless person who fell in to the train tracks they are both run over and seemingly killed but they suddenly awaken in a small apartment overlooking Tokyo Tower. There are several other individuals in this apartment who also claim to have died or been killed but the most strange things that are going on is that they cannot leave the apartment and there is a mysterious black ball in the centre of the room called Gantz. After some time this ball plays old exercise music and shows them an imagine of an alien they have to defeat, it then opens up to reveal futuristic weapons and combat suits and sends them on their mission to various places in Japan. We now follow Kei as he battles numerous aliens and deals with the dangers during these missions and its strict rules and still trying to live a life as a high school student.

What really drew me in to this series is its really violent and serious tones compared to other manga. You see I am a massive Horror/Sci - Fi fan (Alien, Predator, Event Horizon; to name a few) and I am also a big anime/manga fan so I really wanted to find a series that is like the films I watched. That is when I found Gantz, it is exactly what I was looking for and it has not disappointed me at all.

Now I have to say that this series is not for everyone because it is really not for the faint of heart, when I said it was violent I mean it is VIOLENT. The aliens that the characters face are serious monsters who kill them in some pretty gruesome ways and vise versa because they are also being hunted by the characters, from humans and aliens alike you will see guts flying, severed limbs and even some rapes. But it is not just the violence there is also a high level of sex and nudity throughout it (95% of it from the female characters) not just some simple fan service you get in other manga. However do not take this as me trying to put you off the series because like I mentioned earlier this is something I had been trying to find.

I love the story structure in this manga because the story arcs is basically the missions the characters get from Gantz and they can be either short or very long depending on how many aliens they face and their difficulty. It is always interesting to see what design Hiroya Oku (the writer and artist of Gantz) can come up with next, so you look forward to every mission. But the down time between the missions are just as good as we see the characters try and cope with their normal lives. Thought I'd mention that my favourite story arcs in this the Osaka arc and the final Katastrophe arc.

This manga also deals a lot with the theme of death because this like Game of Thrones anyone, even the main characters, can die. Death will claim characters you were even not expecting so there is always the impending threat that your favourite character could be next on the chopping block. I find this really refreshing in a manga series because even though I am a huge fan of the Bleach and Naruto manga you don't feel any threat to the main characters at all because it seems their creators don't want to part with them and sometimes come up with ridiculous ways to keep them from dying.

As for the characters there is a wide array of them each with their own personalities and stories that can appeal to everyone. Take Kei for example he is not like other main protagonists from manga; he is a self - centred, uncaring, sex obsessed high school student which doesn't seem typical for main character traits in my experience. However as the series goes own we see his personality mature and he does find it in him to care about other (though he still is obsessed with sex and girls). There are many more to choose from such as Kato the natural leader, Izumi the sword wielding murderer, Nishi the loner who cares only for himself and many others. Now I have read some criticism before that the majority of the female characters in Gantz are only there to have sex, be naked and fall in love with male ones too easily and while this is a fair view I don't 100% agree with it. Take the two main females Kishimoto and Reika, yes they do have a lot of fan service scenes (Kishimoto for example arrives in chapter three completely nude and that is not the only time as the series progresses) however they are still their own characters with interesting story arcs and they are still badass when it comes to the fighting.

The art in this is also something that really makes it stand out from other manga because it is done using 3D imagining, especially for the backgrounds. It also has a really realistic art style for the character and alien designs which really helps with the horror and goriness of it.

This serious has thirty seven volumes so it is not too short and not too long and it is well worth you reading everyone of them. Overall I highly recommend this series to anyone who likes science fiction, horror and thriller and doesn't mind high levels of gore and sex. While this is a series that may not be for everyone it is definitely one of my favourites and is so unique that I am giving it a perfect score.

SCORE: 10/10

On another note I really hope this series is made in to a live action series for film, I know it has two Japanese live action films but I am talking about American films. Now before you argue against it I already know that America has so far mostly been bloody terrible at adapting manga (Dragon Ball and Last Airbender) however I truly feel like Gantz is something that could work if done right and I am not saying this lightly.