Anime Review: Sword Art Online (ep. 1 - 14) Video

With the new season coming out I thought I should get this up sooner rather than later. I feel like it has been a while since I have been able to post, but that might just be me. Part of that is because we've been having some technical difficulty issues. But hopefully we are past that and back in the running for the long haul! Time for me to start working through my backlog!

Magic: How Christians Should View It's Use in Literature

Join us as we talk about magic, Harry Potter, and knowing what your boundaries are with various controversial issues!

FI: Voltron (Legendary Defenders): The Start of Something Good

First Impression: Voltron (Legendary Defenders)

I've been putting off watching Voltron for years now. With Dreamworks and some of the directors of Avatar: The Last Airbender being involved, along with Netflix's "hands off" approach to content, many saw it as being an automatic slam dunk.

But if I learned anything from Legend of Korra, just because you have good animation, directors, and crew doesn't mean a consistently good show. The reason I felt that Korra just let down The Last Airbender was its ability to just be fun. The Last Airbender was simply friends telling a story; Korra was people with something out to prove. And what I really love in any genre is for them not to care about the trends or hot topics of the time, and simply tell me a story. And that is what Voltron has done in many ways. While it is constrained in some ways by its predecessor, you have the feel of friend simply telling an amazing story. It can go from zaney to serious, from epic or simple, and never takes itself too seriously. 

As you may know this is not the first Voltron, as an original series aired in the 80's. What I remember vaguely from the original series is, well, really nothing (aside from all the Voltron action figures). It was quite forgettable, not because the plot or villains were bad (simply mediocre) , but because we never got to really know the characters. It suffered from the "Power Ranger Problem"--that is you never really knew the characters any more than their colors. You could say, for example, I like the red one, but that's was about the extent.

But not so in this Voltron reboot. Each character looks similar to their 80's persona, but with a very detailed and modern vibe. From simply the first two episodes, they already have so much personality. And I start to get that sense of adventure that I haven't had since I watched The Last Airbender. See, going into Voltron, we already know that they will defend the universe and defeat the Galra, much like we knew Aang was going to defeat the Fire Lord. But don't know what the adventure will entail--and that is what makes it such an amazing watch.

Characters: In the first three episodes, while I don't know the characters very well yet, each seems to have their own fleshed out personalities. They are not stereotyped, despite being very heavily based off of the 80's cast.
Keith is still in his red, but modernized and, as the show puts it, "emo." While brooding, and by far the moodiest of the bunch, it never distracts from the plot or feel too cheesy. Although, as a side note, I love that they kept the mullet from the 80's version (don't worry, it's not too bad).
Lance is the craziest one of the bunch, and at first I thought the main character (but this show doesn't really have a 'main' main character). While the first episode focuses heavily on him, he doesn't steel the spotlight from any of the other characters. In this version he is more of a flirt rather than a womanizer who feels entitled to women. Always a plus! In many ways he is the sarcastic comic relief, but I am already getting to see a deeper side to the character.
Pidge seems to be the stereotypical nerd that he is in the 80's version, but things dramatically change (can't tell you 'cause spoilers!). Yes, Pidge is smart and loves technology, but Pidge also cares for the others that make up Voltron. There is a depth to the character.
Hunk is the most changed. In the original, he was the brunt of many fat jokes, something that is definitely a product of its time and did not age well. But so far he seems kind and courageous, although not in the traditional way. And while his is the butt of many jokes, he is always a good sport about it.
Shiro really stumped me at first. I couldn't remember him at all, so I thought he was a new character. Turns out he is Sven in the original, but his Japanese name was Shiro (I don't really get it either). Believe it or not, he's my favorite character so far. He is mature, but not a stick-in-the-mud, kind, but not sappy, a leader, but not a dictator.
Allura, I can't really say much about her yet, but at least she isn't the Zelda rip-off she used to be.

Animation: The animation is amazing. Like, seriously go watch it. And I really appreciate how they try to mix up the space battles. I mean, in most shows (I'm looking at you Star Trek) if you've seen one space battle, you've seen them all. The animators of Voltron play with angles and so on, and really focus on dialogue. The only complaint is the recycled animation--that's one trend that should have stayed in the 80's and 90's--but it isn't too overbearing.

Update: Kashka Book Review Video

     Part 2!

     This book is the prequel to "Taash and the Jesters," but it was written after the fact. Also, I may or may not have filmed this review several months in advance. How's that for a confusing timeline?

Update: Taash and the Jesters Book Review Video

     Part 1!

   
     Hello all! I'm super excited for this upcoming set of videos! Not only do I get to talk about some great reading material, but in the third installment Kay and I will be talking about a somewhat controversial issue in today's society. Stay tuned for more!

Book Review: Dead Men Don't Crochet

Book: Dead Men Don’t Crochet
Author: Betty Hechtman
Genre: Mystery
Pages: 278 pages

General Setup: Molly Pink works at a bookstore as the event curator and is involved in a local crochet guild. When a member of the guild becomes a suspect for the murder of a local business owner Molly jumps in to solve the crime.

Characters: This book has a large cast of characters - too large, in fact. As I was reading through I had trouble keeping all of the characters straight. Some seem to be holdovers from the prequel, but there were too many and I thought some of their roles could be combined to lighten the cast. Molly is unique, if not particularly memorable. She seems to be a middle aged housewife with mad cooking skills who is not afraid to ask strangers investigative questions or follow them on the way home. I did like how the author made her very real and down to earth in her snooping tactics - no James Bond hijinks for Molly Pink!

Plot: For this being a mystery novel, I was surprised at how slow the plot proceeded. Days didn’t have clear definitions, so I’m not entirely certain how many in-book days it took for Molly to find out ‘who dun it’. What kept me reading were the crochet references, some interesting subplots, and a morbid curiosity of, what social construct will Molly break next?

Ending: I am happy to say that I did not expect ‘who dun it’ and was surprised to discover the identity of the culprit. On the upside, everything came together and made sense. However, this isn’t a mystery that the reader could solve on their own because all of the clues didn’t come in until the very end. This doesn’t necessarily detract from the story, so I wouldn’t pay it too much mind.

Things to Watch For: Some adult themes are referenced.

Other Media: Betty Hechtman has written several other mysteries involving yarn and needle arts, including an ongoing series with Molly Pink and the Tarzana Hookers. As of this writing, Dead Men Don’t Crochet is the 2nd of 12.

Reader's Rambling: Why I Read Eragon

It's the beginning of a long and enduring saga of love for books!