The Rose of Versailles Part 3 Episodes 11-15

Lady Marie Antoinette is now the Queen of France.  What seems like the promise of a bright new future for the country begins to sour when Marie focuses on lavish expensive ventures, breaking the back of an already financially fragile nation.  While Oscar tries to keep her charge and friend in line, a trip to inspect those living on her families estate reveal harsh realities of the true state of the lower folk of France.  Can Oscar get Marie to see how desperately her people need her or is this the beginning of a darker future inching it’s way to Versailles front gates?

 
While there wasn’t anything that was as mind blowingly amazing as Monday’s’s Episode 9, that’s not a bad thing for The Rose of Versailles  in the slightest and that’s largely in credit to the shows writing and overall entertainment value.  The story did press forward on several fronts, mostly centered on three protagonists whose worlds are forever altered at one point or another, sort of for good in one regard but largely not great for two poor souls.
 

T5W#569-Top 5 Ghost in the Shell Movies

It’s been two long years since the announcement but the wait is over: The Ghost in the Shell has finally dropped.  While It has been a couple years long wait for most, for day one fans of the original Manga, it’s a dream come true to see Shirow Masamune’s true artistic vision brought to life.  It’ll definitely be a bit of a jarring change for viewers who have only experience the adventures of Motoko Kusinagi in her long library of Anime centric adventures dating back to 1995.  So to celebrate the return of Section 9 to the Anime scene, Top 5 Wednesday is looking back at the theatrical outings of the lovely Major and her crew of stalwart, trigger happy mercs with the Top 5 Ghost in the Shell Movies.  And yes, I will be looking at the first couple of episodes of The Ghost in the Shell when First Impression Fridays returns in August after Otakon.  Trust me, as a long time GitS fan I’m never missing the chance to cover my second favorite Anime franchise after Gundam.

 

The Rose of Versailles Part 2 Episodes 6-10

It’s been three years since Marie Antoinette came to Versailles and married Louis XVI.  Now is the time when their destines arrive faster than ever expected.  With the King on his deathbed, their ascension to the throne seems inevitable.  As the young couple brace for a role they’re unprepared for, Oscar deals with a long standing threat while witnessing the potential birth of a new one.  But no lady of court could do as much damage to the reputation of the beautiful Queen of France than Hans Axel von Fersen, a handsome aristocrat who has caught Marie’s eyes. 

I’m honestly gob smacked by how much I am enjoying The Rose of Versailles.  It’s been a long time since episodes of a series have left me instantly wanting to jump to the next one to see what happens next (until I get stopped by that pesky self imposed barrier where I need to review a set before I proceed…kind of like right now).  But between assassinations and conspiracies, gossip and tests of loyalty and just the sheer awesomness of seeing history unfold in a beautiful artistic way, yeah the Premiere as no fluke.  The Rose of Versailles is the real deal and if I wasn’t already sold after the first five episodes, you better believe I’m sold now, especially after Episode 9.
 

The Rose of Versailles Part 1 Episodes 1-5

Born a girl to a Father desperate for a son, Oscar François de Jarjayes is not like any of the ladies in court in France.  At age 14, she becomes Commander of the Royal Guard, charged with protecting a young heiress from Austria named Marie Antoinette.  In an era where power is everything and gossip is the ultimate fodder for downfalls, the meeting of Oscar and Marie begins a tragedy of lies, deceit, love and delusion as France begins its march to one of its darkest and bloodiest conflicts in history.

We’re back for our annual Extended Summer Series Review and this year we’re changing things up a little bit.  Instead of focusing on sci-fi, mecha and Gundams, we’re switching to a whole different genre (ngl it might end up being a nice change of pace after the disastrous experience I had with Macross 7 last year).  The Rose of Versailles comes highly recommended from several friends and a rare chance to purchase it last year got me thinking it could slot into an ESSR nicely.  While historical dramas aren’t my first choice of genre, I’ve got to admit, I think The Rose of Versailles may have my attention right away.  So much so I’m hoping I don’t short change this review just because I want to start the next set of episodes ASAP. 
 

Avatar: The Last Airbender (Season 2)

Ba Sing Sae, the heart of the Earth Kingdom.  Some say it’s the greatest city in the world and most don’t know a war is on it’s doorstep.  Seeking allies and assistance, Aang, Katara and Sokka find themselves drawn into a sprawling web of lies, deceit and conspiracy around every corner.  And while they have the blind but powerful Toph Beifong teaching Aang the ways of Earthbending, their most deadliest enemies, Zuko and Azula, are close behind with plans of their own for the Avatar and Ba Sing Sae.  As a stealth takeover begins, Team Avatar will have to remain more united than ever or risk losing it all when the war comes to Ba Sing Sae.

While it was pretty far from the perfection of its source material, Season One of Netflix’s Avatar adaptation showed much promise as it went along, enough for me to keep interested in what was to come.  Netflix certainly seems to have a lot of faith in the project as it greenlit the other two seasons pretty much right after Season One dropped.  And it looks like that faith has been rewarded as Avatar: The Last Airbender Season Two sits right there with One Piece: Into the Grand Line as a marked improvement over its first season.  It’s still not perfect but it’s proof that the showrunners have paid attention to notes and feedback, especially knowing all of the major new players and story beats the original Book 2: Earth contains.  Thank God that aside from a few iffy visual effects, they haven’t mucked it up.