The Legend of Vox Machina - Season 2 (2023)

The second season of The Legend of Vox Machina is twelve episodes long. It begins straight after the end of the last season where there as a cliffhanger with the dragons arriving. We quickly learn how formidable the dragons are when they’re bigger, more powerful, and they team to form the “Chrome Conclave”. Vox Machina barely got out with their lives and the season quickly cements how bloody and gory it can be with all the deaths and destruction.

The shot follows the mercenary group Vox Machina, who have a seemingly random assortment of members. However, as we had seen in the first season, they work decently as a group and each one is unique and full of personality. The season continues to explore the backgrounds of the characters, covering the twins, Scanlan, Grog and Keyleth. The exciting and intense first episode soon gives way to something a bit more normally paced though as the group needs to find a way to defeat those dragons. Soon you’ll realise that the season is basically a giant fetch quest.

The group has to go from place to place in order to find the Vestiges, which are basically the weapons that will allow them to slay the dragons. It feels like an excuse to give each character their own unique powerful weapon or piece of equipment to level them up. The dragons themselves are also finding the Vestiges, so they will encounter each other from time to time. Instead of some contrived reason for the dragons to not simply overpower and kill the characters right away, we get more plausible scenarios where the characters manages to barely escape.

There are plenty of big action set pieces, at a rate of pretty much one per episode. However, the season feels that it is missing some of the spark and charm that made the first season such a hidden gem. The characters still have their camaraderie and each of them look out for each other. They all implicitly trust each other, whether they show it or not, but perhaps the story structure is starting to become same-y. There’s a bit of a ticking a checkpoint thing going as it goes through the characters and who will get their Vestiges next.

That’s not to say that there aren’t some excellent scenes, especially in what can only be described as boss battles. They’re epic and the season seems to experiment with some of its visuals. There is a lot of variety, from trippy drugged up scenes, to darker ones. The animation remains very good and while there are the occasionally sloppy scenes, 99% of the time, it is fantastic, and it seems to get better as the season progresses. There are plenty of moments where the visuals and color will stun you.

It’s hard to avoid this considering its arc but there are several plot developments which are predictable. The jokes can also be predictable. Perhaps it’s a sign of how well the characters were presented so that the viewers know them very well now, or just that the initial surprise of an animated show featuring adult sexual jokes had worn away. Regardless, while most of the time the humor is good, and there are some stellar moments where you can’t help but burst out laughing, there are also some moments where it feels bland.

At only 20-ish minutes per episode and so many vestiges to collect, this means that the pacing is face, which doubles down on the shallow feel of the storytelling. The characters barely have time to arrive to a location, quickly scout and explore the place, before they have to fight the villain or boss to obtain the Vestige. It’s over too quickly and lacks the nuance and complexity that one would expect from places that held such powerful equipment.

Towards the end of the season, while the group had progressed, you start to suspect that this arc is too long for the season and that holds true. The season finale closes off one of the big threats but the arc is far from over. The characters had made a lot of progress and it led to some huge scenes, especially the fight in the final episode. Yes, it can be predictable with how some of the characters come to terms with themselves and then throw everything they’ve got. However, it’s always good to see them fighting together as a team and playing off each other. As expected, the season again ends with a teaser but it works, as it whets your appetite.

Overall, the second season of The Legend of Vox Machina is as good as the first. While it lacks some of the surprises and has its ups and downs with its predictable writing, the visual quality has gone up a big notch. There were big scenes in every episode filled with impressive visual spectacles. The team’s chemistry is as well formed as ever, and the humor can pack quite a punch in the most unexpected of times.

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Donut County (PC)

Donut County is a physics based light puzzle game. It is designed to be a relaxing experience and there’s no challenge at all. The main gameplay is moving a hole around to swallow objects. With each object swallowed, it gets bigger, so then you get to swallow bigger objects. It’s strangely satisfying to eventually swallow up everything, in a way that’s similar to the Katamari games.

There is a light puzzle element. there’s the obvious part where you need to find smaller objects to swallow first so that you can enlarge the hole before moving onto the bigger objects. However, there are other smaller puzzles where you need to do something specific first. This could be swallowing a fire and then coals to stoke it so that you can light other things on fire to make them explode into smaller pieces. Or you need to attempt to swallow a carrot in order to lure a rabbit out of its pen to then break the carrot into smaller pieces. Usually, when you get to a point where you cannot swallow anything more, or you end up doing things on a loop, that’s when you know you need to do something different.

The game has a simple cartoony aesthetic that looks and suits the simple and silly tone. There is a story to help explain what is happening. It takes place in Donut County and Mira is chatting with her racoon friend BK. She knows BK is using an app and is about to hit rank ten. BK explains that he’s scheduling the delivery of donuts. The game shows us what eventually happens, being that Donut County is swallowed up to the underground, before each citizen then recounts what happened to them, jumping back to the events that took place to get up to this point.

Each level is short, taking a few minutes each and the difficulty is low. You’ll rarely get stuck and the game overall is short. it takes around two hours to complete, which helps to not allow it to become boring and stale, given that each level is basically the same until the final few levels. Those final levels were more interesting given it had slightly different structures, with connected areas, marginally more elaborate puzzles, and even boss battles.

After you complete the game, there isn’t really anything else that you can do. You fly around in the credits, there’s a sort of collectible aspect where it tracks everything that you have swallowed. If you happen to miss one, you can select the level to obtain it. The story was fine, and throughout the game, you aren’t sure what direction it will take. So the ultimate direction it did take was interesting and silly enough to be enjoyable.

Overall, Donut County is a short and relaxing game that doesn’t take itself seriously at all. The chill gameplay works well with its simpler aesthetic and the story carries enough charm to help push it along. The short length works for and against it, although the overly simplistic gameplay in the game does ultimately mean that this is a fairly average game.

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The Boys - Season 3 (2022)

The third season of The Boys is comprised of eight episodes, each around an hour in length. The show is a darker take on the superhero genre, set in a work where superheroes are commercialized. It is an interesting view on how superheroes are marketed, given their differences between their public personas and their darker, real self. It can be too dark at times though and the season begins with even more gore and sex. It’s crossed the line where it is used for shock to something that’s just kind of… off-putting.

The cast of characters basically stay the same. On the superhero side, it’s mainly Homelander and the rest of the Seven in the periphery, such as A-Train and Deep. On the human side, it’s Hughie Butcher and the rest of their team. The season takes place a year after the previous one, with Homelander still struggling to recover the public’s perception of him over Stormfront’s actions and it is not going well for him. Things are unravelling and spiralling out of his control. It seems that he is powerless to stop the landslide, which is dangerous considering how he is the most powerful person on the Earth.

On the other side, Hughie had joined a government organization that tries to hold superheroes accountable for their actions but as he finds, it is still a juggling act and filled with political nonsense. He’s dating Starlight, the up and coming rising star, now surpassing Homelander in terms of popularity and rivaling him as the face of the number one superhero group, the Seven. Butcher has also taken on a new leaf as he’s the one that Hughie calls upon to catch the superheroes in their acts. He struggles to stay on the right side given his deep seated hatred for superheroes and his urge to just kill them all.

Butcher and Hughie both crosses the line multiple times throughout the season. They stoop to their superheroes’ levels in order to beat them. This means that it can be hard to take their side given how far they are going. It doesn’t help that all the characters are insecure to a degree. Homelander relies too much on other people’s approval of him. While Hughie is insecure about his own physical weakness but the way he thinks and goes about it, is twisted.

There is a complicated dynamic going on which lead to many tense moments over the course of the season. It is hard to predict Homelander’s actions given he wants to find his son and he wants to get his power back but now he is hamstrung by so many people that has evidence of his past misdeeds. Throughout the season, Homelander becomes more unhinged, more mentally unstable, and he will eventually snap, which is a scary thought considering the amount of damage that he can do. 

Despite the Seven being such a toxic group to be in as it’s basically reality TV complete with all of the politics, everyone wants to get in no matter what. This is even more so when previous or existing members already know what it was yet, and yet still dives straight in. Sure, it is the top position but sometimes you wonder if it is worth it for them, considering what they have to suffer through. The show touches upon or makes fun of, other current world events, and even replicates some of the more prominent movements of the past years. It’s somewhat unnerving to watch the parallels to real life.

The season is unapologetic on which characters die, and how they die. Deaths are often violent explosions with blood, guts and body parts going everywhere. Whenever a new character appears, or a particular character is doing something suspicious, you can expect them to face a gory death. It’s surprising that in this world filled with betrayals, there are still some so naïve that they easily blab out things that they should have kept a secret. The main focus this season is how the characters are trying to find a way to take down Homelander.

There are constant twists and turns in the plot. Whenever the characters find a lead, it ends up with a dead end and a big mess to try to clean up and salvage. Character loyalties are constantly in flux, which makes any time when one is trying to team up with another, something that is full of suspicious and wariness due to the frequent betrayals. The superheroes get their fair share of wins, but it is satisfying to see them fail so spectacularly at other things, proving that having superpowers isn’t all that is needed to keep things running smoothly. They had been taking other people’s efforts for granted, people that they had looked down upon due to not having any powers.

There are scenes where random things happen out of nowhere and it can be a weird mood whiplash kind of thing. Most of the show is serious, but there will be times where a serious scene will suddenly transition into a dance scene. Or maybe cartoons will pop out, which can explained by the characters hallucinating but it is still quite an odd thing to see.

The season finale is pretty much the only episode with a large scale battle although it wasn’t that spectacular in terms of fight choreography. However, the ending itself, and its impact, is interesting. On the one hand, the plot and characters went several steps forward and then several steps backwards, so they are close to where they began, which can make the season feel pointless. On the other hand, there are some massive repercussions and consequences that shows how messed up this world is.

Overall, the third season of The Boys is solid and on par with your expectations. It’s hard to top the first season given that one had the advantage of being able to surprise you. This season had an okay story arc and you can see the allusions and parodies to other superheroes, which can be quite amusing. Unfortunately, the characters did not make much, if any, progress and it’s starting to feel like the show is being stretched for time here. There are several big moments but it also feels that they were all undone by the end of the season.

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Toy Review: Transformers Generations Studio Series Bumblebee (ROTB) (Deluxe)

Review:  #769

Name:  Bumblebee

Brand:  Transformers

Allegiance:  Autobot

Line:  Generations - Studio Series

Year of Release:  2023

Size Class:  Deluxe (Wave 19)
Mold Status:  new

VEHICLE MODE:

Rise of the Beasts Bumblebee is the 100th numbered figure in the Studio Series line, and a somewhat fitting one.

He transforms into a modified 1977 Chevrolet Camaro, and it looks ready to go offroad.

He's around average size for a Deluxe.

However, he is fairly well painted in this mode, since the rear has black paint with painted red taillights.  The robot gun pegs onto the back, while the other weapon actually stores beneath the vehicle.

This is a good mode, although if you looked from the side, you can see that his robot arms are very close to the ground and they just kind of hang there, so they can get in the way of rolling the vehicle.

Nevertheless, there aren't any major flaws in vehicle mode, which makes it quite decent.

TRANSFORMATION:

Bumblebee does things a little bit differently compared to previous Deluxe figures, and it's a fun transformation.  The general layout remains the same, that is, the rear splits to form the legs, the doors open and the arms unfold out.  The front becomes the torso.  The legs are simple yet works very well with just a few panels moving around.

ROBOT MODE:

The end result of the transformation is that we get a short but stocky robot mode and it is actually a fairly good look for Bumblebee.

As you'd expect though, he wears a fair number of panels from the vehicle mode on his back.

The head sculpt is also quite nice with the bright blue eyes and silver mouth pieces.

Unfortunately, he is small in robot mode, even smaller than the already somewhat short Siege Sideswipe.

As part of the Studio Series line, he comes with a cardboard stand.  As mentioned earlier, he is the 100th figure of the line and he's wave 19!  It's surprising that a single line of Transformers managed to go this many figures and years without some sort of packaging refresh.

Articulation is good, he has joints for his head, shoulders, elbows, waist, hips, knees and ankles.

He comes with two weapons, a gun and his stinger blade.

He holds the gun in his hand but the gun is shaped in such a way that it covers the fist to make it look as if his hand had morphed into the weapon.

While the blade just pegs outside his forearm.  Unfortunately, the blade itself is left unpainted and this is disappointing.  If only the designer could have used less black paint in vehicle mode to have enough budget for the silver paint that the blade desperately needs.

Both weapons can peg onto the door wings when not in use.

A benefit of being shorter than most Deluxes means that Bumblebee is quite solid and doesn't feel too flimsy.

This is a good robot mode, where the major flaw is just the unpainted blade.  Given that's an aesthetics thing, this means that the robot mode is pretty good.

OVERALL:

Surprisingly, despite the huge number of Bumblebee figures we've had over the years, ROTB Bumblebee still manages to pack in a few surprises.  The vehicle mode and robot mode is strong, and they're connected by a simple but fun, and a familiar but still different, transformation.

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Black Clover - Season 1 (2017-18)

Black Clover is an anime based upon the manga series. The first season is 51 episodes long. It is set in a world where magic is an important part of life. Everyone can use magic to a degree and it is used to make everyday tasks easier. Once a person comes of age, they are granted a grimoire, which helps boost their magic even further. The story follows Asta, a young boy who has absolutely no magic at all but he is determined to join the Magic Knights and eventually become the Wizard King. The Wizard King was originally a legendary figure that helped save the world from a demon, but is now a title and the leader of the Magic Knights, which are like the protective authority of the Clover Kingdom.

Asta is loud and brash. His voice and constant loudness can be annoying. He tends to punch first and never ask questions. To compensate for the fact that he has no magic, he had been doing extensive physical training, to the point where it can be said that he is peerless in physical strength. Asta’s childhood friend is Yuno, who is the complete opposite. Yuno is more reserved and is brimming with magic. Despite the pair being from a very rural village, Yuno is a magical prodigy. The anime follows the pair’s progress as they come of age and attempt to joint the Magic Knights, both in the hope of becoming the Wizard King.

Asta and Yuno are like the pair of protagonists, rather than just Asta alone, although as the season goes on, a bit more focus is on Asta himself. The anime is not too episodic in that each episode isn’t rigidly structured to have a beginning and ending of a story of the week kind of thing, so the season flows along better than you would expect of such a long running anime. The world itself isn’t too bad at first but the politics and in-world prejudice do come into play later on given that there is a hierarchy and nobility, especially within the ranks of the Magic Knights. However, there are always good apples and bad apples, and there are several characters who genuinely want to make the world a better place.

However, it is not all sunshine with the anime. Unfortunately, the plot developments are predictable. From the coming of age ceremony where Asta hopes to get a grimoire, to the trials to enter the Magic Knights. Every story beat has been done before and there are no attempts to betray your expectations. There is a lot of dialogue that’s cringy. A lot of the supporting characters are one-dimensional upon their introduction. They have one distinct element that dictates their behavior and when that one aspect keeps on being repeated and shown multiple times within the one scene, it’s grating and annoying.

The fight scenes are average although granted, they could have been a lot worse. For what it is, it is decent. It lacks fluidity but thankfully isn’t just a slideshow with a lot of yelling and background streak marks. There are some movements and spells usually have enough visual flair to help distract from the lower quality of the scene choreography. This is a typical feel good anime though, so no matter how bad things turn out, it will always work out. Asta and his values will always triumph but the problem is how quickly and easily his values win people over. His teammates will have doubts about him but then their comradeship just blossoms after one event. A little bit more time for development would not have hurt.

While Asta does not have any magical ability to start off with has him being the weakest of the weakest, once his abilities awaken, he’s swung to the other end. There are times where he feels too overpowered, especially against enemies who have no clue about his powers. Once the opponent gets a grasp on what Asta’s ability is, then he becomes disadvantaged again and it is up to him to break through that. Asta must learn and use new skills in unexpected ways in order to fulfil his potential. The same goes with Yuno, as he too has unique powers that set him apart.

Since this is one of the anime with a long season, there are undoubtedly several episodes of filler, as well as a recap episode, the most annoying of them all. The filler episodes are actually not that bad and they don’t show up too much in the second half. Naturally, there are the never-ending chain of enemies that escalate in power. In the second half of the season, villains with crazy amounts of power will show up. Each arc also takes the predictable approach of teaming Asta up with a fellow teammate, just so their backstories can be told.

The second half of the season is where the anime actually starts throwing off some of its baggage and becomes enjoyable. The anime is not going to win any awards for its storytelling or visuals, but it does enough to keep your interest. The characters end up being endearing, since every one of them is an underdog. When the team gets together and properly acts like a team for the first time, it is a good feeling. The final arc of the season is a strong finish as it is filled with emotion and some of the best fight scenes in the season. It was an exciting and engrossing arc to watch but weirdly, the season ends at the beginning of another arc, so it can feel truncated as a result.

Overall, Black Clover is surprisingly good and exceeds your expectations. The beginning and for most of the first half is kind of predictable with Asta being exceedingly annoying. The supporting characters lacks depth and are one-note as they are dominated by one certain quirk. However, as the season goes on and it starts to focus on each character, they become much more developed and fun as a character. The anime never gets too serious or lighthearted as it strikes a good balance between to two, and so it is enjoyable for a wide variety of audiences.

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