Seto Kaiba

I've had an unusual amount of time to watch today, since it's "annual mandatory training" season and those things are always so easy you'd have to be blind drunk and suffering a severe concussion to actually get those questions wrong. 🤣 I Was Reincarnated as the 7th Prince so I Can Take My Time Perfecting My Magical Ability feels like a show worth skipping. It's one of those isekai adjacent titles where the world's a fantasy one that runs on RPG logic and the protagonist is basically just pure power fantasy. This one's a hard pass if you actually want an engaging story. Chillin' in Another World with Level 2 Super Cheat Powers is exactly what it says on the tin. It's a more literal application of isekai tropes with the only real twist being that the main guy was already living in a fantasy RPG world and got isekai'd to a subtly-different one. All I can describe this one as is "eminently skippable so far".

The Many Sides of Voice Actor Radio is a rather unusual little drama/comedy about two high school students who, on being cast on a radio series, each discover that the other is ALSO a high schooler who's been moonlighting as a professional voice actor. I'm definitely gonna keep following this one... it's a ways outside of the usual, and it seems like it'll offer some good character development. As a Reincarnated Aristocrat, I'll Use My Appraisal Skill to Rise in the World seems to be shaping up to be one of the few new isekai titles to offer a reasonably original take on the premise. Instead of the reincarnatee being stupidly overpowered, he seems on course to rise to power by being a superhumanly good judge of character and bringing out the true potential in others by leveraging their hidden or unrealized talents. This is definitely one to follow this season. It keeps going to interesting and unconventional places.

Crunchyroll's 2024 Spring lineup is providing a veritable bumper crop of unusual shows... I've added The Many Sides of Voice Actor Radio, Yatagarasu: the Raven Does Not Choose Its Master, Mysterious Disappearances, Unnamed Memory, KonoSuba 3, and a few other titles to my watchlist. I'm up to 27 this season. First up on my lunchtime watchlist is Vampire Dormitory Ep2. I missed, last episode, that this is a commemorative work for the 70th anniversary of Nakayoshi magazine. After a rough first episode, Vampire Dormitory's made some massive improvements and this new episode is quite a bit of fun. In no small part because Ruka is just such a dork. He and the protagonist Mito have surprisingly good chemistry that I wish had been more visible in the first episode.

Astro Note continues to be a weird throwback of a series. As goofy as it is, Astro Note continues to be a delight to watch for both the visuals and the story. The reactions these characters have are over the top in a wonderfully old school way.

After some research, it seems that this practice was Not Quite Dead as recently as the early 2010s. Funimation apparently occasionally/rarely indulged by recording English versions of OPs or EDs for a few titles including Ouran High School Host Club (2006), Fruits Basket (2001), and Free! (2013). I'd thought the practice had died out back in the 90's, as the last case I could recall that wasn't 4Kids replacing songs outright was Tenchi Universe back in '97.

When it first came out, Discovery was only a CBS All Access exclusive in the US and Canada. It was on Netflix everywhere else. Netflix actually put up the entire production budget in exchange for the international streaming rights. The first season went so far over budget and did so poorly on Netflix that Netflix tried to have the series cancelled. The only reason it kept going was that CBS threatened to sue Netflix for breach of contract if they didn't continue production. Netflix reportedly tried to cancel the series again after a similarly dismal showing from season two. They finally escaped it after season three, having struck an agreement to terminate their contract and sell the international rights back to the post-merger ViacomCBS for an undisclosed sum. Discovery did so poorly on Netflix that Netflix tried to cancel it twice and then willingly took an L and sold the rights back just to be rid of it and their obligations to it. ... and this is the one CBS/ViacomCBS/Paramount thinks is the future of Star Trek. 🤣

Well, you know me... I'm a wordy bastard. 😛🤣 It is actually available in a few other places, including the YouTube/Google Play digital library if that's your thing. Lower Decks had a bit of a rough start because of what an arsehole its protagonist is, but it hit its stride surprisingly quickly. It's a lot of fun to watch and like Strange New Worlds it has that sense of adventure and optimism that are missing in the other new Trek titles.

For what it's worth, the whole "five year mission" concept isn't even a thing outside of TOS and the other 23rd century titles (TAS, DSC, SNW). Five year missions were only really a thing for the big deep space explorers like the Constitution-class and Excelsior-class in the 23rd century. Starfleet seems to have gone away from the idea after the 23rd century given that the concept vanished from Trek entirely with TNG and wasn't mentioned again until DSC and SNW. Even if they still did that kind of thing, the USS Cerritos isn't one of the big multi-mission deep space explorers that gets sent on that kind of mission. She's a rear-echelon utility ship of a type that both TOS-era (and PIC era) material classifies as a tugboat. Star Trek: the Next Generation cut the idea out entirely. The opening narration changed from: to: Star Trek: the Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and Star Trek: Voyager all adopted the premise that one season equalled one year of in-universe time. TNG's seven seasons span seven years from 2364 to 2370 with the movie being set one year later in 2371. DS9's seven seasons span seven years from 2369 to 2375. VOY's seven seasons span seven years from 2371-2378. Star Trek: Enterprise followed the same basic approach too, with its four seasons spread between April 2151 to January 2155. Star Trek: Discovery seems to follow the same approach was well, with its two 23rd century seasons spanning 2256-2258 and its two completed 32nd century seasons spanning 3188-3190. Star Trek: Picard breaks the pattern a bit with its first season set in 2399, its second and third seasons both taking place in the first half of 2401, though that still averages out to 3 years in-universe time = 3 seasons. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is a bit more of a pattern-breaker as it's indicated that seasons one and two both take place in 2259. Star Trek: Lower Decks's four seasons currently span a two-year period from 2380 to 2381. So, you're right for the wrong reason... it is like 2-2.5 year story but the whole five year mission isn't a thing at the time the series is set.

To be honest, I'm not surprised... though I'm not sure I'd rush to call it a generational thing either. Consider how much of an impact the change in the working environment has to have had. Barring a ratings-driven cancellation, a series used to be a 7+ year commitment to the 24 episode season model and a whopping 168+ episodes when all was said and done. Nowadays a season can be as short as just 8 episodes and it's not uncommon for a streaming service to pull the plug on a series after just one season. Hell, the only thing that stopped Discovery from being just another one-season wonder (or blunder) was that CBS threatened to sue Netflix for breach of contract when Netflix announced its intention to withdraw from funding the series based on its poor viewership numbers. It wouldn't surprise me at all if this uncertainty combined with the much lower episode counts led to a reduced willingness (or even reduced opportunity) to engage with coworkers on a personal level. If Strange New Worlds goes for seven seasons, it'll still finish with fewer episodes in the can than Star Trek's original series did after just three seasons... 70 vs 79. Discovery will have just 65 episodes when it concludes its fifth and final season thanks to repeated reductions of its season length. Lower Decks will have just 50 episodes under its belt when that series ends (assuming it doesn't get rescued). Star Trek: Prodigy finished with 40. Picard limped to an undignified finish with only 30. The only Star Trek series that's shorter than these new shows is The Animated Series which was cancelled after just 22 episodes. That's not "entitlement" or "instant gratification" culture, my good chap... it's a test. The younger millennials and gen z members of the workforce have a much better and more intuitive understanding of this point right here... ... than the boomers and gen x'ers do. This point actually applies to almost everyone below the c-suite, but it's only those younger workers who've really internalized the reality. They're probing to see if there are opportunities to advance, to get closer to the work they want to be doing. If the answer is an immediate "No", then that's one less reason to stay and a sign that moving on will almost certainly improve their odds of getting where they want to be. They want to be mentored. They want the responsibility. They just don't want to stick around forever waiting for a chance that's never coming. From what's been leaked to the entertainment media, the working environment on the new Star Trek shows leaves a fair bit to be desired. Discovery in particular is described as being downright toxic, with writers and producers regularly fighting and insulting each other and the occasional dismissal for cause from CBS/Paramount HR. That said, I don't think that's what's influencing Discovery's direction. If you look at the staff bios, the people calling the shots here aren't millennials or gen z... they're almost all gen x. Discovery doesn't seem to be aimed at any demographic in particular, unless we're counting "edgelord" as a demographic now. It's this bleak, depressing, hate-filled, high tension mess that all generations of Star Trek fans seem to reject in equal measure. It's not just that the reviews on review aggregator sites consistently rank Discovery as the worst Trek series ever made and the second-worst title the franchise has produced in total (beaten out only by Star Trek V: the Final Frontier). If you look to social media, fans of every demographic seem to find the show borderline unwatchable. It doesn't matter if it's Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, Tiktok, YouTube... Discovery is a joke. The days back in season one when fans would white knight against the critics by claiming dislike of the show was motivated by racism are gone. The honeymoon is over and the bloom is off the rose. Michael Burnham is now widely regarded as The Worst Captain and the butt of oh-so-many jokes about her sociopathic tendencies and how especially frequently she cries. Saying "Discovery sucks and is unwatchable" isn't derided as a hot take, it's usually just met with "we know, it's why we don't talk about it". Trek on social media is old Trek, Strange New Worlds, and Lower Decks. The last time I saw a Discovery post that wasn't negative, it turned out to be a targeted ad for Paramount+. That's immensely frustrating, considering Strange New Worlds seems to basically carrying the franchise among general audiences at this point. I have to wonder what they're basing these decisions on, because it can't be average viewership on Paramount+... those reported numbers suggest Strange New Worlds is easily the highest performer of the lot. Strange New Worlds and Picard were both launched to save CBS All Access/Paramount+ from Discovery's failure as the flagship series for the service. It can't be awards, because Discovery has only really won minor and technical ones. It can't be reviews, because they'd surely have noticed it's only the professional critics who are speaking well of the series and that audience reviews are in the toilet with as much as a 50 point delta between the critics and audience. It's not merchandise sales, because the merchandise for Discovery is frankly tragic (though not as much so as Picard) and it's the legacy stuff that's carrying the brand. The international viewership numbers were so bad they lost the company financing it and had to fund it by tanking their stock price with a massive share sell-off. What do they have that's driving this faith in this awful new brand of Trek that nobody seems to actually like? It's terribly confusing.

A Salad Bowl of Eccentrics remains an... unconventional choice. For a comedy, it's somewhat odd that it takes the time to address the realistic struggles of homelessness in Japan. Not gonna lie, I am legitimately enjoying this one... in no small part because Sousuke and Sara's rapport is just good. The writing definitely brings across that these two weirdos are genuinely having fun and enjoying each other's company, and it's easy to get swept up in that as a viewer too. A Condition Called Love is one I'm still torn on... mostly because the main guy is still giving of serious stalker vibes. All in all, I hope this series will develop in a less creepy direction... it could be a cute romance if Hananoi stopped giving off such intense stalker vibes.

Are you asking if Discovery's fifth and final season is worth watching? No, it's not. It's less aggressively awful than Discovery's first three seasons, but IMO it's worse than Season 4. It's trying really hard to take the Picard Season 3 way out by massively increasing the density of references to previous Trek shows, but it's much less effective because none of the characters have any personal link to those shows. Just seven more episodes and this dreary mess of a series is done.

Spring 2024 has proven to have an unusual number of interesting and unconventional titles... I've recently added Viral Hit, Grandma and Grandpa Turn Young Again, Mysterious Disappearances, Unnamed Memory, and Tadaima, Okaeri to my watch list. That brings the total to twenty-four simulcasts this season. Gonna watch a bunch of new episodes over lunch today. 😄 Starting with HIGHSPEED Etoile #2, the series that does motorsport such a disservice that if you think racing is boring it'll validate your opinion AND your parking! HIGHSPEED Etoile is probably the single most skippable title of Spring 2024. Don't fail to miss it. Unless you're chucking it in the bin... then don't miss, because littering is a misdemeanor and this series is trash. Studio Apartment, Good Lighting, Angel Included continues to be solidly OK. 6/10 territory, nothing remarkable or particularly interesting but still at least mildly amusing. It's possible this series can develop to be something truly good, but for now it's So OK It's Average! Viral Hit is a new one that just dropped recently... and given the premise I'm kind of surprised there hasn't been an outcry from the Moral Guardian types over a series about a guy who decides to livestream beating the stuffing out of the bullies at his school. Something something imitatable acts. The premise is out there enough that I decided I had to give this one a whirl. Well, I came expecting something far outside of the usual and Viral Hit did not disappoint. It's almost unsettling, both in terms of how sociopathic many of the characters (esp. the streamer Pakgo) are and how readily everyone is ready to resort to public violence. I am interested to see where this one is headed.

Man, we can't have anything nice these days. Why cancel one of the few things that Paramount+ and Star Trek have going for them? Going to be pretty upset if it turns out this got canceled so they could divert the money to Starfleet Academy.

One of the few bits of good news to come out of the franchise in recent days. Strange New Worlds is one of the two new shows they've made that's actually good.

Putting aside the fact that that's not exactly movie-worthy... We're talking about a child who is more than 50 years old and is still essentially a toddler. The kid's unlikely to even hit adolescence in Din Djarin's lifetime. Remember a few posts back when I mentioned how there's really nothing left for Din Djarin and Grogu to do that wouldn't just be starting over? You just provided an example of my point. Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z are effectively separate stories. Kid Goku's adventures come to an end with the defeat of the second Piccolo and running off with Chi-Chi. That's the end of the conflict driving the story. Dragon Ball Z's story picks up five years later with a completely different conflict and a completely different context for basically everything the series had established up to that point. It wasn't a segue, it was a hard stop and a complete change of direction. Season three's ending was the payoff for all the buildup we've had in the three seasons of the TV series. The hero's quest is over. It's either gotta be a whole new quest, with new stakes, or it's gonna be something unnecessary that just feels tacked on... like Solo: a Star Wars Story. That was the problem. The story had what was every definitely an ending - and a happy one at that - and then because they couldn't bring themselves to make a clean break and develop new characters the Original Trilogy's cast had their happy ending invalidated in the name of unnecessary continuations. The franchise ground them down into miserable broken stubs of the characters they once were. Then Disney bought the franchise and threw all of that out... but only so they could speedrun that sh*t themselves and give us a very similar pack of miserable burnouts in the sequel trilogy. Sometimes... the best thing an author can do to their story is end it. Din Djarin's story came to a natural and satisfying end in The Mandalorian season three. There's nothing left in the story that merits a movie to resolve.