It is a coming of age mini-series revolving around a girl inspiring to become a grandmaster in chess during the sixties.
In reality thou the heart of the series is less about the game and more about the protagonist Beth Harmon fighting substance abuse and her inner demons, she becomes her own biggest challenger. You get invested in her character right from the start, rooting for her. It is captivating seeing her grow from a kid to an awkward teenager to stunning beauty. Anya Taylor‑Joy is stunningly captivating in the lead.
Also fascinating was the world of chess and the sixties era, some of the trivia we come across from the timeline is shocking. The sets and wardrobes really add to the charm of the times.
The season had ten episodes with the first 7 of them being a drag, with the last three moving the story. Overall nothing major happens, the POV is divided into four, one each for the forge masters Isaac and Hector, one for Alucard, and one for Belmont & Sypha. The season was shocking in the sense of the use of R rates language and scenes. The focus was on further character development although very little of it was done.
The anime is very loosely based on the life of real-life Icelandic explorer from the times of Vikings, although this particular season doesn't have much to do with exploring, instead the focus is more on the childhood of our protagonist Thorfinn and his life in the battlefield during the time of Danes invasion of England in the 11th Century. The historical anime is filled with famous real-life characters from the time period although dramatized for watching pleasure.
As the theme is based on Vikings, we have plenty of action, the killing, looting and pillaging are without remorse, very realistic and unlike what you would expect in anime, this is a show meant for adults.
The animation itself is superb, the flow of action cinematography is top-notched, and the music perfect for the fight sequences and tense moments. Nothing less was expected from Wit studios who have made a name for themselves with quality production.
The anime is based off a manga and I was already a fan of the source material. even though the story and plot didn't have any surprise for me, I was impressed with the powerful story, it is easily one of the deepest stuff written for anime.
Sadly I do feel it doesn't get the attention it deserves as it is a Japanese production based on European source.
Season 3 – The season I hated and the ending I loved. I never understood Schrödinger's cat, but when we bring it into the equation every possible outcome becomes reality, it solves one of the plot holes and creates one too. Also, what the heck is wrong with the character creation of Eva, seriously flawed. The series ends in a satisfying bittersweet note for me.
This German sci-fi thriller has many brilliant mind-blowing moments, some frustrating ones, and a few confusing ones, also it takes a bloody long time getting to the end. Without giving too much away it is about time travel and its cause and effect on human nature. Got excellent casting and one of the most iconic openings (Apparat – Goodbye), the only one I bothered to watch instead of skipping.
Season 2 – The suspense and the conspiracies are piling up, does feel it is lacking in originality as a lot of ideas feels ripped off from other movies but none the less it is engrossing.
This German sci-fi thriller has many brilliant mind-blowing moments, some frustrating ones, and a few confusing ones, also it takes a bloody long time getting to the end. Got excellent casting and one of the most iconic openings (Apparat – Goodbye), the only one I bothered to watch instead of skipping.
Season 1 – Lots of mystery, thrills and creepiness, it is a slow burner. The highlight for me was not the Sci-Fi element but the drama.
It is an uncomplete ending so reducing the rating by one star.
Great anime which hits most of the marks. At its heart it is a generic shounen show offering nothing new or extraordinary to the genre, it wins out on its basis of premium production values. The plot is simple yet engaging, got good character development, awesome soundtracks and voice-overs, the animation itself is well made, the fight sequences gory and well choreography, the only thing I could complain of was the need of more humour.
Beautiful world making and animation but not much of plot or storytelling. The animation is deceptive as the premises are good, a world of dragons and humans on air balloons going dragon hunting. But the story itself is shallow, nothing much happens, no character development or backstories, it is without substance. This is a disappointment considering the animation art, background score and voiceovers good.
The second season of the series is a good watch but not as good as the first season. My only complaint about season one was the many subplots, this time around we have a more focused plotline but it seems more generic too.
I loved it, great writing, casting, performances and direction. This dark fantasy series is set in a fictional, medieval-inspired landmass having wizards, scorchers, monsters and of course, the series namesake the Witchers, a mutated monster hunter.
The first season was told in a non-linear manner, spanning different time periods, this mode of storytelling while confusing at the start worked great for the plotting and pacing. The script is full of humour and sharp dialogues.
Having not read the books but being aware of the games felt the casting of Henry Cavill is the perfect embodiment of what Geralt of Riva would have been. Freya Allan as Ciri also works but somehow I expected something more from Yennefer.
A very entertaining series for the fans of the fantasy genre to get into, my only complaint, the first season was too short.
I don't understand what the hype was about, it was very so-so, nothing much to write home about. It did have a few good episodes but many more dull ones were there too.
Leila is an Indian dystopian drama series, while I have read and seen a lot of dystopian them work, this is the first I have seen it being used in India. The futuristic world seems to be suffering from an environmental disaster with lack of clean water being the main problem. India also seems to be ruled by a totalitarianism government with a heavy hand on religion and segregation of the society.
The series got good cast and performances with Huma Qureshi being really good in the lead. It does suffer from having one Point of view all the screen time has Quershi in it and there is a feel for need of other POVs.
The series run time is 300 minutes divided into 6 episodes, but with what is shown it could have all been done in half the time. A lot of screen time is wasted on creating an atmospheric feel; Also, with little or no dialogues it does seem to have a pacing problem.
While I did enjoy the series, the season ended in a cliff hanger with nothing but just a picture of the society being established till now.
Overly dramatized story based on the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. It is masterly crafted having a great cast giving superb performance. The series shows us all the sides of abuse of power, the good, the bad and the ugly. It is educational on the science front but does seem to be a victim of East-West dichotomy on the social and political front.
Superb Sci-fi thriller having time travel as its central theme.
Steins;Gate is deceptive, takes times to take off, took about 7 episodes to become interesting and only became mind-boggling from episode 13 onwards, after that it was one intense episode after another. The storytelling, characters, plot, suspense, and humor are all great.
The way it covers time travel paradox and it's after effects are one of the best showcased, be it in anime or beyond. The characters are all unique, wild and memorable, they fit in perfectly with the storytelling.
The animation and sound itself are good, not great but better than decent. I actually enjoyed the opening soundtrack and did hear it over then skipping them.
It is a very entertaining anime covering a complex subject yet ending without loose ends, a must watch.
The second season seems to be a big drag, the focus on other characters and their life only prolonged the already dull storytelling, the repetition of the same music over and overall again didn't help the matter much. Did love the ending but I do feel the anime should have been shortened instead of staying true to the manga.
The anime is based on a manga focused on a boy named Kai who wants to play the Piano. Having already read the manga and enjoying it quite a bit I was excited to see an anime being released. The coming of age plot although not original or perfect kept me hooked.
I was disappointed the storytelling only covers the first half of Kai's journey, I know for a fact 24 episodes were made but only 12 were released, this release method of Netflix is just irritating.
I am not much into music and have no idea of Piano or classical music. Initially, I was enjoying a few of the scores, but the repetition of the same does get tiring, the same were easier to browse over in manga format. I am sure others may find listening to music as the highlight.
The animation was good overall but the close up of the characters while they play the Piano is terrible, the art shifts from 2D to 3D, from old style color painting to clunky 3d characters, this was not needed and bought down the overall watch experience for me.
Selection Day is a coming of age sports drama suspense series made for Netflix India. The plot revolves around two brothers and their father's passion towards making them the next superstar of Cricket. The father's obsession borders to mania and gives the vibes that he may do anything to achieve his dreams. To fulfill their ambition they move to Mumbai and covet for a position in the Mumbai under 19 Team. To add spice to the mix, the god gets involved, they meet a rival with some disturbing emotions and one of the brothers does not even want to be a cricketer.
I thought I have figured out the plot but I was way wrong, the ending surprised me in multiple levels. The series got superb casting and performances by both the young and old actors. It is another gem of a Netflix Original.
I expected the plot to pick up in season two, well it does, all my complains from season one is answered but done up poorly. Finally, we have a few characters killed off, but before that, the roster of supporting characters are doubled, each one seems to be a different shade of grey from the others, none of them interesting. I wanted more fight sequences, we have plenty of them this season, they are nonsensical, dumb and repetitive. The worse part was the storyline, it is extremely slow, frankly, the show is a big waste of time.
I have read the Manga the series is based on a long time back, so I kind of knew what to expect. What I thought I was getting into was some cool and brutal fights between badass martial artists, but what I got was a lot of talks, killing of nobodies with very few clashes among the good fighters. I think the problem is the first season is just spent on introductions, these guys are thinking on lines of running a series spanning over 100 episodes. But as a 13 episodes season, it is boring and not worth a watch as the story never takes off.
One of the worst seasons ever made for any series, the writing is horrendous. The performances are strong but they can't save a sinking ship and this is what the show has become.
