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This series looked to be a Sci-Fi Alien Cat Girl boy-grows-up chasing after her kind of story from what I read before it started. I only have the first episode to base my opinion on so far, but in that first episode it completely changed the ground rules 3 times. It opened up as an action/adventure with an exciting combat sequence with a spaceship crash, and hints that the weapons of choice may not be the weapons we need. Then it went through the opening title sequence, and suddenly we were in a Fanboy Fantasy, where our hero wakes up next to a mostly naked Alien Cat Girl, and other girls and women of his acquaintance show up on his doorstep to hang out with him and make obscene comments. Just when you feel comfortable with that analysis, you discover that every woman in the story, with the possible exception of the Cat Girl from Another Planet, has their very own hidden agenda, and the tenor of the series changes again. Asobi ni Ikuyo: Bombshells from the Sky is off to an interesting start.

Even if the writers blew every surprise for the series in the first 23 minutes of the program, there is more. I counted no less than 5 inside jokes for Sci-Fi geeks in this episode alone (keep your ears open, and your eyes should check the background every so often), including the classic that everyone calls their home planet Earth, or Dirt, or some equivalent word that means “standing on land”, followed by references to and a depiction of the Babylon5 Grey Council, just to start.

There were short bursts of Anime tropes as well, like the holographically projected Kawaii Navigation System that leaped full blown from Cat Girls bell dangling from her choke collar. Actually, that alone was two tropes; another was Cat Girl in heaven because they let her eat her fill then snooze in the sun, just like a real cat.

I have more points to talk about, but hey, this is just the first story. If the rest of these are a fraction as good, congrats to the creators.

Tron Legacy Director Joe Kosinski is to head up the sci-fi film ‘Archangels’, according to the folks at ScreenRant and also at First Showing. With Ridley and Tony Scott producing, it has a shot at becoming an excellent film. The main character belongs to an elite team tasked with tracking aliens who get past Earth’s defense system, set in the near future. Meanwhile Carl Erik Rinsch, who normally directs commercials, was supposed to have his movie debut when he directed the Aliens prequel. When that didn’t happen, he entered a short film competition Phillips held and produced the video below. Now a number of production houses, including Fox and Warner Bros. are in a bidding war to see who will buy the rights to turn it into a feature film, so Carl will get his movie after all, and this time it will be one who’s story he created as well. Thanks to the Hollywood Reporter for the heads up on that one.

This time around I would like to invite anyone who can get there to visit the new exhibit at the San Diego Air & Space Museum. Actually, this museum has a lot of great exhibits and is really worth some time, but I am thinking specifically of the Science of Aliens presentation. Strangely enough, I could not find the actual exhibit dates (start and finish) on their web site; hopefully they will correct that soon. Also, this museum is part of the Smithsonian Institution Affiliations Program, so be sure to bring your membership card for the usual discounts and improved access.