Topic: RossRoy's Random Viewings

[Tom]

You can watch the Mini-Goddess anytime (preferably when you know the basics about the characters, watching the OVA beforehand is sufficient). The Mini-Goddess has not real story but is a collection of fun mini episodes playing with our characters (and Gan-chan) with the main focus on Urd and Skuld.

The movie is somewhat a sequel to the OVA.
The others are of course a complete continuous re-telling of the story largely based on the manga.

[RossRoy]

Well, I know I mentioned earlier that I'd be watching Ikki Tousen next, but life, and especially work, got in the way, and I never started. Now I'm sitting here about to eat lunch on a day off from work, and I have to decide what to watch. Now, I have a sort-of "tradition", where when I'm eating, I will be watching a TV series, because I like the devote my unfettered attention to a movie and anime, but for a TV series, it's usually not as important. So, being that I had to choose a TV series to watch, well, the choice kind of came by itself. So I'm going to be watching Charmed Season 6 next.

[RossRoy]

Charmed: Season 6: Disc 1

Original Title: Charmed Year: 2003 Country: United States Director: Rating: NR Length: 988 Min. Video: Full Frame 1.33:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital Surround, French: Dolby Digital Surround Subtitles:

1. Valhalley of the Dolls (Parts 1 & 2)
Paige tries to cure Piper's memory loss, but her spell goes amiss and Piper suffers total amnesia. Needing Leo's help, Phoebe and Paige discover that he is being held captive by warrior-maidens on the island of Valhalla.

Great season opener! I often enjoy memory loss episodes, especially when there's something to hide, in this case Piper's powers, as it usually creates great moment like when she blows up a vase inadvertently, and of course can't understand anything. It is a plot device, but a plot device I usually enjoy. The whole concept of Valhalla is interesting, and I hope they further explore it down the road, but even if they don't, it was still a nice idea. Oh yeah, Phoebe's got a new power, we'll see what they do with it, but they used it well in this episode.

 

2. Forget Me... Not
When Wyatt brings a dragon to life, the cleaners spring into action toi protect magic from being exposed.

Wyatt is turning out to be one very powerful magic user. Actually, they are making him so powerful at such a young age, one has to wonder how they will manage it. But I digress, this was again a solid episode, centered around the mother/child bond. I enjoyed the episode, and come on, there was a dragon involved! How cool is that? Though I have a hard time with the logic behind Wyatt conjuring a very real dragon, from a computer animated TV show. But then, if I was to start being that nitpicky, I wouldn't like much of anything now would I?

 

3. Power of Three Blondes
When The Charmed Ones' identities are magically stolen by 3 evil sisters, they must outsmart the sinister trio to get their lives back.

All I can say about this one is: meh! Even the beauty of the three blondes (well, two of the three) couldn't save this. This is a very substandard episode.

 


As a side note: What the heck did Alyssa Milano (Phoebe) do to her hair?? She looks much better with hair on her head! 

[Jimmy]

Maybe You will motivate me to continue the serie... I am presently stop at the end of season 5 (don't like how it ends)

[RossRoy]

Maybe You will motivate me to continue the serie... I am presently stop at the end of season 5 (don't like how it ends)

I didn't like how Season 5 went too much either, but so far, Season 6 is turning out to be great! (I'm only at the 2nd disc though).

[RossRoy]

Charmed: Season 6: Disc 2

Original Title: Charmed Year: 2003 Country: United States Director: Rating: NR Length: 988 Min. Video: Full Frame 1.33:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital Surround, French: Dolby Digital Surround Subtitles:

4. Love's A Witch
Paige becomes immersed in an ongoing feud between two magical families.

Interesting episode, as there are a few side stories advancing, and the beginning of a new one for Paige. I don't have much to say, but I really enjoyed this one.

Oh and the hotness level reached a new high:   (that's Michelle Lefèvre, from Montréal, QC!)

 

5. My Three Witches
The Charmed Ones learn a valuable lesson in magical priorities when a Whitelighter and a demon cast them into an alternate reality.

Another good episode, alternate reality and all. It's been established basically since he got involved that Chris (their new Whitelighter) is fishy, but this episode even furthers it. Can't wait to find out what's really going on!

 

6. Soul Survivor
Paige find out that her new boss sold his soul to the demon Zahn.

Good and entertaining episode. It was nice to see Keith Szarabajka (Holtz on Angel) again. This is the first time I actually got annoyed at Paige though. Her getting obsessed over a lost innocent, I can understand, but there's a point where it goes too far, and to me, this episode crossed the line. I hope that in the context of the show, Paige learned her lesson.

 

7. Sword and the City
A bevy of magical beings arrive at the manor after The Charmed Ones agree to help the Lady in the Lake protect Excalibur, the legendary Sword in the Stone.

The legend of Arthur, Excalibur and the Knights of the Round Table. It was actually well integrated into the realm of the show. There's also a new reveal about Wyatt. He's going to be one heck of a Witch (in Charmed, "Witch" is used for both male and female, basically it's used to designate a good magic user, as opposed to Warlock. At least, that's how I understand it. Hope I'm not too much in the left field ...)

 

[RossRoy]

Charmed: Season 6: Disc 3

Original Title: Charmed Year: 2003 Country: United States Director: Rating: NR Length: 988 Min. Video: Full Frame 1.33:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital Surround, French: Dolby Digital Surround Subtitles:

8. Little Monsters
After vanquishing a Manticore demon, Piper, Phoebe and Paige become foster parents to its orphaned half-Manticore infant.

This was a fun episode. It was a touching episode, with the baby's father ready for anything to be with his baby. The basic plotline kept my attention and was interesting, and the way the episode played out allowed for funny and cute scenes (especially between the 2 babies). All in all, it's a strong episode.

 

9. Chris-Crossed
A mysterious woman from the future, Bianca, arrives to take Chris' powers and forcefully bring him back to the future. Leo discovers that Bianca is actually a Phoenix - part of an elite assassin family of witches.

And the mystery unravels! Chris' past (or is it future?) comes back to haunt him, and expose him as a little more involved than he wants the girls to know. I loved this episode. The mystery surrounding Chris is slowly being revealed, and it is shaping up to be a great story line. Great episode.

On a side note, the hotness level was high again here, with guest star Marisol Nichols (Bianca or Nadia Yassir on 24):



10. Witchstock
After trying on a pair of her Grams go-go boots, Paige finds herself transported back in time to an era of free love and free magic; and discovers Grams, a peace-loving hippie, who is on a crusade to rid the world of evil through the magical power of love.

Grams is back! I find love most episodes with Grams, and this one is no exception (especially since it also involves time travel). This episode was clearly intended as comic relief, yet is manages to reveal something new about Grams. I liked how when Paige tries to orb an 8-track tape she says "Uh, big, fat tape thingy." 

 

11. Prince Charmed
After vanquishing a demon from Wyatt's room, Piper has an epiphany and decides to swear off men so that she can devote the rest of her life to raising and protecting Wyatt. Unable to handle Piper's revelation, Paige and Phoebe decide to remind Piper of the importance of love by conjuring up a "Mr. Right" as Piper's birthday present.


Wyatt is the center of attention again. To bind, or not to bind. It was a good episode, again dealing with Wyatt's future and destiny. Chris is again as mysterious as ever. We may know what he's dealt with regarding Wyatt in the future, yet, we don't know if he wants to prevent it from happening, and in what way. The whole "perfect man" thing pushed it a bit, especially since they keep saying that magic for personal gain is bad, yet here, it is used and there's no real sign of backfire. Still, it was a nice episode.

[RossRoy]

Mid-season thoughts
Season 5, which you all probably gathered from my comments on the individual episode (and from Jimmy's who said he stopped watching Charmed at Season 5), wasn't exactly a shining example of what Charmed is about. To me, it felt like they had painted themselves in a corner, and didn't know how to get out of there. It felt like they didn't know how to deal with the extreme powers they gave Cole, it's like they ran out of material to keep him interesting and had to find a cop out. When they finally got rid of him (in a very lackluster way), they still hadn't really found what to do with the rest of the show. I didn't read much about the history of Charmed, but it feels like they are dealing with the uncertainty of cancellation at this point. Trying to pack as much as they can to complete before getting cancelled, yet missing so many opportunities to make the show better.

Comes the last few episodes of Season 5, and then it's like they learned they were renewed, and now had to find new ideas. That's when they introduce Chris, make Leo an Elder, and Wyatt is born. And it finally seems like they are building towards something.

At the start of Season 6, it pays off. I can say: the show is Charming (very bad pun, I know) again. They seem to have found a connecting thread, and are following it, building the story, making the characters grow, building the mystery: it like they know what they are doing again.

I must say, this is a great reversal from Season 5. Finishing Season 5 was a struggle. I can say that Season 6 is the exact opposite. I am enjoying the ride very much.

[RossRoy]

Charmed: Season 6: Disc 4

Original Title: Charmed Year: 2003 Country: United States Director: Rating: NR Length: 988 Min. Video: Full Frame 1.33:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital Surround, French: Dolby Digital Surround Subtitles:

From now on, I'll put the synopsis in a spoiler tag, for obvious reasons, and not just for this series, but for every future reviews.

12. Used Karma

(click to show/hide)

Richard casts a spell to free himself of his family's negative karma, but accidentally channels the spirit of Mata Hari, a stripper and double agent during WWI, into Phoebe.

This was a fun episode, I liked it very much. I tend to like episode where magic backfires, and this doesn't disappoint. There's actually quite a bit going on in this: Phoebe inheriting a WWII spy's karma, the final demon on Chris' list of threats to Wyatt, and the Jason/Phoebe relationship takes a whole new twist. Great effort on this one.



13. The Legend of Sleepy Halliwell

(click to show/hide)

Leo's old mentor at Magic School, Gideon, calls upon Piper, Phoebe and Paige to find out who cast the spell of darkness upon the school and conjured up the Headless Horseman, who has been beheading the teachers.

I didn't think all that much of this one. We find out there's actually a school of magic for the gifted, and one of the students is targeting the teachers. It's basically a save the not so innocent of the week, that probably serves simply to introduce a new character, Leo's mentor, the school's director. We'll see where it leads, but as for this episode in particular, nothing special here. There's also a rather big reveal, but it doesn't come into play yet...



14. I Dream of Phoebe

(click to show/hide)

When Phoebe frees a genie from a bottle, she soons finds that she must take the genie's place. Meanwhile, anxious to put Leo and Piper back together, Chris uses Phoebe to make his wish come true, but she takes his instructions too literally.

I like this one. Nothing really special, but the idea of a cursed genie was interesting.

 

15. The Courtship of Wyatt's Father

(click to show/hide)

Gideon makes a deal with the Darklighters to get rid of Leo, but they accidentally send Leo and Piper to the Ghostly plane, leaving Phoebe and Paige to believe that they are both dead. Meanwhile, Chris begins to disappear and reveals that he must be conceived before the night is over or he will vanish forever.

Oh! Now the story takes on a whole new meaning! I like these big twist. They didn't flesh out the twisty character enough IMO, but still, it could (and probably will) be VERY interesting to see how it all plays out! I can't wait for what's to come!

[RossRoy]

I need to change my rating scale. I find it hard to actually rate the movies the way I actually felt with what I have so far. So, here's what I'm thinking:

New Rating Scale

	Excellent
	Good
	OK
	Below Average
	Boring
	Bad

[RossRoy]

Charmed: Season 6: Disc 5

Original Title: Charmed Year: 2003 Country: United States Director: Rating: NR Length: 988 Min. Video: Full Frame 1.33:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital Surround, French: Dolby Digital Surround Subtitles:

16. Hyde School Reunion

(click to show/hide)

Phoebe accidentally casts a spell on herself that allows her wild teenage personality to take over, and teen Phoebe is eager to use her magic to her advantage.

Well, let's just say Charmed can be much better than this. I wouldn't say it's a bad episode, but still, the story felt wrong, and at this point in the season, they should be focusing on the season arc rather than the pointless main plot we get in this episode. I'm disappointed in this one.

 

17. Spin City

(click to show/hide)

When Piper is kidnapped and cocooned by the Spider Demon, and Chris becomes infected with the Demon's venom, causing him to mutate into a spider, Paige, Phoebe and Leo try to rescue them.

I love this one. There's just so much going on emotionally in regards to character development. There's a big reversal in attitude since new information is revealed about Chris. The whole plot, including Chris being turned by the week's demon, is used to good effect to show how Chris really feels towards Leo and how charged their relation is, even though the demon itself is kind of lame.



18. Crimes and Witch-Demeanors

(click to show/hide)

The Charmed Ones are put on trial for recklessly abusing their powers after Phoebe and Paige are caught on tape using their powers.

Another good installment, that is actually relevant to the grand scheme. Oh and there's a treat in this one: Barbas is back! So you just know a twist is coming (or more!) and I happen to love it when they twist things up. Billy Drago as Barbas again steals the show. He's worth the price of entry all by himself. All the undertones he can get into a simple phrase. I love it! Great episode!



19. A Wrong Day's Journey into Right

(click to show/hide)

With Piper away at magic school and Phoebe without her active powers, overworked Paige conjures Mr. Right for stress relief but, unknowingly, releases his evil twin, Mr. Wrong.

The episode itself isn't so bad, but I hate it when they do that. I'm going to repeat myself, but anyway: They keep repeating, episode after episode, how magic can't be used for personal gain and that bad things always happen when you do. You'd think after six years (three for Paige) of being witches, they'd understand that. But noooooo, they always have to have at least one episode where one of the witch (this time it's Paige) will be doing magic for her own personal gain, along with the bad consequences. And don't forget, they keep trying to make the girls good, so why would they knowingly risk the consequences?

All this aside, it not a bad episode though. Paige is really really cute in this one, some of the faces and expressions she uses, and there's some decent action.

 

[RossRoy]

Charmed: Season 6: Disc 6

Original Title: Charmed Year: 2003 Country: United States Director: Rating: NR Length: 988 Min. Video: Full Frame 1.33:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital Surround, French: Dolby Digital Surround Subtitles:

20. Witch Wars

(click to show/hide)

The Charmed Ones' powers are in jeopardy when they are tricked into taking part in a new demonic reality television show, where demon contestants compete to hunt down the sisters. The winning demon acquires their powers.

This was a great episode. The basic premise was really interesting: a demon reality TV show. The way this setting is used to further advance the overall story is really interesting, and there's some decent action. I loved seeing Phoebe go completely ape on the demons! Good stuff!

 

21. It's a Bad, Bad, Bad, Bad World (Parts 1 & 2)

(click to show/hide)

After Leo and Chris fall through a portal that transports them into an evil mirrored world, Phoebe and Paige must travel to the parallel universe to rescue them while battling their evil counterparts.

This was an awesome season finale! I loved it! Sure, they're rehashing an old idea (parallel opposite universe), but it is used very effectively in this case. I won't say too much, because I don't want to spoil it, but the opposite world is very interesting, and the aftermath of a certain event makes for some great comedy (even if it is way over the top). Great stuff again!

 

Overall Charmed: Season 6 Thoughts

After the disaster that was Season 5, it is very refreshing to see Charmed back in force for Season 6. It looked like they finally focused on a story, instead of trying so many different things that didn't work. I can't wait to watch Season 7!

[RossRoy]

Ikki Tousen: 1.Legendary Fighter

Original Title: Ikki tôsen Year: 2003 Country: Japan Director: Takashi Watanabe Rating: NR Length: 97 Min. Video: Full Frame 1.33:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital Stereo, Japanese: Dolby Digital Stereo Subtitles: English

What they say
The Girl with the Booby Bombs!?

Once again blood flows in the streets of Kanto. The eternal fate that has been handed down for over 1800 years is now being fought by ancient warriors who have been reincarnated into the students of the seven top schools. One such student, Hakufu Sonsaku, arrives on the scene and is rumored to be the legendary Shou Haou (The one who is said to be the one to defeat many in battle). But can this blonde air-head with the overly-endowed assets actually be the legendary Shou-Haou?

My Thoughts
Well, I honestly don't know what to think of this one. On one hand it's brilliant, I love the animation, the style, the action is well choreographed and entertaining, but at the same time, something isn't right. I think there's too much mystery. I mean, 4 episodes into a series that has 13, and I still don't really know what the heck is going. There's this whole back history, with historical and powerful fighters, whose powers are handed down through generations and all, but it's not yet really integrated into the actual story. On the bright side, as I said before, the action is great and the fights themselves are really entertaing, and let's be honest, that's what this show is all about. There's also no shortage of fan service on this series, right from the opening scene. I don't mind it,and even like it at times, but this is the first time I'm actually starting to think there may be a bit too much of it.

So after 4 episodes, I don't really know where I stand. I'm puzzled as to where they are trying to go with the story, but I'm still enjoying it for the action and "booby bombs" fest that it is!

[RossRoy]

Ikki Tousen: 2.Historic Battles

Original Title: Ikki tôsen Year: 2003 Country: Japan Director: Takashi Watanabe Rating: NR Length: 73 Min. Video: Full Frame 1.33:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital Stereo, Japanese: Dolby Digital Stereo Subtitles: English

What they say
Ryomou vs. Ryofu

After her defeat by the honorable Taishigi, Hakufu takes it upon herself to fight even harder to reach the top. Even as the tournament's battles rage on, the head of each school plots to defeat the others by manipulating their pawns into battling each other. Will Hakufu become an unwitting tool, or will she be able to control the warrior spirit growing inside her?

My Thoughts
Well, the show is growing on me, I'm starting to really love it. Even the stuff I wasn't sure about from the first volume are becoming clearer and much better. I think a large part of my previous hesitation towards to show had to do with not really being able to differentiate who is who. All the names sound so much alike, and them being asian names made it that much more difficult to me. But I'm finally able to sort out the characters, and I can finally understand what is going on (the narrator explaining part of it at the end of each episode helped a lot!). I'm even enjoying the fan service and how it's integrated in the fights and is fun!

 

[RossRoy]

Ikki Tousen: 3.Water Wars

Original Title: Ikki tôsen Year: 2003 Country: Japan Director: Takashi Watanabe Rating: NR Length: 73 Min. Video: Full Frame 1.33:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital Stereo, Japanese: Dolby Digital Stereo Subtitles: English

What they say
Wet T-shirt Battle!

Concerned for her daughter, Hakufu's well being, Goei subtly sets into motion her plans to free her daughter. She cheers on Hakufu's opponent Kakouton as well as arranges for a deep mountain trip to visit Chokou, the caretaker of a hot springs training ground. Even Ryomou and Ryofu learn a little more of themselves at this place. Training there is difficult, but what better way to relax afterwards than to visit the local pool?

My Thoughts
This is definitely getting better as I watch it. I'm actually sad to know there is only 3 episodes left. Can't wait to see what happens next!