Revamping Cupid Plotbunny

Sometimes once you see the first episode of a series, you feel like tracking down the people who made the trailer for it with a pair of mob-issue heavies behind you, so you can give them a Disappointed Look and tell them they got some ‘splainin’ to do….

TV Series Episode Cranky: Relic Hunter (1999), Afterlife and Death

I grant this is a bit more of a couch-chewing rant. Specifically on the episode Afterlife and Death. What a difference a few decades makes.

TV Series Review: The 18 Shadows

The 18 Shadows. 5 out of 5, flat out…. This is another series off the Samurai vs. Ninja channel on YouTube. If I can ever get it on DVD, I aim to. Because it is an excellent series for writing inspiration. There is a distinct lack of Idiot Balls.

No, really. The villains are smart. Our heroes work at being smarter.

TV Series Review: Undercover Geisha

Five out of five for great story, acting, and amazing stage performances. Now this is a series I wish had lasted more episodes!

Undercover Geisha (“Yozakura Osome”) is the Tokugawa-era story of the artist, performer, and sometimes spy Osome, who lost her family in a fire when she was young and is still looking for her surviving brother.

Old TV Review: Chameleons (1989)

Chameleons (1989) is a TV pilot by Glen A. Larson (of Knight Rider and A-Team fame) that I’d been looking for off and on for years, and finally stumbled on again on YouTube thanks to a sharp-eyed TV fan on DeviantArt. It was made, shown, and yet turned down as an ongoing show by both American and international networks. Sometimes it’s interesting to check out things that didn’t work, and try to figure out why, so you don’t make the same mistakes. (As a writer and human being of course you’ll make entirely different ones, but hey.)

Some Cool Old Shows

Okay, might be very frantic and busy today, so setting up some entertainment in advance. Here’s some neat shows I’ve found dating back to the 70s and 80s; great for trying to get back to storytelling basics Hollywood’s forgotten!

Sanbiki ga Kiru! (j-drama) (1987)

A Problem with Series: Failure in the Second Half

There’s an oddity I’ve noticed after watching a bunch of c-dramas. It has to do with length. Basically – if the series finishes in 25-30 eps, it’s likely to be good and have a coherent story. If it goes much longer than that, say 40 or more – it’s likely to turn into a mess.

TV Series Review: Liu Yong Pursues the Case

I’m only about half through; there are 45 episodes total. But so far I’d give it 4.5 out of 5 stars. If you’re looking for an older lead than most in a series that still has plenty of just-slightly-fantastic wushu action, definitely check this c-drama out!

Liu Yong himself is like what Lt. Columbo might have been like in the Qing Dynasty. And any character that successfully evokes the disheveled detective is worth watching.

TV Series Review: Fox in the Screen

Don’t mind me, I’m just here for Yu Yan.

Ahem. I’m giving Fox in the Screen (aka 屏里狐, Ping Li Hu, The Screen Foxes) about 3 out of 5 stars. Because this is a stunning example of having a neat concept and potentially interesting characters and not being able to tell a coherent story.

TV Series Review: Strange Hero Yi Zhi Mei

AKA The Vigilantes in Masks (2011, sometimes listed as 2010). Five out of five stars here, you can tell when the plum and cherry blossom scenes are green-screened but the rest is very well done, and the story just rocks.

I know I’ve mentioned that the Imperial Coroner would make a fun Leverage cross, but if you’re looking for “Leverage in Ancient China”, this is the series that so far comes the closest.