The Old School Otaku Lounge

Just recently finished the new Netflix exclusive show "Orange is the New Black" after I had a lot of friends tell me it was really good. I enjoyed it, though I agree with some people that there was a few problematic or just outright "meh" writing issues with it. Still, overall it was quite enjoyable, and I was very pleased with the fact that they hired actresses of all sorts of body types, ages, and races. And it even included a transgender woman character in the story played by an actual trans woman.

I had a feeling that someone would like Orange is the new Black. ^__^

Watch Orphan Black, a UK SF/Mystery series. It's good!

Anyone else watching Korra? I've felt almost nothing but disappointment so far in the new season...I dunno why I even keep watching at this point. Maybe I'm just hoping it'll magically get better later? Compared to the first season, it just seems so rushed, cliched, and predictable to me. Nitro and I have started calling Unalaq "Uncle Bad Guy".

Any Breaking Bad fans on the board? I saw the finale on Sunday as it aired, and I have to say I was very satisfied with it.

All the ALT guys who work at other schools can't stop talking about Breaking Bad when we get together for meetings and such. That show seems to be ridiculously popular. I haven't seen it at all, though.

greg wrote:All the ALT guys who work at other schools can't stop talking about Breaking Bad when we get together for meetings and such. That show seems to be ridiculously popular. I haven't seen it at all, though.

I have to admit, I didn't think I'd like it as much as I did, but after watching the first few eps I got hooked...and it just kept on getting better. Really smart writing, great direction, and very talented actors on this show. I'm also glad that they actually ended it instead of making it some ongoing series that outlived it's brilliance, like many American TV shows tend to do. It ended pretty much exactly were it should have.

usamimi wrote:

greg wrote:All the ALT guys who work at other schools can't stop talking about Breaking Bad when we get together for meetings and such. That show seems to be ridiculously popular. I haven't seen it at all, though.

I have to admit, I didn't think I'd like it as much as I did, but after watching the first few eps I got hooked...and it just kept on getting better. Really smart writing, great direction, and very talented actors on this show. I'm also glad that they actually ended it instead of making it some ongoing series that outlived it's brilliance, like many American TV shows tend to do. It ended pretty much exactly were it should have.

Count me as another Breaking Bad fan! I got into of it kind of late, so I'm only up to the fourth season right now.

I might get around to Breaking Bad one day. I really only watch TV shows on DVD now, because I've gotten too used to marathoning through seasons, and I don't have the time to tune into TV shows every week anymore.

I just finished season 5 of Mad Men on DVD. God, Pete Campbell is hilarious.

It’s summer here and right smack bang in the middle of the non-ratings period. Seriously there is nothing worth watching on TV. However I have somehow become addicted to watching SBS Pop Asia, a show which has been on SBS One for a few years now but has been relegated to a late Sunday afternoon spot on SBS2, sandwiched between two mind meltingly bad Japanese game shows (filled with the usual pool of “celebrity” guests).

The weird thing is that I have never liked pop music much, but Korean record companies certainly know how to make pop idols. Despite the fact the show is call Pop Asia, the vast majority of the material is K-Pop with only three non K-pop music videos played yesterday; two from Japanese trio Perfume and one music video from a girl group from Myanmar of all places. Occasionally they’ll play Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, but I’ve never seen an AKB48 video played. Taiwanese pop stars get played a lot usually and the occasional Vietnamese pop star. I’ve noted most of the K-Pop girl bands are clones of Girls Generation (one girl with dyed red hair, a couple of blondes, the “tough looking” girl who is the rapper of the group etc) while most of the boy bands seem to copy Shinee.

Most of the videos are kind of fun (but can be cheesy as hell or daft – which part of the fun really) and the music relatively catchy for the most part. It’s westernised pop filtered and reinterpreted through Korean eyes, but occasionally you’ll get something really original and fun like Crayon Pop’s “Bar Bar Bar”. The slightly off kilter stuff and the occasional cute misinterpretation/deliberate subversion of western pop music tropes makes the show really fun to watch. Where else on TV am I going to see Jackie Chan dancing in supermarket or idols fighting a polar bear?