Blog de Dyer

Le Chevalier D’Eon focuses on a knight in the service of Louis XV, D’Eon de Beaumont, grieving, revenge-seeking sibling of a mysteriously murdered sister. The first DVD is light on the action, heavy on the expository dialogue, and is ultimately boring. But it is not without redemption, as Chevalier sets the stage for what could be one of the best shows in recent memory.

The 18th century Paris setting, diverse and interesting characters combined with the excellent (though limited) action sequences and dark overtones create a great atmosphere that, if you’re interested, can completely suck you in. If you’re not pulled in by the deep, religiously centric story, Chevalier offers nothing for you but a convoluted narrative that barely progresses passed the D’Eon-transforms-in-to-his-dead-sister-when-he-fights, in the first four episodes.

Still, as mentioned, the potential for this show is immense and if it actually goes in the direction it hints at, D’Eon de Beaumont and his small sword-fighting company will uncover a Royal conspiracy, fight tons of armed zombies and discover the mystery as to why D’Eon becomes possessed by the soul of his sister, Lia. It’s tough to decide if you’ll enjoy Le Chevalier D’Eon, but it’s worth checking out, even if it’s woefully dull.

Mushi-Shi’s humble hero, Ginko, returns for five more solitary stories as he seeks to solve more mystical Mushi mysteries. The tales in Volume 2 retain the visual luster that the first disc served up — beautifully designed environments as well as plenty of colorful smoke and dust particle effects being especially eye popping — but fail to deliver stand-alone episodes that engage the viewer as well as the previous five.

Ginko’s assistance to those in need stems not just from the physical removal of the parasitic life forms, like a pin-prick to a woman’s forehead, but mental guidance as well, seen in the aid of a lovestruck friend of a missing woman. While Ginko’s cigar-chompin’, passive nature has not, and seemingly won’t, evolve as the show progresses, his consistency compliments the supporting cast. The subjects of Mushi “infection”, through our main-man’s guidance, come to a great realization as each episode concludes with a rhetoric message that center around virtues, which is nothing new in a cartoon, but it’s still something to satisfy the viewer.

There’s still nothing to focus on in Mushi-Shi, which is absolutely infuriating for those seeking a great narrative, but the chilled-out vibe is soothing for viewers in need of a sit-back-and-relax kind of show. If the first DVD wasn’t your bag, this one certainly isn’t either, but you can’t deny the entire idea of Mushi-Shi is a refreshing in its originality and gorgeous imagery.

While Mushi-Shi is devoid of an overarching plot and character development, individual episodes tell unique and fascinating stand-alone stories about humans who are affected by the mystical side effects of a mysterious, neutral life form known as “Mushi”, parasitic bug-like creatures that habitat the world.

Ginko, a wandering witch doctor specializing in Mushi related symptoms is the only recurring character, and since he’s already completely developed, the audience unfortunately never sees him grow. Our pasty protagonist travels from one area to another, curing numerous physical ailments with effortless ease in five individually interesting chapters. Ginko’s inability to fail hampers every suspenseful moment the show throws your way since the solution is always an instantaneous, unexplained phenomena, and Mushi-Shi’s incredibly slow pace will turn off a lot of viewers. The psychedelic eye-candy and superbly written English track, however, will engage even the biggest skeptics.

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Jeremy Dunham at IGN has apparently scrapped the IGN is AFK podcast in favor of a replacement that is literally exactly the same: GameSages.

Check out the first episode here. Why should you bother? If you’re a gaming nerd you might want to wear a seatbelt. Francesca Reyes from Official Xbox Magazine, Dan Hsu from 1up/Electronic Gaming Monthly, GameSpy’s Will Tuttle and The Internet’s Jeff Gerstmann accompany Dunham in a 60ish minute, no-holds-barred year in review podcast. It’s really awesome to see all these enthusiast press members together in a way you never really thought you would, though all of the games press being located in downtown San Francisco kind of eases that situation.

It’s not an exceptional podcast - it’s a podcast - but it’s really awesome and I wonder if Dunham will do more of this incestuous media collaboration. I hope so. I dig the hell out of it.

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When a bout with deep-sea treasure hunting neo-Nazi’s goes awry, Revy, Rock and the rest of Lagoon Company take gun-blazing revenge to get back the stolen booty in another action packed disc of Black Lagoon. While the show remains gorgeous and fun for every second it’s running, Lagoon is still lacking innovation.

You’ve heard all the classic tropes before, from Revy’s clichéd past, Rock’s sexual tension with her, and too-yappy-bad-dudes, it’s all here. The unoriginal anti-heroes-fight-evil-baddies plot and increasingly vulgar writing will irk even Lagoon’s biggest fans. Despite the bevy of annoying flaws that nag at you throughout, Lagoon Company’s invasion of a Nazi freighter will have your blood pumping almost as fast as a violent lunch-time confrontation between Rock and Revy.

The introduction of a mysterious killer maid has me wondering whether or not Black Lagoon can keep with it for another few episodes, but I doubted the Nazi plot which paid off in spades. Black Lagoon is a show that is entirely worth your time, even if the profanity is multiplying every episode and the plot lacking anything new. They-whomp-’em-villains is the oldest story in the book, but hot damn if it still isn’t entertaining.

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