Friday Thoughts: Cocaine and Lava

Archer

So that daydream last episode did turn out to be a flash-forward and the ISIS members turn themselves into a drug cartel (And as it turns out, they are terrible at it) filled with fun jokes and bullet fire, this episode felt like a set-up for what is to come while still being on top form. I can't wait to see how this series pans out (Its sort of a shame the flash-forward spoiled so much, but at least we know what we have to look forward to.)

Arpeggio of Blue Steel 

So, I watched this curious anime all the way through its 12 episodes recently. The series is about a group of alien weapons that disguise themselves as modern day battleships (With the exception of glowing-neon tribal tattoos) with the orders to control Earth’s seas and halt all communications (For whatever reason). The series is actually about the AI of these alien weapons as they begin to take on human forms (Conveniently girls as ships are referred to with feminine adjectives). We follow the crew of an alien weapon submarine (That is the only one with orders to help the humans). The naval and submarine combat aspects are fantastic, we get to see some real tactics going on here, but unfortunately, nothing apart from the alien weapons with their human-like bodies, actually get any development. Still, cool fights and cool looking chicks. The most interesting thing about this anime is the 3D aspect. All the character models are rendered in 3D, but with an overlay of traditional animation (Much like Disney’s recent, ‘Paperman’ short) it takes some getting used to, but by the end I was left wondering why this technique wasn’t used more often, since all the character and ship details were completely accurate all the way through. The message is that humanity needs them as much as they need humanity.

Community

In the same vein as the pillow forts and the paintballs, the college enacts a college-wide game of The Floor is Lava. As wacky as this episode sounds (And is) it really digs deep into abed and Troy’s emotions and is an incredible send-off for Troy. I felt it needed some more classic Troy and Abed moments, but I loved this episode nonetheless. Now it will be interesting to see the group dynamic sans Troy and Pierce.

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I also got a new job working at a local cinema and so far so good. Now I just need to wait until the money starts rolling in again after 6 months of unemployment. Still, in my unemployment, I went solo-travelling around Europe and wrote a book, so it doesn't feel like too much wasted time. But everyone at my new workplace is cool and we share a lot of interests. I even met a fellow writer! (Or an actual one, not a self-published loser, like me!)

(Just testing how GIF's work, never-mind.)