Merlin

I spent last night re-watching the funny bits of various Merlin episodes...



Merlin: I'm gonna be at your side, like I always am, protecting you.
Arthur: God help me.

Merlin: I trust in your destiny.
Arthur: Have you been on the cider?

Arthur: There are times, Merlin, when you display a sort of... I don't know what it is... I want to say... It's not wisdom. But yes. That's what it is.
Merlin: *smiles*
Arthur: Don't look so pleased. The rest of the time you're a complete idiot.

I just love the utter lack of royal awe that Merlin displays towards Arthur. Oh, he does respect Arthur and he admires him and considers him a friend, but he isn't blind to Arthur's faults by his royal status. And I think that's what Arthur likes about Merlin, that his manservant isn't kissing his butt like everybody else, that he can actually talk to Merlin about stuff - even though Arthur would rather swallow his tongue than admit it.

I need to re-watch the show properly. I don't like the Arthur/Gwen romance - maybe because it's like watching a train wreck, knowing how it ends - and I don't like Gwen all that much - seriously, she isn't that special to have everybody falling on their butt for her, and I never liked Guinevere in the Arthurian legends, partner betrayal is my pet peeve! - but other than that the show is pretty good!

Also, I love the comic con trailer and I seriously hope the show returns on Oct. 8, as rumored!

Book #66

"Green Lantern: Rebirth"

4.5 stars out of 5

Art: Ethan Van Sciver's drawings are flawless. So many details beautifully drawn! Definitely 5 stars material.

Story: Written by Geoff Johns, the story of Hal Jordan's redemption. For a newbie like me it was slightly confusing here and there because it delved deeply into the GL mythology, but it made me really care about the characters, it made me want to learn more about them and find out what happened to them next. 4 stars!

End-result: I would say this comic book presents the perfect entry point for someone who has never read GL before because it's basically a reboot of the whole franchise.

Book #67-69

"Tsubasa Chronicle Vol. 25" by Clamp

3 stars out of 5

Eh, I didn't feel this volume. It told us how Shaolan and Sakura met. But it felt too long, too dragged out, too... wordy. But it was nice to see Toya and Yukito and Sakura's parents again, that's true.






"Tsubasa Chronicle Vol. 26" by Clamp

4 stars out of 5

Finally some answers! I was mostly curious about Shaolan's connection to Watanuki and it was finally, finally explained. Hurray. The ending was really sad though.






"Tsubasa Chronicle Vol. 27" by Clamp

3 stars out of 5

Way, way too convoluted. I have to wonder if the creators know what they are doing. Twist upon twist upon twist and it stopped making sense two or three volumes ago. Original characters and copies and copies of their copies and... So far, the only thing I know for sure is that the whole mess was caused by Feywan who wanted to raise someone from their grave. But who or why or how?

Touching Evil 103

Eh, this episode didn't really do it for me. Actually, it bored me to tears and left a bad aftertaste in my mouth.

( Deadly Web )

I have no idea what they went for in this episode. Shock value? Gritty grimness? What? The first ep was good, the second one excellent but the third one was a total waste of my time. I think I'll take a break from this series now...