Watched a few episodes of this absolutely horrible anime last week: The Wolf and the Spices. (Link via ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
severefun, whose taste I still hold in high esteem despite our differences here.) That review (of the light novel series) and the story's premise (medieval tradesmen meets pagan wolf goddess of wheat harvest, attempts to use her to increase profits) make the anime sound like it could potentially be awesome, but sadly, it isn't. It's just kind of boring and low-budget. Maybe if it had been set in ACTUAL medieval Europe rather than a fantasy version thereof, or if it had involved ACTUAL trading rather than an RPG version thereof[1], or if the main character had had an ACTUAL personality rather than a dating-sim version thereof[2], it would have been good. As it stands, though...
The pagan wolf goddess is far and away the best part, too bad she couldn't save the thing. Skip!
[1] Main character's advice to would-be traders: "Everyone starts out at the bottom, just keep trying and working hard and you will eventuallyrise in the seniority-based corporate hierarchy learn the tricks of the trade and become as awesome as I am!" Uh, somehow I don't think unregulated mercantilism works that way?
[2] He would not have been so lame, except that he turns down multiple perfectly obvious offers of sex for no reason.
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Also last week, I saw Michael Clayton, the movie with George Clooney as a "fixer" at a corporate law firm. It...was good? Very well written and acted, smart, and self-contained? This movie is really above my ability to critique. ^^; But I'll try anyway. ( Read more... )
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"Watched" No Country For Old Men last night (in fact I was reviewing frequently-asked interview questions in between youtube-ing highlights from Spring Fashion Week 2008 -- wait, shouldn't that be the other way around?!) and...meh? Gorgeously shot movie full of larger-than-life-characters (or caricatures), but seeing as how the psychopath who drives the plot is just a psychopath, his only motivation for killing being that he is a psychopath, I wasn't sure what the point was.
severefun, whose taste I still hold in high esteem despite our differences here.) That review (of the light novel series) and the story's premise (medieval tradesmen meets pagan wolf goddess of wheat harvest, attempts to use her to increase profits) make the anime sound like it could potentially be awesome, but sadly, it isn't. It's just kind of boring and low-budget. Maybe if it had been set in ACTUAL medieval Europe rather than a fantasy version thereof, or if it had involved ACTUAL trading rather than an RPG version thereof[1], or if the main character had had an ACTUAL personality rather than a dating-sim version thereof[2], it would have been good. As it stands, though...The pagan wolf goddess is far and away the best part, too bad she couldn't save the thing. Skip!
[1] Main character's advice to would-be traders: "Everyone starts out at the bottom, just keep trying and working hard and you will eventually
[2] He would not have been so lame, except that he turns down multiple perfectly obvious offers of sex for no reason.
***
Also last week, I saw Michael Clayton, the movie with George Clooney as a "fixer" at a corporate law firm. It...was good? Very well written and acted, smart, and self-contained? This movie is really above my ability to critique. ^^; But I'll try anyway. ( Read more... )
***
"Watched" No Country For Old Men last night (in fact I was reviewing frequently-asked interview questions in between youtube-ing highlights from Spring Fashion Week 2008 -- wait, shouldn't that be the other way around?!) and...meh? Gorgeously shot movie full of larger-than-life-characters (or caricatures), but seeing as how the psychopath who drives the plot is just a psychopath, his only motivation for killing being that he is a psychopath, I wasn't sure what the point was.