Anime RE-Claimed: Oshi No Ko

What's the deal with isekais lately? There was a time when Truck-Kun was busy running down salary men and transforming them into overpowered badasses, but that has slowed down considerably. Now we come to "Oshi No Ko", an anime that is pretty unique in its existence and exactly what I wanted (more or less) out of the isekai genre...if you can call this isekai. I can't really talk about the series without going into the major plot of the story, but this is all in the first episode, which is an hour long (yes, it takes that long to set up the plot). Despite the colorful art style and the beautiful character design of "Oshi No Ko" and the seemingly wholesome plot, this is actually a dark tale of revenge and murder. Confused, I hope so. Welcome to "Oshi No Ko".

Project Canceled: "Happy Town"

"Happy Town" is a show that premiered on ABC in the summer of 2010, a mid-season replacement created by Andre' Nemec and Josh Appelbaum, two producers who continue to work on TV shows that just don't seem to strike a chord with audiences, not entirely their own fault either, bad timing, half-baked concepts, awful lead ins, and maybe not the strongest cast seem to work against them. It's shocking how much I actually remember "Happy Town" even YEARS after having watched it, 15 to be exact. But here we are, now if you know me, you know I LOVE a good small town mystery, one of the reasons I was drawn to "Pretty Little Liars" and "Ravenswood", and while those were written for pre-teens and the young adult crowd, "Happy Town" was set for prime time viewing and had a quiet maturity about it that makes this quaint little show kind of endearing.

"Happy Town" tells the story of Haplin, Minnesota, a town known for its bread factory, a small town where everyone knows everyone and everyone's got secrets. During a period of time that has at the start of the series long since passed, the town was terrorized by a serial kidnapper simply known as "The Magic Man". "The Magic Man" had an ability to make people disappear in crowded spaces, and bodies were never found, almost as if the people just blipped out of existence and then leaving those left behind a bouquet of dead flowers on their doorstep. Of course, this is simply the backdrop to our little mystery (which gets solved by the finale episode...we'll get to that), there is much more going on in Haplin, and our key players seem to know more than meets the eye. The series does boast some decent star power; Sam Niel (unfortunately, television cancer), Peter Outerbridge (who just so happens to have one of the best lines in this show) Lauren German (currently and unfortunately starring in "Lucifer"), Sarah Gadon, Robert Wisdom, and the only reason anyone would watch "Angel", Amy Acker.

When I originally watched "Happy Town," I was less than impressed, despite the show making an undeniable impression on me. Once again, this is due to my love of small-town mysteries. But I found the characters to be a bit...stupid, and the plot more or less getting muddled. Now that I've rewatched it, I can honestly say that I enjoyed it for the most part and can identify a few moments where the narrative and the story break down. "Happy Town" was canceled after 6 episodes aired, with the last 2 only being available on ABC. With all that said, let's dive into "Happy Town.";

STRANGE LOG: Smashing Archerina

Yes, we have yet another Strange Log, in this blog I'll be summarizing my thoughts on "Superman", "Fantastic Four: First Steps", now I'll only be seeing "Superman."...I'll be reading the spoilers for "Fantastic Four: First Steps"...shoot me later. I'll also be talking about "Daredevil: Born Again" and a few other things, please bare with me, let's dive in;

And Now We Have A "Dexter: Resurrection" Trailer

We're back, kiddos...or rather, he's back, that's right, folks, Dexter is back from the dead with a brand new series. Now, say what you will about "Dexter: New Blood," I thought it was pretty good, all things considered, but I have to agree that the ending was pretty rushed...and now we have a course correction with "Dexter: Resurrection" after surviving a potentially fatal gunshot wound inflicted upon him by his very own son for breaking the code and killing an innocent man (Srg Logan). So now we pick up from that scene and find Dexter in the hospital and awakening to a new life...and where else but New York?

So About That Avengers: Doomsday Cast List...

So...now we have an official cast list to "Avengers: Doomsday" and it more or less reads as a "Who's that again?" list of actors in the MCU, and dare I say it reveals the problem I noticed all along, a problem I'll get to after the break.

STRANGE LOG: The Unassuming Waypoint From ?

We should talk about things. Yeah, it's another Strange Log, and we're looking at several things, mostly related, but there are many other things that aren't, not entirely. I'm rambling, here we go;

Anime RE-Claimed: Go Go Loser Rangers

I'm a huge fan of "Power Rangers", I'm pretty sure I said that on this blog here and there but it bears repeating. Surprisingly there are very few Sentai-related animes, sure you've got "Sailor Moon" and "Gatchaman" and to an extent "Voltron" but none of them capture that Sentai vibe. Most recently I watched "Love After World Domination" and I enjoyed that fully but even then the sentai aspect took a back seat to the romance plot. "Ranger Rejects" or "Go Go Loser Rangers" is a subversive take on the Sentai genre that I'm surprised took this long to make. I'll dive in after the break;