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A 9 episode series from Sion Sono.
What do you get when you mix vampires with Sion Sono? Maximum sanguinousity. The first scene bursts into a ridiculous splatter drenched bit of ultravi and it keeps pouring from then on. This is about two vampire clans, a 'chosen one' who was born in 1999 when the planets in our solar system aligned in a cross (you remember that?) so she was fed the blood of Dracula and will have infinite powers when she reaches 22 (that's right, in 2021), and the apocalypse, which is only 3 hours away (the chosen one's birthtime) at the start of the premiere ep.
2 eps in. I'll probably see it through. It's campy and cliched, but it has its moments of Sion Sono visionary scenes, once you wipe off all the blood from the screen.
One of the vampires wields a sword but there hasn't been any sword fights yet. It's all been major gunplay and a ridiculously gratuitous forking. Recommended for DOOMers that like it bloody or that know Sion Sono (cf & Greg, right?) although wait until I get deeper in maybe...
Shadow boxing the apocalypse
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I’ve circled this a few times, but not bit. I’ll wait for your further reports
In the Tudor Period, Fencing Masters were classified in the Vagrancy Laws along with Actors, Gypsys, Vagabonds, Sturdy Rogues, and the owners of performing bears.
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e3 got cray. Total Sion Sono. All the players are in the TVH and the apocalypse goes down (no real explanation but lots of nuclear explosions wiping out Japanese landmarks like the Tokyo tower).
The TVH is cool design-wise (a nice set). It's got those retina-searing color schemes that Sono loves, and as the heroine tries to escape, each room is like another chapter in Alice in Wonderland. The best set is the hallway of weapons - a long hall where both walls are filled with weapons - swords, axes, guns and more guns - each stored in its own fitted slot like guns in a gun case. And the color of the walls is way too bright. Very, very Sono.
There's a gruesome nod to Texas Chainsaw Massacre with a creepy vampire that needs blood to be restored.
And the nice thing about these vampires is that they heal automatically so you can shoot and stab them and they come back into play in a moment.
Supremely sanguineous.
Ivor, you should just check the first scene in the first episode. You won't have to fast forward. It moves instantly into a brutal bloodbath. If that doesn't whet your appetite, I'd say bail on the rest of it (unless something even more cray happens, in which case I'll let you know here).
Shadow boxing the apocalypse
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E4&5 lose some momentum. They aren’t as psychotropic, more soap operesque. The hallway of weapons comes into play and it’s intention is unclear. There’s some subterfuge afoot and perhaps all will make sense in the end. Maybe not. My interest is waning but I’m not giving up quite yet.
Shadow boxing the apocalypse
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02-01-2021, 11:34 PM
(This post was last modified: 02-02-2021, 01:13 AM by Drunk Monk.)
E6 got really fucked up on several levels. So sanguineous. So Sono. I swear the opening credits are going to make me seize. Lots of high-kicking blood-spattering decapitating sword play.
E7: Holy bats! This Ep is like one long fight scene. Swords, guns, wolverinesque vampire claws - it’s over the top. There’s a few small pauses for breathes of air but it’s almost entirely merciless gratuitous ultravi. There’s even a few intricate long take one-Er sequences. Impressive. And so ridiculously sanguineous.
A strange nod to Scarface.
I’m amazed this was on TV. It’s absurdly violent and sexually explicit although there’s been a minimum of nudity - just some darkly lit blood soaked nipples. Lots of buxom cleavage - Elizabeth Bathory puts the va va in vavavoom. And two of the vampire chicks traipse about in lingerie. They all wear a lot of blood.
So here’s the formula. Watch the opening scene in Ep 1. If you can’t take it, bail. If it hooks you enough to watch the whole Ep, enjoy. If you just want to fast forward to the fight scene, skip to Ep 7. It’ll be confusing because there are a lot of complicated characters already but that won’t matter much. It’ll likely add to the surreality of it all.
Two more eps I think and I’m done.
Shadow boxing the apocalypse
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02-02-2021, 10:06 PM
(This post was last modified: 02-02-2021, 11:03 PM by Drunk Monk.)
Amaprime split e8 into 2 parts. Part 1 picks up in the aftermath of e7 where they are literally mopping up the blood, then catapults 15 years forward for some reveals. A slow Ep with some major tone shifts.
E8.2 (aka e9) continues with the slow paced reveals. The stage is set for the finale.
e9...or e10. Well, that wasn't much of a finale. Lots of loose ends exacerbated by an after-credit scene that was very ambiguous. Eps 8-10 are more of a prolonged epilogue.
So my statement at ep 7 stands.
Watch the first fight in e1. If you hate it, bail. If you like it a lot, keep watching. If you like it somewhat, fast forward to ep 7 for that battle ep.
Lots of sword fights - I lost count. Those two fights are definitely DOOM recommended but not for the squeamish. I know how some of you have grown so in your autumn years, and I have too when it comes to horror flix so I won't fault you.
Shadow boxing the apocalypse
