In movies Snow White and the Huntsman is an excellent retelling of the classic tale, focusing on the darker side of the legend. I am sorry to report I missed this one in the theaters, and I have every intention of watching it now. In fact, I will probably go with the extended version. Beyond the Black Rainbow is a surreal little movie taking place in a near-future commune, and focusing on one of the inhabitants who is trying to escape. I hope she makes it.
Terra Nova: The Complete Series is a drama about a family who went back 85 million years in time to help colonize the Earth. The first season is the entire series so far, but it was not canceled outright. Rather it was announced it would be shopped to other networks, but so far I haven’t heard of anyone picking it up. The Vampire Diaries: The Complete Third Season is also out, which I find a bit surprising, since I didn’t think the series had these kind of legs on it. While not genre Castle: The Complete Fourth Season makes its way to the shelves as well. I admit I only watched this at first because the male lead had been in Firefly and Buffy, but I found it rather enjoyable and just kept watching. I suppose to keep it balanced I should also mention The Big Bang Theory: The Complete Fifth Season is coming out, but the show just doesn’t do anything for me. Maybe it is the laugh track that makes me cringe and turn the channel in the first 30 seconds of its appearing on my TV set.
In Anime, Cat Planet Cuties (Asobi Ni Iku Yo!) is an absolutely enjoyable silly little ride that pokes fun at many of the Neko tropes. I particularly liked the various religious movements and secret agents of various organizations all clustering around our primary cat-girl, as well as the evil machinations of the dog empire representative. Also firmly entrenched firmly on the side of silly, Ghastly Prince Enma Burning Up is a story of rampaging Yokai (evil spirits) and the team sent from Hell to subdue them. Filled with surreal action-comedy that includes a bit of lechery and a boatload of obscure anime references and in jokes, this one would be even more attractive at a more reasonable price point. I consider $5 per 25 minute episode a bit steep, and will be waiting for a more cost effective offering of this one.
Bleach Box Set 14 continues that saga, bringing us episodes 206 through 217. I think this means we are beginning to catch up, since they are currently running episode 275 in Tokyo. Cluster Edge – Collection 1 starts a new series about an academy where the children of the elite are trained to take over and control the world, but one new student may just turn the whole place on its ear and change everything. Even the artificial soldiers and religious fanatics may have a problem this time.