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alchemicinkThis week: Baku saves the cat; Akane meets a rival; and the Voyager crew faces fear itself.
Girl Rules was on a holiday break this week, so I decided I'd watch and review a Voyager episode instead. I've been meaning to get back to my series rewatch, so I'll probably continue to write little reviews for random episodes here and there.
Title quote comes from Voyager.
Spoilers, as always, below:
Kamen Rider Zeztz (episode 30)
This episode concludes the storyline introduced in the previous episode, where Minami is revealed to be an Agent too, currently infected with a Nightmare, and also not really Baku's sister. While I didn't exactly enjoy that last reveal last week, I did warm up to the idea with all the information laid out in this episode. As it turns out, Minami didn't know they weren't related until Zero recruited her for the protection job, and she accepted the role because of how much she loves her brother.
This episode really did a great job, I think, in showcasing their relationship. I loved the flashbacks to when they were searching for an actual cat in real life, and I loved when Baku was bombarded by memories of things Minami said that shows she cares. So at the end of the episode, when they sit down for breakfast, the happy ending feels earned. They've weathered the storm and now they're back on the same page again. (Also, I loved that Baku's saved the burnt toast for himself. Very kind of him!)
There wasn't much else happening in this episode other than a brief reunion between Fujimi and Odaka (I feel like I gotta call him by his real name when he's in the real world 😅). I think Fujimi's reminder that Odaka used to care about justice will be important somehow in Odaka's character arc. I'm excited to see that continue to play out. (I'm disappointed we didn't see him climb in through the window tho... but I'm gonna imagine that's what happened 😂)
Akane-banashi (episode 2)
This episode fully introduces us to present-day Akane, who's been secretly studying with her father's old mentor. She gets the opportunity to do her first public performance, and it goes really well, despite her pre-stage jitters.
I think Akane is a delightful character so far. Her determination shines through in her actions and words, and it's clear she's doing all this because she loves her father and the art of rakugo itself. But she's also a teenager, so there's a bit of pettiness behind her actions too. It's just been two episodes so far, but she feels like an interesting protagonist to watch. I love her so far.
This episode also introduces a character who will probably become her friend and another who will probably become her rival. But the episode really is about Akane's first performance, so these new characters don't have much bearing on that. Meaning that they aren't very interesting... yet.
But I'm very excited to see the world of rakugo continue to fan out as the show continues, and see where Akane's journey takes her.
Star Trek Voyager (season 2, episode 23, "The Thaw")
This episode is a bit divisive in fandom, but it's one of my absolute favorites. The premise is simple: the crew tries to free some people from a computer program holding them hostage. The computer is, of course, masquerading as the manifestation of Fear, leading to a story that contemplates the emotion itself.
It's a bit heavy-handed at times (Voyager is not great with subtlety), but Kate Mulgrew (Capt. Janeway) and Michael McKean (Fear) give fantastic performances, especially in the final scene which reminds us that Janeway can be a chessmaster when necessary. But I'd forgotten how good Robert Picardo (The Doctor) is in this episode too. He's so funny being his usual annoyed, deadpan self when talking to Fear. There are so many moments that made me cackle. ("Excuse me, you're holding this scalpel wrong" was a top tier moment for comedic timing and delivery.)
But one of my favorite things about this episode are the visuals. The simulated environment and its characters are so off-putting, like a distorted version of a circus party. And the camerawork makes the characters move from place to place unnaturally, reminiscent of a horror story where things are just a bit off, just a bit unnerving. It elevates the storytelling so much. The whole episode is like a mini-horror movie, which is why I love it so much.
It's a great episode (unless you can't stand clowns. Then you might want to skip it!)
Girl Rules was on a holiday break this week, so I decided I'd watch and review a Voyager episode instead. I've been meaning to get back to my series rewatch, so I'll probably continue to write little reviews for random episodes here and there.
Title quote comes from Voyager.
Spoilers, as always, below:
Kamen Rider Zeztz (episode 30)
This episode concludes the storyline introduced in the previous episode, where Minami is revealed to be an Agent too, currently infected with a Nightmare, and also not really Baku's sister. While I didn't exactly enjoy that last reveal last week, I did warm up to the idea with all the information laid out in this episode. As it turns out, Minami didn't know they weren't related until Zero recruited her for the protection job, and she accepted the role because of how much she loves her brother.
This episode really did a great job, I think, in showcasing their relationship. I loved the flashbacks to when they were searching for an actual cat in real life, and I loved when Baku was bombarded by memories of things Minami said that shows she cares. So at the end of the episode, when they sit down for breakfast, the happy ending feels earned. They've weathered the storm and now they're back on the same page again. (Also, I loved that Baku's saved the burnt toast for himself. Very kind of him!)
There wasn't much else happening in this episode other than a brief reunion between Fujimi and Odaka (I feel like I gotta call him by his real name when he's in the real world 😅). I think Fujimi's reminder that Odaka used to care about justice will be important somehow in Odaka's character arc. I'm excited to see that continue to play out. (I'm disappointed we didn't see him climb in through the window tho... but I'm gonna imagine that's what happened 😂)
Akane-banashi (episode 2)
This episode fully introduces us to present-day Akane, who's been secretly studying with her father's old mentor. She gets the opportunity to do her first public performance, and it goes really well, despite her pre-stage jitters.
I think Akane is a delightful character so far. Her determination shines through in her actions and words, and it's clear she's doing all this because she loves her father and the art of rakugo itself. But she's also a teenager, so there's a bit of pettiness behind her actions too. It's just been two episodes so far, but she feels like an interesting protagonist to watch. I love her so far.
This episode also introduces a character who will probably become her friend and another who will probably become her rival. But the episode really is about Akane's first performance, so these new characters don't have much bearing on that. Meaning that they aren't very interesting... yet.
But I'm very excited to see the world of rakugo continue to fan out as the show continues, and see where Akane's journey takes her.
Star Trek Voyager (season 2, episode 23, "The Thaw")
This episode is a bit divisive in fandom, but it's one of my absolute favorites. The premise is simple: the crew tries to free some people from a computer program holding them hostage. The computer is, of course, masquerading as the manifestation of Fear, leading to a story that contemplates the emotion itself.
It's a bit heavy-handed at times (Voyager is not great with subtlety), but Kate Mulgrew (Capt. Janeway) and Michael McKean (Fear) give fantastic performances, especially in the final scene which reminds us that Janeway can be a chessmaster when necessary. But I'd forgotten how good Robert Picardo (The Doctor) is in this episode too. He's so funny being his usual annoyed, deadpan self when talking to Fear. There are so many moments that made me cackle. ("Excuse me, you're holding this scalpel wrong" was a top tier moment for comedic timing and delivery.)
But one of my favorite things about this episode are the visuals. The simulated environment and its characters are so off-putting, like a distorted version of a circus party. And the camerawork makes the characters move from place to place unnaturally, reminiscent of a horror story where things are just a bit off, just a bit unnerving. It elevates the storytelling so much. The whole episode is like a mini-horror movie, which is why I love it so much.
It's a great episode (unless you can't stand clowns. Then you might want to skip it!)
