Watching series

[salinea]

I've finished watching Samourai Shampoo

I found it pretty uneven, starting on a high crackful note, then going through a phase were I was mostly bored with episodes, before picking up speed at last for the finale. My favourite episodes were the most crackful and crazy ones, especially the ones with commentary from the police officer guy, like the Tagging episode or the Gay Dutch episode, which let the stylistic qualities shine through without being slowed down by the lack of plot or any real characterizations. I got pretty annoyed by the Kidnapped Damsel routine of Fuu (even if it only happened, what, 5 times?...) and her general uselessness. Of course all the characters obviously used Intelligence as their dump stat. :p Overall it's got it's fun moments and some graphic qualities, but I won't remember it as a shining moment.

I've started watching Battlestar Galactica
So far I've seen the pilot/miniseries and the first season, and I'm really liking it.


It's not very original in any way, but it's quite well done. Visually and dramatically the show works and is fairly immersive, and very well paced. The characters are decently written and very well acted, with just enough flaws to make them appealing. I like that the stories often focus on logistic and strategic challenges rather than pure action, and the emphasis on hard choices.

In terms of characters I'm loving Starbuck of course, she's wonderfully acted and very hot and generally awesome ♥ I'm also adoring Baltar... he's just the kind of slimy, cowardly, narcissic scums which I occasionally take a contrarian liking to, and it's very nice to see such a character developed as he is, and he's generally hilarious. Again, major kudos to the actor because he could easily have been more annoying than funny.

I'm liking most of the other characters. Secondary characters like Dualla, Billy, Calli, Gaeta the Chief, etc. are fairly appealing and cute and I hope we'll see them more developed in the future. I like Roslyn. Adama makes it just barely because he's well acted despite being too classical a figure for my taste. Tigh is fun for the explosive bickering with Kara. Boomer's stories are intriguing even if I don't know if I like her as such or not. In general I appreciate the development of a lot of different kinds of relationship between characters.

On the other hand, I'm really annoyed at Number 6 fanservice nature.
I look forward to watching the S2 as soon as possible. If you have old posts talking about the S1, I'd love to see them, but, please, no spoilers ^^

Comments

[novin-ha.livejournal.com]

I really do have a thing for Six, because she's just so scary. And her manipulation of Gaius, and fanaticism mixed with just a touch of neediness.

Baltar and Kara are the best, though. And I love Helo and Gaeta! (Gaeta's crush on Gaius... ;D)

I hate Chief and Cally and Dualla. The rest are okay or awesome ;)

[werthead.livejournal.com]

Watching Season 1 episode-by-episode was a somewhat lame experience. However, when I watched it on DVD it was awesome. I'm not sure what happened there, but WTH?

Very interested to see what you make of Season 2 and the much-discussed Season 3 ;-)

[etrangere.livejournal.com]

Six is very good at being freakish and scary in an alien way. But she spends so many times being the hot, nearly-naked girl which annoys me.

I'm really intrigued by what they're doing with the religious themes. I don't quite trust them with it, but I'm wondering.

(Gaeta's crush on Gaius... ;D)
OMG, yes!!!

I hate Chief and Cally and Dualla.
Any reason you can share with me?

[etrangere.livejournal.com]

I'm not surprised, I did find them working very well by being on a row. Some series just work better this way ^^

Heh I didn't know S3 was much discussed ^^

[lodessa.livejournal.com]

I kind of love Six for being a crazy zealot and a contraction within herself, though i can see the issue.

Sadly I feel like season 1 is really the best the show has ever been.

[werthead.livejournal.com]

You have no idea ;-)

[lodessa.livejournal.com]

I am going to guess shipping is at the root of the dislike.

[novin-ha.livejournal.com]

Religion, mythology and philosophy - I love the way they're dealing with these so far.

Six is so much in control of her sexuality - as far as I'm concerned - that she doesn't disturb me as eye-candy.

Gaeta's crush on Gaius is... sweet. And amusing. And there's a blooper with the actor playing Gaeta lying down and saying "Gaius!" in a dreamy way.

Dee quite simply gets on my nerves. Cally... there's something disturbing about her admiration for Chief. And as to Chief, you'll see, I guess.

By the way - I prefer the Cylons to humans ;)

[novin-ha.livejournal.com]

I know the next seasons have their issues, but I think I liked the third one best, actually!

[lodessa.livejournal.com]

The third one has some good stuff.. I just love the tone and the feeling of season 1, which has never been recaptured in my opinion.

[etrangere.livejournal.com]

Oooooh, that sounds fun :D

[novin-ha.livejournal.com]

The first episodes of the third seasons was the moment I felt the most, I guess. And I'm very excited for the new season. It could be the best one yet, right? I want it to be.

[etrangere.livejournal.com]

It's not that I dislike Six, although I suppose I would like her better if she appealed to my own taste in women (I never minded Inara being fanservice, for exemple ^^), it's more being annoyed with how the show uses her.

Sadly I feel like season 1 is really the best the show has ever been.
awww, well :( that's the problem with some series.

[etrangere.livejournal.com]

You know what they say about assumptions :p

[etrangere.livejournal.com]

Religion, mythology and philosophy - I love the way they're dealing with these so far.
Good to know.

By the way - I prefer the Cylons to humans ;)
Hahahaha!

[lodessa.livejournal.com]

I have high hopes that it will be because they don't have to keep putting the plot movement off any more.

I liked them third season start alright, but it seemed sort of gratuitously like a current political situation allegory.

[novin-ha.livejournal.com]

I love your icon. Also, it's not so much shipping as choices the characters in question make - and Cally's just plain annoying anyway. I sort of cringe whenever I see her.

[lodessa.livejournal.com]

I guess I feel like a lot of those choices seemed to be tied into shipping... you know?

Yay. Roslin is the best.

[goldjadeocean.livejournal.com]

What I love best is the nuts-and-bolts feel of it when they're simply trying to make the Fleet work; it shows the heroism and dedication to duty a lot of the characters have, and feels very true to the military.

I've recently come to the surprising realization that I don't like Lee. It's weird. I don't know how much spoiler this is, but Jamie Bamber has said that his interpretation of the character was, before the Attack, he was planning on quitting the military and becoming a bartender. It kind of makes sense to me now that I realize that Lee is only doing what he's doing because it's expected of him and he doesn't know how to get out of it, and it makes me frustrated with him. He won't fight for what he really wants.

[novin-ha.livejournal.com]

She's nowhere near my taste in women, and yet I find her appealing. It's all about the scariness, I guess.

[novin-ha.livejournal.com]

To me it was far more about the history, actually - Europe vs. States, I guess ;)

[lodessa.livejournal.com]

Ahhh. I sort of like how Six... being a robot after all... is sort of this almost outdated sort of attractive. I mean Tricia Helfer is a beautiful woman, but the costuming and makeup choices make her seem less organically beautiful and more artificially perfect.

Indeed (see icon)

[novin-ha.livejournal.com]

Not really the way I see him - but he's definitely one of the characters I care less about than others. I like Ellen Tigh, on the other hand, so I guess I'm a minority by force of that alone ;)

[lodessa.livejournal.com]

Being from the States, it seemed pretty clear to me that we are the Cylons. And that could have worked if implemented in a different way I felt but I felt like it was too blunt.

[goldjadeocean.livejournal.com]

He seems to me to be hell-bent on making himself unhappy. But it's an interpretation it took me a lot of time to come up with, so it could be entirely twisted.

And I like Ellen! Everything she does is utterly understandable and in some lights sympathetic and admirable, even if the results are occasionally disastrous.