The Mysterious Cities of Gold Season 3 (English Dub)- Complete Series Review

*Season 4 of The Mysterious Cities of Gold has aired. For the review click here*

The original Mysterious Cities of Gold series was a French- Japanese co-produced animation by DIC Entertainment and Studio Pierrot. The series premiered in Japan on NHK on 29 June 1982 and ran weekly for 39 episodes.
I first caught the series on BBC 1 in the early 80s and was beguiled by the mythical adventure story of a young Spanish boy named Esteban who joins a voyage to the New World in search of the lost Cities of Gold and his father. The impressive looking background art, sharply drawn characters, and the beautiful soundtrack kept me entranced throughout the whole series, becoming my favourite programme of all time. It was incredibly formative for me and introduced me to the wonders of the ancient world including the Incas, Aztecs, Atlantis and El Dorado. Even at the age of 37 I still regularly revisit the programme every year and I can attest to the fact that it still holds up as an impressive piece of work.

The scenery is stunning in MCOG.

The scenery is stunning in MCOG.

There had been talk of a second series for years and preliminary plans were laid but never materialised. However with the re-release of the series on DVD in 2008 and increased interest in the next part of the journey, the new series were finally put into production. Debuting on the Kix Channel in December 2014 the second series landed to mixed reviews.

At the end of the original series the children had only found one of the seven lost cities of gold, yet the conclusion was oddly satisfying in an open-ended way. Well, the second series was a continuation rather than a reboot and so the series picked up from the end of series one; The three children, Mendoza, Pedro and Sancho headed to China in search of the next lost city of gold and the truth about Esteban’s father.

On the whole I really did enjoy the second series but felt that it lacked the atmosphere and awe that was present in the original series. The voice actors were passable, however I did feel that Mendoza sounded angry or annoyed a lot of the time, a shift from his can-do attitude from the first series. Also the synth music from the discovery parts and key events made each new discovery super special. The music that dropped when the adventurers find the Solaris and Golden Condor still sends shivers down my spine. I felt that in the second series moments of emotive music and silence from the characters would have carried greater gravitas than the exposition from the characters. The second series took a while to get going, but after the first 10 or so episodes it did pick up and from episode 16 onwards it had those moment of awe and wonder, much like many moments from the original series.

And so, we get to series 3. I watched the complete 26 episode run in English dub and I have to say that it really continues the momentum from the second series forward, for the most part. The children travel to Japan to find the next city of gold and rescue Esteban's father, Antonios, from Zares/ Ambrosius. Along the way they make many new discoveries, including 2 more cities of gold (in Japan and Arabia), and grow as characters, but more on that later.
The episodes all move at a cracking pace overall, with the first lost city found after just 8 episodes, but the city of gold is spectacular, truly awe-inspiring and magical. The second city is again majestic and sent shivers down my spine but the series, whilst certainly better than series 2 is not as good as series 1 but it is pretty close in my opinion.

The main group of characters are more like the first series in that they are more consistent and less annoyed or cross, like Tao and Mendoza were often presented in series 2. The voice acting is better but it is somewhat strange to hear Mendoza say 'Blimey' at least 5 times throughout the whole series.


I also think the development of Zia as a strong female lead is good but do think they may have overpowered her, what with her ability to speak to animals, having foresight of key events and tragedies and telekinesis... That's quite an arc for any character let alone within 20 episodes! Her personality totally changes and at times it didn't feel like Zia at all. I understand about having strong female leads but when a new character, Laguerra (daughter of Dr Laguerra from series 1), is introduced she is the epitome of strong female lead, so what was the need to Girl Boss Zia, the usually quiet, thoughtful type? It feels very jarring.

It is after this that I feel it starts to unravel a little with the group breaking up for a really silly reason and there is a tacked on love story for Mendoza. However that doesn't detract from the rest of the series being phenomenal and awe inspiring in all the right places.

The discovery of the 3rd city is majestic and sent goosebumps all over me and the landscape artistry on show was painterly and masterful, complemented by a new score that pays homage to the original but does its own, more modern, thing. There are moments of peace and quiet where you can just appreciate the animation and music without the constant kinetic pacing of series 2 ruining certain reflective moments. For fans of the Golden Condor there are stunning scenes which often felt like Condor porn, as we see the beautiful machine flying against stunningly rendered backdrops.

Overall, series 3 of MCOG is a brilliant continuation of the epic animation. It reaches highs that rival even the original series but also lows (the group breaking up in Arabia) that make parts some of the worst in the shows history. It is a show that is well worth a watch and for fans of the original, you will not be (too) disappointed.

The Works of Mamoru Hosoda

Mamoru Hosoda is the visionary director of such influential films as The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Wolf Children and Summer Wars. Last week I went to a free exhibition of his work in London and loved it. Below are some of the photos I took.

Battle Angel Alita: Mars Chronicle Vol. 2- Comic Review

So, after 28 years we have reached the final arc of Alita’s story in Mars Chronicle but has it been worth the wait? I've spoken at length about how the initial 9 graphic novel run of Battle Angel Alita was one of the finest sci-fi tales of all time but the sequel, Last Order, was meandering and overlong at 19 graphic novels. The first volume of Mars Chronicle showed great promise, taking us back to Alita's origin as a young orphaned 80% cyborg child named Yoko living on the war-torn surface of Mars with her friend Erica.

This volume resumes in the present day, three years after the end of Last Order. We catch hints and references to some of the things that have been going on the last three years, like Alita doing some kind of work for the Jupiter government, but what kind if work is left a mystery.

The first half of the volume is about Alita meeting up again with her childhood friend Erica, who has become bitter towards her over the intervening years. Erica then attacks Alita, who tries to stop her and not harm her as she just wants some information.

The whole volume is an intriguing read as it reveals more about Alita’s past whilst also heaping new mysteries upon an already huge pile. I read Last Order a few years ago and so my memory of all the events are hazy but this storyline seems more cohesive and focused than Last Order.

The art style is just as great as ever and the fight scene between Erica and Alita is kinetically drawn and as high octane as you’d expect from Kishiro.

This is a promising story arc so far and I just hope that the author keeps it tight and focussed, as that was what made the original series so great.

LINK- Battle Angel Alita: Mars Chronicle Vol. 1- Comic Review

LINK- Battle Angel Alita: And So It Ends

Sabrina: Graphic Novel Review

Sabrina by Nick Drnaso was longlisted for the Booker prize, the first for a graphic novel, and as such received much coverage and hype. I bought a copy a couple of days ago and read it over a couple of evenings and it was an unsettling experience.

Sabrina, the titular character of the novel, is an ordinary woman, who doesn't return home one night. Over the course of a couple of weeks videos are posted online and to various media outlets showing her gruesome murder. So far so trope-y, but what follows isn't a murder mystery but more of an examination of what happens in the aftermath of such a tragic event. It is a 'state of the nation' study on the current social and political climate where truth is flexible, fake news pervades and conspiracy theories about the Deep State are bandied around as facts.

In an age when the grieving parents of the various high school massacres are accused of being actors, #MeToo survivors of being mythomaniacs and news outlets of 'lugenpresse' (lying media) who do you trust?

In Sabrina, lives are put on hold as we follow the day to day events of friends and loved ones trying to deal with the loss. It is mundane, it is boring but life must go on for those people but what toll does it take to be constantly harangued, harried and pursued by the various factions each out for their pound of flesh?

The book is an excellent look into the age of the Internet and the hollowness that social media has brought on the masses. It speaks of the situation we currently find ourselves in and is chilling in its trajectory of world news items to hot takes to conspiracy theories to old news... The daily news cycle.

The art style was not to my liking but its simplicity and flatness did give it an eerie feel as the story is king here, it all works well. The flatness become more disconcerting the further you read into the novel and by the end you feel like you’ve run a marathon… it’s exhausting and traumatic, but in the best possible way.

It’s by no means the best graphic novel I’ve read, that’d be Maus or Blankets, but Sabrina is a book that definitely deserves the attention it is getting.

Nex Machina- Video Games As Art

Nex Machina is a twin stick shoot 'em up which was developed and published by Finnish studio Housemarque with some consultation with Eugene Jarvis, creator of classic arcade games Defender and Robotron 2084 and console favourite Smash TV. The game casts you as a protagonist armed with a laser gun charged with rescuing humans against an alien horde from a top down perspective. The game is very simple to understand but complex to master, much like their previous game Resogun. The game is beautiful to watch as it is running and whilst I am proud of capturing the images below from my gameplay, do yourself a favour and play the game to understand its majesty. 

The Mysterious Cities of Gold Season 3 Episode 1 Review

The series kicks off straight after the cliffhanger ending of series 2 with the group travelling to Japan to find the 3rd city of gold. Zares has kidnapped Esteban’s father Athanaos and promises to release him only upon the group finding the city, so time is of the essence. The children arrive at Kagoshima, a port town and try to find the city but find another relic made from orichalcum…
And so, with that the new series really kicks off at a cracking pace. It may be that the framing of images is more ciematic and sweeping or it may be that the soundtrack complements what is going on on the screen more but this series has already drawn me in much quicker than the 2nd series did.
The animation style, whilst different from the first series for obvious reasons, has grown on me and I haven’t seen the occasional weird animation glitches or odd character movements or shading that hindered parts of the second series.

This is a solid episode and I will continue to watch the series and hope to have a full series review very soon.

Mysterious Cities of Gold Season 3 Premieres in English!

Finally, after what seems like an infinite amount of time (about 2 years in actual fact) the Mysterious Cities of Gold season 3 has an english dub. The only problem is… it’s only showing on SBS On Demand in Australia. However, if you have a way to hide your VPN then you can watch it for free! I’m currently downloading the entire series and will provide a series review once I’ve watched it!

In the meantime, why not check out the new introduction and follow some of the other MCOG related links below!

Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus- Video Games As Art

Wolfenstein is a gaming classic, being one of the original first person shooter games. Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus is the eleventh installment of the Wolfenstein series and a sequel to 2014's excellent Wolfenstein: The New Order.

This game is set in the Nazi-occupied USA, five months after the events of The New Order, in which the Nazis won the war. In the game we play William Joseph Blazcowicz ('BJ' to his friends) as he kills hundreds of Nazis, deals with Nazi occupied USA in 1961 and starts the Second American Revolution.

The game is a straight forward shooter and makes no apologies, but I'd like to share its art style. There are some beautifully realised locales here and the graphics shine through. It all looks very cinematic and the little details add to the whole feel of the game, giving it a real lived-in look.

Hilda- Complete Series 1 Review

Hilda is a graphic comic series and now Netflix animated show about a young adventure loving girl. The 13 part animate series is adapted from the multi award winning and highly acclaimed graphic novel series by Luke Pearson.

Protagonist Hilda lives with her mother in a cabin near the woods and mountains, away from people and it is in this landscape that Hilda goes on her first few adventures.
The first two episodes are a delight, reminiscent of Tove Jansson's Moomins, in that fantastical adventures are had and magical creatures such as the woodsman, stone trolls and giants are met against the backdrop of the wilds. The weirdness and slight tinge of unease reminds me of Over The Garden Wall, with episode 2 being especially melancholic and touching.

After the events of episode 2, Hilda and her mother leave their cabin and move to the city of Trolberg. Hilda then adapts to life in an urban setting, meeting new people and the complexities that brings. She begins to understand the beauty that can exist in the city and develops friendships through the Sparrow Scouts group she joins and it is here that the main thrust of the series is pushed forward with each episode being an amazing and whimsical adventure. There are elves, stone giants, a Thunderbird and even a nightmare inducing teen thrown into the mix and it all ends up making sense as the world is a tapestry of story and character with its world building logic.

The stories are often simple standalone adventure tales but there are elements of continuity as each episode has repercussions for all that follows. The episodes often have a lot of heart and are touching, something I've been seeing a lot more of in 'children's animation' over the past few years.

The animation is stunning and the colour palette beautiful at conveying the mood. The fully realised characters are beautifully animated and even though they may look quite basic, have warmth and depth.
The voice acting is superb, especially the voice actress of Hilda, Bella Ramsey.

The soundtrack is also really something, all synthy and atmospheric, it has elements of the 80s but is definitely its own thing. The title track by one of my favourite singers, Grimes, is a triumph and interspersed throughout the series' moments of wonder are individual tracks that create whimsy and joy. The standout for my daughter and I was when Hilda was riding of the water spirit in the Lost Clan episode. And that is what this series is about, a programme for adults and children alike. My daughter is nearly 4 years old and loved the episodes I showed her but some of the episodes I didn't let her watch as I knew for prior watching that they would scare her.

I binged the series over the course of an evening and a day and loved it. It reminds me of Gravity Falls and Scooby Doo: Mystery Incorporated and that is very high praise indeed as those two series are some of the best animated shows I've ever seen. If you get a chance watch Hilda, you won’t be disappointed.

LINK- Disenchantment- Complete Series 1 Review

LINK- Gravity Falls Complete Series Review

LINK- Scooby Doo: Mystery Incorporated Complete Series 1 Review

LINK- Scooby Doo: Mystery Incorporated Series 2 Review

A Hat In Time- Video Games As Art

A Hat In Time is a gorgeous cartoony 3D platform game that was successfully Kickstarted a couple of years ago. The game comes from Gears For Breakfast, a single person endeavour that grew into a larger volunteer group who contributed from around the world. What this has done is create a game that is tight and reflects the best of the genre (Mario 64 and Banjo Kazooie) whilst avoiding the annoying collectathon that was Donkey Kong 64. I completed the game and had a blast as each new world felt fresh and exciting. It helped that the game was gorgeous to look at too!

V and A Video Games: Design/ Play/ Disrupt- Exhibition Review

The world famous Victoria and Albert Museum in London (V&A) is currently running the Video Games: Design/Play/ Disrupt exhibition. The real boon of the exhibition is that it allows the wider community to understand the gaming community and the lure of the virtual world.

The beautiful V and A museum in London is a great setting for the Video Games: Design/Play/ Disrupt exhibition.

Many contemporary video games are creative, immersive and innovative and some are having a huge social and cultural impact across the globe, not always for the best but it is important to consider the positives alongside the negatives which is what the media seems to focus on. The exhibitions focus is quite narrow as it doesn't really look at the history of video games but rather issues around the medium including the portrayals of violence, race and sexuality, which I feel are very important in an artform that is still quite young and seen as the enfant terrible of pop culture.
Across the exhibition well known big budget games and characters rub shoulders with some indie and cult classics but all are accorded respect and lovingly curated. There are large-scale immersive multimedia and interactive installations alongside the usual display stands and cases.

As I entered the space I was welcomed with a rush of colour and a wall of sound, with an extremely large screen showcasing some of the games I would be seeing.

A large screen greeted me as I entered the exhibition.

A large screen greeted me as I entered the exhibition.

Passing a material mesh doorway, there was another large screen, this time showing the beautiful images from Journey. Austin Wintory's BAFTA winning soundtrack played and its beauty washed over me. The design documents and concept are from the game were on show and the information accompanying the pieces was informative and rich. The concept art sketches and paintings were wonderful to behold and creator, Jenova Chen, had his storyboard based on the classic Hero's journey on display.

The next doorway led to The Last of Us and had the same layout, a large video screen showing images from the game and some of the minutiae that went into its creation. A highlight was the original cork board from creators Naughty Dog with the notes and ideas that helped to consolidate the narrative arc of the game and characters. Within the same room was Bloodborne, the classic hard-as-nails gothic horror game by From Software. There was a playthrough of the Beast Cleric with a voice over by hilarious YouTuber Matt Lees that discussed the strategies needed to defeat the boss and play the game. Also featured were original sketches and a short documentary  covering the creation of the soundtrack.

The next room did a complete volte-face as it featured one of the most colourful games of the current generation, Splatoon. Some concept art and early prototypes were on display but the wall featuring the logos and street art inspired fashion was the thing to look for here.
Also in the same room was an indie game I had never heard of called Consume Me. It was a fun mobile game with elements of Tetris but with food and details of its calorie content. It features a cute aesthetic and I can see why it was placed with Splatoon.

Following on, we had Kentucky Route Zero, the magical realism game which features beautiful art. The original Rene Magritte painting Le Blanc Seing was beautiful to behold and spoke about the inspiration for the game.

On the other side of the room was Tale of Tales' The Graveyard, in which you play an old woman with a walking stick walking through a graveyard and remembering her past. I had played the experience many years ago and found it moving, however I remember there being a backlash amongst many gamers as they claimed that the title wasn't really a game but more of a walking simulator. The sketchbooks and original wire frame animation offered a real insight into how Tale of Tales came up with their concepts. Their 10 point manifesto challenged what video games could be and how they could emotionally resonate with people, much like the Dogme 95 manifesto did for film.

Afterwards I entered a room which contained No Man's Sky, the much maligned but recently patched and actually wonderful procedurally generated space exploration game. As you entered there was a wall of screens, showing GIFs of the worlds you could explore in-game. It was beautiful and looked like an art installation. There were also animal concept art and books that inspired the look of the game, including Asimov’s Foundation books and Ralph McQuarrie’s Star Wars film art.

The next room was a large one and had several stations which asked deeper questions: Are video games political? Why are video games so white? Why are video games aimed primarily at boys? There was a super wide screen that features talking heads discussing these questions and asking the audience to consider their opinions.

After weaving my way through a black curtain I entered a large room with a huge screen showing a variety of e-sports, showcasing how huge it had all got. There were montages of Eve Online battles, Overwatch matches and League Of Legends world finals. There was also a video on the creation of Westeros from Game of Thrones in Minecraft.

After that I entered an arcade area that reminded me of entering a beachfront arcade in the 80s in Southend or the like... Some muted neon lighting added to the industrial look of the area but it was good to play some of the experimental games.

V and A Video Games: Design/ Play/ Disrupt

And so I had reached the end of the exhibition. So, after all this was it worth a visit. In a word, YES! The whole exhibition was well crafted and placed video games in an interesting space that requires people to examine it further. There is more that can be done but as the first major exhibition of its kind in London it is very worthwhile.

Night In The Woods- Video Games As Art

I've been playing a game called Night in the Woods recently and it has had me reflecting on a lot of things. The game follows college dropout Mae Borowski, who returns home to the crumbling former mining town of Possum Springs. We follow her as she meets old friends and realises that the town she knew has moved on, and not always for the better.
The game rang true on so many levels for me: coming back to a place to see how much yet how little it has changed, how people you knew have moved on or not at all and how tough life has been for some people, who live within the shadow of one of the richest places on Earth, nearly a decade after the economic crises.
Barking in East London is a crap hole but it was my crap hole, it had issues but it did have a sense of community amongst its high rises, empty shopping centre and prevalence of gambling, cheap barely edible vegetable bowls and pound chicken shops.
As someone who spent pretty much their entire life in the town until quite recently I have half remembered memories of Vicarage Fields opening and the whole town seemingly coming out to welcome it and partake in its free peppermint lollies emblazoned with the logo, the cool bookshop on the top floor and the video game shop Whizz Kids selling the latest system and offering playable Atari Lynxes with Chips Challenge. Now it seems like an empty shell with cheap clothes stores and stalls selling phone accessories and plugs.... A shadow of the promise it offers in its youth.
Night in the Woods resonated with me as it sensitively showed that the memories in our mind are often rose tinted and don't actually show the real world situation. As I’ve said, Barking was a crap hole, and even though it didn't have a cosmic horror entity or a death cult like in the game, it never truly felt safe, however I barely remember the bad things… the very high crime stats, the scary train station full of hood rats, the malevolent Vicarage Walk, people asking for a ‘spare 20p’… all horrendous!
However Barking seems to be rising from the ashes of Ford in Dagenham closing as the old 70s high-rises are being knocked down to make way for the new low wise apartment complexes, feeding the lifeblood of the city as it turns into yet another commuter town. This is an improvement after about 20 years of decline but it does feel like an end of something and that is something Night In The Woods captures very well. Who says games can’t be art? Art speaks of the human condition and Night In The Woods does that is spades.

Planet Jarre Celebrates 50 Years of Jean Michel Jarre

With a career spanning 50 years in electronic music, it seems like the appropriate time for Jean Michel Jarre to be releasing a new ‘best of’ compilation album. His music has been a huge part of my life ever since I heard his music on the Landscape Channel in the late 80s/ early 90s. The track, Oxygene 4 is a masterpiece and I have been enamored with Jarre ever since, have heard all his albums and owning most.

This influence map was created as the first piece of work for this webpage way back in 2011 and it shows how prominent a part Jarre’s music played in my life.

In 1976 struggling musician Jean Michel Jarre released Oxygene on an unsuspecting world. It became a huge commercial success and brought Jarre to the masses, becoming one of the most successful French albums in the world. Oxygene has stood the test of time to become recognised as one of the most influential ambient electronic albums of all time and Jarre is on the right side of history, seen as a pioneer and master of the craft. A handful of successful albums and record breaking world tours followed and Jarre dipped back into the Oxygene well 20 years later to release Oxygene 7- 13 in 1997.

A period of experimentation and mixed success followed with highs such as Metamorphoses and Aero but also low lows such as with the much maligned Téo & Téa. It seemed that Jarre had lost his edge, his relevance... but in an extraordinary tale of redemption Jarre came back bigger and better in 2015 and 2016 with the impressive Electronica Vol 1 and 2 albums and a stunning world tour. It seemed like the time was right for Jarre to recapture his crown as the ambient electronica master and so, after 40 years from the original release of Oxygene we had Oxygene 3. When I heard about the release to say that I was excited would be an understatement. I consider the album to be one of the most influential in my life and it is probably my most listened to album ever. I was please but also worried that Jarre wouldn't be able to recapture the magic. It is difficult for many artists to have the fire and creativity of their youth but when I heard that Jarre was taking a back to basics approach and creating it within a 6 week time frame, just like he did for the original, I was sold. This new album was never intended to be a lavish polished production, instead it sounded rough in places but it had Jarre doing what he did best; creating haunting, ambient soundscapes that would stay with you for a long time and transport you to another place. The album was a return to the Jarre of yore, and his old self but with the added wisdom that comes with age.

And so we arrive at this current point in time with Jarre back on form, firing on all cylinders and touring around the world again. I’ve pre-ordered the Planet Jarre album and am super excited to hear my old favourites rearranged according to the four different themes: Soundscapes, Themes, Sequneces and Explorations. The track list is:

It’s a pretty decent tracklist and I look forward to hearing how they all flow.

It’s a pretty decent tracklist and I look forward to hearing how they all flow.

Jarre has been releasing short videos over the past few weeks reflecting back over his career and it is inteersting viewing.

Resogun- Video Games As Art

I love shoot 'em ups, (shmups as they seem to be called nowadays). Ever since I played R-Type at Heathrow airport the balletic dance of moving and firing whilst avoiding bullets has appealed to me, but in the past couple of decades shoot 'em ups seem to have been replaced by bullet hell games, in which you avoid hundreds of usually neon coloured projectiles. Luckily, Resogun is a shoot 'em up that strikes a nice balance between the two; great shooting mechanics mixed with stunning voxel graphics. The game takes place on a cylindrical plane, which allows you to see the enemy approaching from both sides. What results is a frantically paced shoot 'em up that requires much practice to master. However, when a game looks and feels this good that isn't a problem.

Disenchantment- Complete Series 1 Review

After nearly 30 years of The Simpsons and nearly 20 years of Futurama, Matt Groening (ably assisted by Simsons alumni, Josh Weinstein and Bill Oakley) have created a new animated series. Disenchantment is the tale of Princess Tiabeanie 'Bean', the hard drinking and burping princess of Dreamland, a medieval fantasy land straight from many tales of yore. She is fated to be married to a Prince of whatever land her father sees as the most politically advantageous. However, Bean is a driven woman and her fate is linked to Elfo, an elf who escapes his magical land of pure maniacal happiness and Luci, a demon with a dark and mysterious past.

The trio end up together and the scene is set for an emotional roller-coaster for Bean as she battles her good and bad sides with the literal manifestations by her side.

In a crowded animation market with the meta Rick and Morty, darkly philosophical Bojack Horseman, gently family-centric Bob's Burgers and those stalwarts South Park, Family Guy and of course, the grandaddy, The Simpsons, how does this new show fit in?

Well, first of all the art style, whilst being unmistakably  Simpson-ish has a less garish colour palette. In places the show is quite beautiful with lots of carefully lit scenes, lent some oomph with flashy computerised transitioning shots. The standard medieval setting is beautifully realised and the attention to detail is astonishing, especially when it comes to sight gags such as the shop signage.

The animation in Desenchantment can be beautiful at times ©Matt Groening, Netflix

The animation in Desenchantment can be beautiful at times ©Matt Groening, Netflix

The voice acting is too notch with Simpson/ Futurama regulars Billy West, John DiMaggio and Tress MacNeille joined by Abbi Jacobson, Eric Andre and Nat Faxon. The standout voice actor is Matt Berry who plays the pompous arrogant Prince Merkimer with booming voice and faux gravitas. He gets the majority of the best lines and delivers then with aplomb, however he only appears in a few episodes and so feels underutilised.

The series has a mix of standalone episodes, where we get to know the characters and world further and add to the whole tapestry of the world. The episodes are:

Episode 1- Teabeanie is a hard drinking, hard fighting Princess of Dreamland and is set to be married against her wishes. She rebels and runs away, only to be pursued by her husband to be, Prince Merkimer.

Episode 2- The King attempts to use elf blood to create the Elixir of Life and so Elfo goes through progressively worse forms of torture. Bean tries to get rid of her betrothed with a visit to Mermaid Island.

Episode 3- Bean, Elfo and Luci steal a horse and carriage and go on a joyride whilst drunk on mead. They then move onto harder stuff and fall in with a bad lot and steal from Bean's family crypt. The King hires an exorcist to get rid of a demon he thinks is controlling his wayward daughter.

Episode 4- The King goes away for a few days and so Bean throws an immense party in the castle. Problems arise when the Viking horde gatecrash the party.

Episode 5- Bean is banished from the castle for her constant errant behaviour and so has to get a job in the 'real' world. She soon realises that she isn't cut out for menial work.

Episode 6- In an effort to teach her about responsibility King Zog has Bean represent his Kingdom as an ambassador when they travel to the land of the Dankmire, but things don't go according to plan when Bean gets drunk and offends the Dankmirians.

Episode 7- The trio visit a drugs den and under the influence of Bliss, have hallucinations. Elfo lies and tells Bean he has a lost love girlfriend, Bean then proceeds to find the figure, in the shape of a giantess. What could go wrong, right?

For the last 3 episodes the series is more narrative driven with a story arc and has a more emotional core. King Zod is still after the Elixir of Life but things take a turn as Elfo is kidnapped. A crusade is mounted to get him back and it leads to the lost city of Cramorrah and the Eternity Vial, the key to the elixir of life. The mission succeeds but things don't go according to plan.

This is a promising narrative arc that has clear influence from Indiana Jones and many other adventure matinee shows typical of the genre however, it all rings a little hollow as you are not invested in the characters as they haven't been developed enough. This is the main issue that I have with the series so far: the stories, while fine, are just not interesting enough overall. The final 3-parter does see an improvement in developing the characters and world along and hopefully in the second season (if there is one) there will be more of an emphasis on the bigger picture. Oh, whilst we are talking about the bigger  picture, stay for the end of episode 10 stinger a la Marvel films.

The show succeeds on some levels but not in others. Whilst more mature in content with its 12 rating, the writing isn't as crude or as acerbic as in South Park or *groan* Family Guy, or as clever as in The Simpsons at its peak or the characters as well developed as in Bob's Burgers. This all sounds unfair as all those series have been going for many years and the shows have got better and we've seen character development so I'm optimistic that Disenchantment will grow like Futurama did in the 2nd and 3rd season. In far smaller scope Scooby Doo Mystery Incorporated managed to deliver a story full of mystery and humour in just 52 episodes and Gravity Falls within 39 so it shows that series don't have to go on forever to deliver.

Overall, if you catch the series you won't be blown away but there is the promise of something building if it is given a chance.

LINK- Scooby Doo: Mystery Incorporated Season 1 Review

LINK- Scooby Doo: Mystery Incorporated Season 2 Review

LINK- Gravity Falls Complete Series Review

Groove Coaster- Video Games As Art

Groove Coaster is an iOS and arcade rhythm game developed by Taito and released in 2011. The game is a spin off from Space Invaders but is a totally different beast, being more of a synesthesia game where visuals and music merge to create an explosion for the senses.

The beauty of the game is difficult to convey through still images but I've tried and the results are below,

Disenchantment- 1st Episode Review

After nearly 30 years of The Simpsons and nearly 20 years of Futurama, Matt Groening and his alumni, Josh Weinstein and Bill Oakley, have created a new animated series. Disenchantment is the tale of Princess Tiabeanie 'Bean', the hard drinking and burping princess of Dreamland, a medieval fantasy land straight from tales of yore. She is fated to be married to a Prince of whatever land her father sees as the most politically advantageous. However, Bean is a driven woman and her fate is linked to Elfo, an elf who escapes his magical land of pure maniacal happiness and Luci, a demon with a dark and mysterious past. 

The adventuresome trio. ©Netflix, Matt Groening

The adventuresome trio. ©Netflix, Matt Groening

This trio end up together and the scene is set for an emotional roller-coaster for Bean as she battles her good and bad sides with the literal manifestations by her side. The first episodes ends on a literal cliff hanger and the scene is set for an animated series with a real story arc. 

In a crowded animation market with the meta Rick and Morty, darkly philosophical Bojack Horseman, gently family-centric Bob's Burgers and those stalwarts South Park, Family Guy and of course, the grandaddy, the Simpsons, how does this new show fit in? Well, first off this show is definitely more mature and aimed at the teen and adult market. There are a few adult jokes in there, for example in the beginning there is a hanging scene and the phrase, "For once I won't go all the way," are said.
As for the art style, it is very Simpson-ish but with a less garish colour palette. In places the show is quite beautiful with lots of carefully lit scenes, lent pizzazz with flashy computerised transitioning shots. The humour is tres Simpsons, and as such the ebb and flow of the jokes are all present and correct. 

The story is there and with the potential to world build with interesting characters, such as the extremely humble puritan farmer and wife, the old fairy who does 'tricks' and the arrogant but persistent Prince in pursuit of the Princess, the series could really take off. 

For a first episode Disenchantment is off to a decent start. There is a long way to go before it becomes the hits of its predecessors but there is promise. I'm hoping to complete the rest of the series over the next couple of days and so will put up a whole series review later this week but if you haven't seen it, check it out. All 10 episodes have been put up for binge watching.

Bollywood Posters- Book Review

Bollywood is the largest film industry in the world. Every year over 1000 films are made, more than triple that of Hollywood. The colourful and often vibrant posters pervade the streets of India, becoming more than just a form of entertainment; films are often a tool to bring warmth, comfort, escapism and real social change in the country.
The posters have changed over time but the classic film posters from the 1950s to early 1990s show a glorious explosion of color, form, and typography. The appeal of books like Bollywood Posters by Jerry Pinto is that, as well as appealing to the Bollywood fans, its appeal also extends beyond that to graphic designers and artists who will find much to inspire them as well.

This book has some great scans and photos of Bollywood posters through the ages. Whilst in no way a comprehensive look into the subject, how could it be? The book provides a wide and varied compilation of posters, categorised by genres. Some of the posters only have Hindi wiring and so it is occasionally difficult to ascertain what some films are titled as but as a look into the often underappreciated art-form, this book presents a brilliant collection. There are some rare posters shown and often next to each poster the merits of each film is explored with a short synopsis.

The modern film posters are more photo based and utilise tools like Photoshop, which are both fine, but I like the artistry shown in the hand painted posters of the bygone era. This book is a wonderful look at the evolution of  Bollywood posters and as a niche product is essential for Bollywood, graphic artists and simply fans of art.
 

Tacoma- Video Games As Art

Tacoma is an exploration game set aboard an abandoned space station in 2088. The player controls Amy, who has been assigned by hyper-corporation Venturis to enter the abandoned Tacoma station, find out what happened to the crew and retrieve the station's AI, ODIN.

The game is by Fullbright, the team behind Gone Home and follows the same style of gameplay where you explore a location to find out what happened. The game has an amazing visual style and feels like a real lived in space with lots of minutae adding to the atmosphere.

Nier Automata- Video Games As Art

NieR: Automata is a sort of sequel to NieR that tells the story of androids 2B, 9S and A2 and their battle to reclaim the machine-driven dystopia overrun by powerful machines. So far so video game trope-y, but what sets this game apart is the philosophical and ethical questions it asks. I played the game for just under 40 hours and in that time it made me consider deeper questions in life like why are we here? Is life cyclical? Is there a God? I haven't been this mentally stimulated for ages, maybe since Twin Peaks or even Evangelion back in the late 90s. Anyways, the game is stunning and well worth your time and money. Play it, it's one of my favourite games of all time.