The Quatermass All-Purpose Media Review Thread

[Quatermass]

REVIEW: My Hero Academia Season 2 Episode 13: Time to Pick Some Names, and Episode 14: Bizarre! Gran Torino Appears by Yosuke Kuroda, from the manga by Kouhei Hirokoshi

TYPE: TV series


DETAILS: MHA2.13-2.14, 2X25 minute episodes

It’s been some time since I watched the anime adaptation of My Hero Academia, and it’s well past time I started again. How would watching the beginning of the next arc fare after such a long absence?

After the UA Sports Festival, Izuku Midoriya and his classmates find themselves rather popular. And after choosing their tentative hero names, they find themselves embarking on internships. Izuku gains an offer from All Might’s brutal mentor Gran Torino, but can the eccentric and possibly senile old man help him? Meanwhile, Tenya Iida starts down a dark path, one that could end in his demise…

The story is a pretty good adaptation of the beginning of this arc. The drama and the comedy are balanced well. True, it’s by no means perfect, with there being little plot, just exposition and worldbuilding in a transition phase to the next arc, but still, it works well.

Justin Briner is, as always, superlative as Izuku Midoriya, and so too is Christopher Sabat as All Might. Charles Campbell makes an interesting debut in these episodes as Gran Torino. The rest of the cast does well, though I feel Robert McCollum has lost the more promising elements of his debut as Stain.

Production values are pretty good, as usual. A particular highlight is Izuku’s first spar with Gran Torino, brief though it is. Everything works together as a coherent whole, even if these episodes aren’t as action-packed yet.

Overall, these were a good beginning to the next arc of My Hero Academia. Hopefully, I will continue…


****

 

[Quatermass]

REVIEW: The Sandman, Chapter 2: Imperfect Hosts by Allan Heinberg, from the comics by Neil Gaiman et al.

TYPE: TV series

DETAILS: SM1.2, 1X35 minute episode

So, after a significant hiatus, I finally got back around to watching the Netflix adaptation of The Sandman. But how would the second episode fare? Let’s find out…

Morpheus, aka Dream of the Endless, is upset at the state of the Dreaming, and in order to restore it, he needs his relics, tools that contain much of his power. However, to do so requires that he sacrifice the life of the Gargoyle Gregory, to seek audience with the Fates, something his underlings Cain and Abel aren’t happy about, given their attachment to the Gargoyle. Meanwhile, the Corinthian confronts Ethel Dee, the last person known to have Morpheus’ tools, intending to ensure Morpheus can’t regain them…

This episode’s weakest element is the plot. I do think some elements could have been merged with later episodes, as this feels like a transition between story arcs, though to be fair, this is partly a fault of the original source material, even when expanded upon. True, it’s not actually bad, and has some wonderful emotional moments and fantastic setpieces.

Tom Sturridge, as proven by the first episode, is going from strength to strength as Morpheus, while Boyd Holbrook as the Corinthian and Vivienne Acheampong as Lucienne build on the success of their prior appearances. Sanjeev Bhaskar and Asim Chaudry are pretty damn good as Cain and Abel respectively, giving some much-needed humanity and nuances to the comic characters’ dysfunctional relationship. Finally, David Thewlis makes his debut as the creepy and yet pathetic John Dee, with the promise of more to come.

Production values are, as before, utterly superb. The sheer fantastical scope of the Dreaming is given full force, and the special effects are on par to deliver that scope. A particular highlight is the sequence where Morpheus summons the Fates.

Overall, while nowhere near as good as the first episode, this episode of The Sandman is a decent transition to the later story arcs. Here’s hoping it goes back to its original giddy heights…


****