Sine Mora EX is a side-scrolling shoot-'em-up that has a unique mechanic, you can slow down and speed up time. This comes in useful as the game is brutally challenging but beautifully presented.
Battle Angel Alita: Mars Chronicle Vol. 4- Comic Review
Another Alita book and another change of pace as we settle on Erica and her life of villainy under Baron Muster. She assists Muster in his search for the Martian treasure and we find out that Erica is quite adept at solving puzzles and committing heinous acts of violence.
Young Yoko/ Alita is briefly mentioned and we see how she is settling into life at the Baumberg Mansion but this volume is really centred around Muster’s mission to find the secret Martian Tomb and the treasure within.
Muster is a comic book villain, all twirling moustache and cackling but in the very best sense. Just as you judge him as a power crazy monster a flashback on his youth shows his motivation and brings a bit of humanity into the proceedings.
The best aspect of this volume is the mystery around the cypher, which presents a puzzle for reader to solve. We learn about the Caeser Cypher and the importance of the book 'On War', its regular Dan Brown level stuff but does draw you in.
Battle Angel Alita Mars Chronicle is a thrill ride, you don't know where its taking you and can't predict what's coming up but by gum are you excited for what happens next. Kishiro has regained some of the momentum lost from Last Order but I hope we start to get some answers as to what the treasure is and what role Yoko/ Alita has to play in it.
LINK- Battle Angel Alita: Mars Chronicle Vol. 3- Comic Review
LINK- Battle Angel Alita: Mars Chronicle Vol. 2- Comic Review
LINK- Battle Angel Alita: Mars Chronicle Vol. 1- Comic Review
LINK- Battle Angel Alita: And So It Ends
LINK- The Moomins 80's Soundtrack Vinyl Review
LINK- Inspector Gadget Retro Soundtrack Review
LINK- Ulysses 31 Retro Soundtrack Review
LINK- The Mysterious Cities of Gold Retro Soundtrack Review
LINK- Sonic Mania Video Game Vinyl Soundtrack
Room To Dream- Book Review
Biographies are often too prescriptive and by the numbers, telling you facts that you could pick up online and through cursory looks online. On the other hand, autobiographies often miss out key events or facts to cast the subject in a better light, both often have that rose tinted glow of nostalgia without a deeper critique. History is reality distilled after all.
It's for these reasons Louise Brooks, 1920s/ 30s silent movie star, said she wouldn't write her memoirs, she could not write the sexual truth about herself that would make her life worth reading, due to her inability to "unbuckle the Bible belt" and overcome her Midwestern upbringing.
With Room To Dream by Kristine McKenna and David Lynch, they have tried to get around this issue by creating an approach to life writing that combines biography with memoir. The result is an interesting combination of the facts, dates etc but with the added bonus of Lynch reflecting upon those times. Whilst not perfect, it does get around a lot of the issues mentioned before. Don't go into this expecting an insight into David Lynch's creative process or for explanations about his work, that all remains hidden and private, but what you do get is an interesting dialogue and snippets from the horses mouth of those reflections.
The biography/ memoir starts off by explaining Lynch's early life, an idealistic upbringing across many different states, due to his father's job working for the Department of Agriculture. We learn that Lynch enjoyed being part of the Boy Scouts of America and reached the highest rank of Eagle Scout. We also learn that he felt most at home in Boise, Idaho where he had many wonderful summers blowing things up and listening to Elvis Presley, who he greatly admired.
We are told how Lynch was a dreamer who saw darkness in the mundane and art was his way to present these to the world. Lynch emerges as an inherently curious child who needed to spread his wings and explore the seamier parts of life to truly live the 'art life.' We find that he was constantly chasing the next big idea or love interest. So far so normal for a biography but there are hints at the more complex character, one who had anger management issues until discovering transcendental meditation.
Room To Dream is an intriguing way to present a biography, however it does have an inherent problem in that McKenna cannot be as critical or as insightful about Lynch as she would otherwise have been. As she is co-authoring the book with the subject on hand I found that it feels very woolly and basic, with the chapter enhanced by Lynch's personal recollections. The book is well worth a read but be aware that it is a glowing account of the auteurs life and you are only seeing what he wants you to see.
Bagpuss Soundtrack Released
Smallfilms may not be a name that you are immediately familiar with but the works of founders Oliver Postgate and Peter Firmin probably are: Noggin the Nog, Ivor the Engine, the Clangers and Bagpuss. A couple of years ago I was lucky enough to visit a retrospective of the studio in London.
Since its birth in 1959 the works of Postgate and Firmin have delighted millions of fans across the world. The Bagpuss soundtrack release by Earth Recordings is a surprising but pleasant one. The children's classic stop motion show is 44 years old and, for many people, holds a special place in their heart. I never really got into the show, being born in 1981 but I have seen a few episodes and can see the charm. The newly mastered soundtrack by Sandra Kerr and John Faulkner, has been released on vinyl, CD and digital formats and contains 32 tracks with a mix of folk-music, ditties and improvised pieces. If that's your bag be quick to snap up the limited edition formats.
Jean Michel Jarre Equinoxe Infinity- Album Review
40 years ago Jean Michel Jarre released his fourth album, Equinoxe, and confirmed his place in music history as a trailblazer of electronic music. The 1978 follow up album to Oxygene further developed the sound and style that made Jarre's music instantly recognisable, reaching its zenith with Equinoxe 4 and 5.
And so, it is with much excitement that Jarre fans have waited for Equinoxe Infinity, a sequel proper with the strange Watchers featuring prominently, silent sentinels over the many decades...
Equinoxe Infinity contains ten brand new tracks (or movements) which closely mirror the progression of the original album, peals of thunder are interspersed with the soundscapes of running water.
The opening track, The Watchers, creates a sense of awe and wonder as it opens with the perfect mix of organic and digital sounds. The sound of flowing water is closely followed by a deep booming bass that is followed by a deep rhythm that seems to be approaching closer, until it gives way to a full on sci-fi soundscape... Almost as if the sentinels have awoken.
Track two, Flying Totems, introduces many of the sounds that Jarre that has become synonymous with. There are echoes of Industrial Revolutions part 2 as the piece flows and ebbs. There is a sense of pure joy and freedom, almost as if one were soaring through the sky. It's hard to describe but the sense of elation I get from this track is indescribable. One of Jarre's best in my opinion.
The third movement, Robots Don't Cry, is a more measured piece. It has a steady, almost metronomic melotron sound. A violin wends it's way through the whole thing that is surrounded by the airy sounds of Oxygene. It's an interesting track and a grower for sure, especially when the piano-like sounds come in near the middle of the piece.
The next two tracks, All The You Leave Behind and If The Wind Could Speak are a little more soundscapey, with watery burbles and splashes punctuated with some treated vocals, reminiscent of Zoolook.
One of the highlight of the album for me is track 6, Infinity. It is nothing short of a masterpiece from Jarre. It could feature in many Balearic clubs and be the sound of the Summer, albeit a Summer ruled by Ace of Base. It's so joyful and playful!
Tracks 7 and 8, Machines Are Learning and The Opening are short but strong tracks. Machines Are Learning features a driving rhythm punctuated with odd beeps, bloops and weird vocals. I like it and it reminds me of his older work but can't quite place my finger in it. The Opening meanwhile has a striking rhythm and aggressive synthy sound which I love.
Don't Look Back is track 9 and is quite unusual, starting with an aggressive cello-ish sound that is slowly built on to become softer but no less urgent.
The final track, Equinoxe Infinity, is a seven minute marvel reprising much of what has occurred on the album but with a tinge of wistfulness. Splashes of water merge with echoes that slowly build into a crescendo and a euphoric wall of sound.
Equinoxe Infinity is a thing of beauty.
At just under 40 minutes Equinoxe Infinity is a short but wonderful experience. There is always great danger in revisiting your past but here I feel that Jarre has added to the legacy of the origin work, much like with Oxygene 3 but more so here. Equinoxe Infinity is a much more cohesive album that Oxygene 3 and is probably one of my favourite Jarre albums ever. It is a beautiful and at times euphoric experience and what Jarre fan wouldn't want that?
Come one, come all to hear the return of the great master of electronica!
LINK- Planet Jarre Celebrates 50 Years of Jarre
She-Ra and the Princesses of Power- Episode 1 Review
She-Ra and the Princesses of Power is a reboot of the 1985 series. The series is a modern reimagining of the character and world of Etheria, which is a good thing. He-Man and She-Ra are fondly remembered, however if you revisit both cartoons in this modern age you realise just how bad He-Man really is and how much better She-Ra was.
This modern take of She-Ra is written by Noelle Stevenson, author of The Lumberjanes and Nimona, both of which I love. She has a habit of creating plucky and interesting characters and so it is with this series.
Raised as an orphan, Adora/ She-Ra is a strong and willing fighter for the Horde, battling against the insurgent Princesses and looking to rule over Etheria in the name of Hordak. However, after retrieving the Sword of Protection from the Forbidden Forest her latent powers are revealed and her secret origins flash before her eyes.
As a first episode, 'The Sword part 1' has me invested. The characterisation of Stevenson's cast is excellent and the interplay between them is wonderful. There are some wonderful one-liners, ''Are you brain-damaged? Please don't be brain-damaged. Shadow Weaver will kill me.''
I am looking forward to seeing if this series lives up to its promise and will be providing a full series review soon but in the meantime, check out the first episode as it is a well done modern interpretation of a classic cartoon.
Battle Angel Alita: Mars Chronicle Vol. 3- Comic Review
Battle Angel Alita: Mars Chronicle has shown great promise with volume 1 taking us back to Alita's origin as a young orphaned 80% cyborg child named Yoko living on the war-torn surface of Mars with her friend Erica. Volume 2 returned to the present and had Yoko and Erica fighting after 200 years spent apart. Volume 3 returns us to the past to flesh out the storyline of Yoko and Erica in more detail. Yukito Kishiro has always had a bleak view of the world and here it gets incredibly dark as we find out about Erica's family, the tragedy of her past and maybe her descent to the dark side. We find out how the pair were separated yet their destinies forever entwined.
After she is separated from Yoko, who finds her birth mother, Erica no longer has the positive balance in her life and so when the new big bad- Baron Muster, who sports a horrendous deformity which Kishiro seems to revel in drawing, is revealed it is quite simple to work out why Erica would turn on her friend and become a mercenary.
So overall, this volume introduces yet more characters and more sub-plots but doesn't bring a sense of closure to all the other plot threads, however we now know why Erica turned to the dark side after Yoko left.
This series is setting things up but I hope that it doesn't become like Last Order and drag for too long with incidental characters that go nowhere. At the moment though it succeeds in drawing me in and keeping me invested in this dystopian world.
Battle Angel Alita: Mars Chronicle Vol. 3 continues the journey of Yoko/ Alita on.
Sailors Dream- Video Games As Art
Sailor's Dream is a peaceful narrative experience from Simigo. The only objective is to explore and satisfy your curiosity. You explore a variety of locations including ancient ruins, a windswept ship and an old lighthouse. As you explore the world you find pieces of memories that help you to create a narrative. The experience is beautifully realised and when I am a bit stressed or worried I find a quick dip into this app helps me calm right down. Check out some shots from my play through.
Okami Soundtrack on Vinyl Arrives
Okami is one of gamings most beautiful examples for the argument of video games as art. The imagery from the game is stunningly presented in a traditional Japanese brushstroke form and the music is a collection of traditional instruments and modern synthesizer sounds, recalling a dreamily imagined Japan that has never truly existed.
Data Discs recently sent out the pre-orders of the 4 disc pressing of the remastered soundtrack for the game and I received my copy a couple of days ago. Over the next few days I’ll have a listen and post my opinions here but in the meantime check out the pictures I’ve taken below and underneath more vinyl reviews of classic video game soundtracks, cartoons and retro television shows.
Good Grief, Charlie Brown Exhibition in London
Charlie Brown and Snoopy are iconic creations that are beloved all over the world. Creator Charles M. Schulz worked on the strip for over 50 years and created over 17, 000 strips in that time. It is easy to reduce the love of Snoopy and Charlie Brown to stuffed toys and the plethora of commercial products but it is worth remembering that the comic series is an existential piece of work, a reflective meditation on loneliness, defeat, and alienation. Seriously, if you read the comics you will find hard hitting truths and sharp observations on the human condition… it is a masterpiece of presenting truth, but through the mouth of babes.
Charlie Brown is an everyman, he rarely wins but he gives it his best!
Well, Somerset House have an exhibition celebrating the world of Peanuts running currently and I went along for the ride.
The whole exhibition is beautifully curated with many original strips alongside some personal effects of Schulz, such as his childhood baseball mitt, ice-skating boots as well as the stuff you'd expect from an artist such as his pencils, pens, papers etc.
Upstairs the cultural impact of Peanuts is looked at and there are many modern interpretations of the characters.
Overall, the exhibition is a wonderful celebration of this most singular and influential comic strip artist and worthy of your consideration. The exhibition runs until 3rd March 2019 and at a reasonable £14 entrance price, is worth a couple of hours of perusal.
The Mysterious Cities of Gold Season 3 (English Dub)- Complete Series Review
*Season 4 of The Mysterious Cities of Gold has aired. For the review click here*
The original Mysterious Cities of Gold series was a French- Japanese co-produced animation by DIC Entertainment and Studio Pierrot. The series premiered in Japan on NHK on 29 June 1982 and ran weekly for 39 episodes.
I first caught the series on BBC 1 in the early 80s and was beguiled by the mythical adventure story of a young Spanish boy named Esteban who joins a voyage to the New World in search of the lost Cities of Gold and his father. The impressive looking background art, sharply drawn characters, and the beautiful soundtrack kept me entranced throughout the whole series, becoming my favourite programme of all time. It was incredibly formative for me and introduced me to the wonders of the ancient world including the Incas, Aztecs, Atlantis and El Dorado. Even at the age of 37 I still regularly revisit the programme every year and I can attest to the fact that it still holds up as an impressive piece of work.
The scenery is stunning in MCOG.
There had been talk of a second series for years and preliminary plans were laid but never materialised. However with the re-release of the series on DVD in 2008 and increased interest in the next part of the journey, the new series were finally put into production. Debuting on the Kix Channel in December 2014 the second series landed to mixed reviews.
At the end of the original series the children had only found one of the seven lost cities of gold, yet the conclusion was oddly satisfying in an open-ended way. Well, the second series was a continuation rather than a reboot and so the series picked up from the end of series one; The three children, Mendoza, Pedro and Sancho headed to China in search of the next lost city of gold and the truth about Esteban’s father.
On the whole I really did enjoy the second series but felt that it lacked the atmosphere and awe that was present in the original series. The voice actors were passable, however I did feel that Mendoza sounded angry or annoyed a lot of the time, a shift from his can-do attitude from the first series. Also the synth music from the discovery parts and key events made each new discovery super special. The music that dropped when the adventurers find the Solaris and Golden Condor still sends shivers down my spine. I felt that in the second series moments of emotive music and silence from the characters would have carried greater gravitas than the exposition from the characters. The second series took a while to get going, but after the first 10 or so episodes it did pick up and from episode 16 onwards it had those moment of awe and wonder, much like many moments from the original series.
And so, we get to series 3. I watched the complete 26 episode run in English dub and I have to say that it really continues the momentum from the second series forward, for the most part. The children travel to Japan to find the next city of gold and rescue Esteban's father, Antonios, from Zares/ Ambrosius. Along the way they make many new discoveries, including 2 more cities of gold (in Japan and Arabia), and grow as characters, but more on that later.
The episodes all move at a cracking pace overall, with the first lost city found after just 8 episodes, but the city of gold is spectacular, truly awe-inspiring and magical. The second city is again majestic and sent shivers down my spine but the series, whilst certainly better than series 2 is not as good as series 1 but it is pretty close in my opinion.
The main group of characters are more like the first series in that they are more consistent and less annoyed or cross, like Tao and Mendoza were often presented in series 2. The voice acting is better but it is somewhat strange to hear Mendoza say 'Blimey' at least 5 times throughout the whole series.
I also think the development of Zia as a strong female lead is good but do think they may have overpowered her, what with her ability to speak to animals, having foresight of key events and tragedies and telekinesis... That's quite an arc for any character let alone within 20 episodes! Her personality totally changes and at times it didn't feel like Zia at all. I understand about having strong female leads but when a new character, Laguerra (daughter of Dr Laguerra from series 1), is introduced she is the epitome of strong female lead, so what was the need to Girl Boss Zia, the usually quiet, thoughtful type? It feels very jarring.
It is after this that I feel it starts to unravel a little with the group breaking up for a really silly reason and there is a tacked on love story for Mendoza. However that doesn't detract from the rest of the series being phenomenal and awe inspiring in all the right places.
The discovery of the 3rd city is majestic and sent goosebumps all over me and the landscape artistry on show was painterly and masterful, complemented by a new score that pays homage to the original but does its own, more modern, thing. There are moments of peace and quiet where you can just appreciate the animation and music without the constant kinetic pacing of series 2 ruining certain reflective moments. For fans of the Golden Condor there are stunning scenes which often felt like Condor porn, as we see the beautiful machine flying against stunningly rendered backdrops.
Overall, series 3 of MCOG is a brilliant continuation of the epic animation. It reaches highs that rival even the original series but also lows (the group breaking up in Arabia) that make parts some of the worst in the shows history. It is a show that is well worth a watch and for fans of the original, you will not be (too) disappointed.
LINK- MCOG Season 4 Streaming (French Dub only)
LINK- Watch MCOG Season 3 on SBS On Demand Australia
LINK- MCOG Gold Condor for Sale
LINK- MCOG Retro Soundtrack Review
LINK- MCOG Soundtrack on Vinyl Review
LINK- What Comics Have Taught Me
LINK: Japan: My Journey to the East
LINK- Ulysses 31 Retro Soundtrack Review
The Works of Mamoru Hosoda
Mamoru Hosoda is the visionary director of such influential films as The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Wolf Children and Summer Wars. Last week I went to a free exhibition of his work in London and loved it. Below are some of the photos I took.
Battle Angel Alita: Mars Chronicle Vol. 2- Comic Review
So, after 28 years we have reached the final arc of Alita’s story in Mars Chronicle but has it been worth the wait? I've spoken at length about how the initial 9 graphic novel run of Battle Angel Alita was one of the finest sci-fi tales of all time but the sequel, Last Order, was meandering and overlong at 19 graphic novels. The first volume of Mars Chronicle showed great promise, taking us back to Alita's origin as a young orphaned 80% cyborg child named Yoko living on the war-torn surface of Mars with her friend Erica.
This volume resumes in the present day, three years after the end of Last Order. We catch hints and references to some of the things that have been going on the last three years, like Alita doing some kind of work for the Jupiter government, but what kind if work is left a mystery.
The first half of the volume is about Alita meeting up again with her childhood friend Erica, who has become bitter towards her over the intervening years. Erica then attacks Alita, who tries to stop her and not harm her as she just wants some information.
The whole volume is an intriguing read as it reveals more about Alita’s past whilst also heaping new mysteries upon an already huge pile. I read Last Order a few years ago and so my memory of all the events are hazy but this storyline seems more cohesive and focused than Last Order.
The art style is just as great as ever and the fight scene between Erica and Alita is kinetically drawn and as high octane as you’d expect from Kishiro.
This is a promising story arc so far and I just hope that the author keeps it tight and focussed, as that was what made the original series so great.
LINK- Battle Angel Alita: Mars Chronicle Vol. 1- Comic Review
Sabrina: Graphic Novel Review
Sabrina by Nick Drnaso was longlisted for the Booker prize, the first for a graphic novel, and as such received much coverage and hype. I bought a copy a couple of days ago and read it over a couple of evenings and it was an unsettling experience.
Sabrina, the titular character of the novel, is an ordinary woman, who doesn't return home one night. Over the course of a couple of weeks videos are posted online and to various media outlets showing her gruesome murder. So far so trope-y, but what follows isn't a murder mystery but more of an examination of what happens in the aftermath of such a tragic event. It is a 'state of the nation' study on the current social and political climate where truth is flexible, fake news pervades and conspiracy theories about the Deep State are bandied around as facts.
In an age when the grieving parents of the various high school massacres are accused of being actors, #MeToo survivors of being mythomaniacs and news outlets of 'lugenpresse' (lying media) who do you trust?
In Sabrina, lives are put on hold as we follow the day to day events of friends and loved ones trying to deal with the loss. It is mundane, it is boring but life must go on for those people but what toll does it take to be constantly harangued, harried and pursued by the various factions each out for their pound of flesh?
The book is an excellent look into the age of the Internet and the hollowness that social media has brought on the masses. It speaks of the situation we currently find ourselves in and is chilling in its trajectory of world news items to hot takes to conspiracy theories to old news... The daily news cycle.
The art style was not to my liking but its simplicity and flatness did give it an eerie feel as the story is king here, it all works well. The flatness become more disconcerting the further you read into the novel and by the end you feel like you’ve run a marathon… it’s exhausting and traumatic, but in the best possible way.
It’s by no means the best graphic novel I’ve read, that’d be Maus or Blankets, but Sabrina is a book that definitely deserves the attention it is getting.
Nex Machina- Video Games As Art
Nex Machina is a twin stick shoot 'em up which was developed and published by Finnish studio Housemarque with some consultation with Eugene Jarvis, creator of classic arcade games Defender and Robotron 2084 and console favourite Smash TV. The game casts you as a protagonist armed with a laser gun charged with rescuing humans against an alien horde from a top down perspective. The game is very simple to understand but complex to master, much like their previous game Resogun. The game is beautiful to watch as it is running and whilst I am proud of capturing the images below from my gameplay, do yourself a favour and play the game to understand its majesty.
The Mysterious Cities of Gold Season 3 Episode 1 Review
The series kicks off straight after the cliffhanger ending of series 2 with the group travelling to Japan to find the 3rd city of gold. Zares has kidnapped Esteban’s father Athanaos and promises to release him only upon the group finding the city, so time is of the essence. The children arrive at Kagoshima, a port town and try to find the city but find another relic made from orichalcum…
And so, with that the new series really kicks off at a cracking pace. It may be that the framing of images is more ciematic and sweeping or it may be that the soundtrack complements what is going on on the screen more but this series has already drawn me in much quicker than the 2nd series did.
The animation style, whilst different from the first series for obvious reasons, has grown on me and I haven’t seen the occasional weird animation glitches or odd character movements or shading that hindered parts of the second series.
This is a solid episode and I will continue to watch the series and hope to have a full series review very soon.
Mysterious Cities of Gold Season 3 Premieres in English!
Finally, after what seems like an infinite amount of time (about 2 years in actual fact) the Mysterious Cities of Gold season 3 has an english dub. The only problem is… it’s only showing on SBS On Demand in Australia. However, if you have a way to hide your VPN then you can watch it for free! I’m currently downloading the entire series and will provide a series review once I’ve watched it!
In the meantime, why not check out the new introduction and follow some of the other MCOG related links below!
Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus- Video Games As Art
Wolfenstein is a gaming classic, being one of the original first person shooter games. Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus is the eleventh installment of the Wolfenstein series and a sequel to 2014's excellent Wolfenstein: The New Order.
This game is set in the Nazi-occupied USA, five months after the events of The New Order, in which the Nazis won the war. In the game we play William Joseph Blazcowicz ('BJ' to his friends) as he kills hundreds of Nazis, deals with Nazi occupied USA in 1961 and starts the Second American Revolution.
The game is a straight forward shooter and makes no apologies, but I'd like to share its art style. There are some beautifully realised locales here and the graphics shine through. It all looks very cinematic and the little details add to the whole feel of the game, giving it a real lived-in look.
Hilda- Complete Series 1 Review
Hilda is a graphic comic series and now Netflix animated show about a young adventure loving girl. The 13 part animate series is adapted from the multi award winning and highly acclaimed graphic novel series by Luke Pearson.
Protagonist Hilda lives with her mother in a cabin near the woods and mountains, away from people and it is in this landscape that Hilda goes on her first few adventures.
The first two episodes are a delight, reminiscent of Tove Jansson's Moomins, in that fantastical adventures are had and magical creatures such as the woodsman, stone trolls and giants are met against the backdrop of the wilds. The weirdness and slight tinge of unease reminds me of Over The Garden Wall, with episode 2 being especially melancholic and touching.
After the events of episode 2, Hilda and her mother leave their cabin and move to the city of Trolberg. Hilda then adapts to life in an urban setting, meeting new people and the complexities that brings. She begins to understand the beauty that can exist in the city and develops friendships through the Sparrow Scouts group she joins and it is here that the main thrust of the series is pushed forward with each episode being an amazing and whimsical adventure. There are elves, stone giants, a Thunderbird and even a nightmare inducing teen thrown into the mix and it all ends up making sense as the world is a tapestry of story and character with its world building logic.
The stories are often simple standalone adventure tales but there are elements of continuity as each episode has repercussions for all that follows. The episodes often have a lot of heart and are touching, something I've been seeing a lot more of in 'children's animation' over the past few years.
The animation is stunning and the colour palette beautiful at conveying the mood. The fully realised characters are beautifully animated and even though they may look quite basic, have warmth and depth.
The voice acting is superb, especially the voice actress of Hilda, Bella Ramsey.
The soundtrack is also really something, all synthy and atmospheric, it has elements of the 80s but is definitely its own thing. The title track by one of my favourite singers, Grimes, is a triumph and interspersed throughout the series' moments of wonder are individual tracks that create whimsy and joy. The standout for my daughter and I was when Hilda was riding of the water spirit in the Lost Clan episode. And that is what this series is about, a programme for adults and children alike. My daughter is nearly 4 years old and loved the episodes I showed her but some of the episodes I didn't let her watch as I knew for prior watching that they would scare her.
I binged the series over the course of an evening and a day and loved it. It reminds me of Gravity Falls and Scooby Doo: Mystery Incorporated and that is very high praise indeed as those two series are some of the best animated shows I've ever seen. If you get a chance watch Hilda, you won’t be disappointed.
LINK- Disenchantment- Complete Series 1 Review
LINK- Gravity Falls Complete Series Review
LINK- Scooby Doo: Mystery Incorporated Complete Series 1 Review
A Hat In Time- Video Games As Art
A Hat In Time is a gorgeous cartoony 3D platform game that was successfully Kickstarted a couple of years ago. The game comes from Gears For Breakfast, a single person endeavour that grew into a larger volunteer group who contributed from around the world. What this has done is create a game that is tight and reflects the best of the genre (Mario 64 and Banjo Kazooie) whilst avoiding the annoying collectathon that was Donkey Kong 64. I completed the game and had a blast as each new world felt fresh and exciting. It helped that the game was gorgeous to look at too!
