Yesflix/Noflix – Psycho Pass or Blood Lad?
Just off a Netflix bender? I know how that feels and I’m sure you know what it’s like after 48 hours of cramming so much TV into your brain you regret nothing but the hours wasted on mediocre/boring shows or movies! That show you stuck on because four red stars means a lot of people clearly like it so what’s the harm? The harm is you’ve just gone and wasted six hours you could have spent actually watching something good! Netflix is like a basket of junk food, it’s filled with colourful delightful treats that you just want to gorge on until the basket is empty and spinning in the clichéd cartoon style 
BUT like junk food, there’s the stuff that’s amazing and the stuff that leaves a bad taste in your mouth (Maoam bars… yay… chocolate raisins…boo!).
Well fret not, I’ve volunteered to scour the Netflix library for the really good stuff and to ensure you steer clear of the sour stuff, I’ll be highlighting the best and the worst every week, in Yesflix/Noflix!
Up first – Anime, because I spent my entire weekend watching these two shows…
Yesflix – Psycho-Pass
The year is 2113 and Japan has isolated itself from the rest of the world, it’s population is monitored by the Sibyl System, a surveillance system that makes use of ‘cymatic’ scans to constantly monitor citizens in order to predict a person’s capability of committing a crime. Those who are found to have exceeded the ‘Crime Coefficient’ index are pursued by Inspectors and their Enforcers and are apprehended for rehabilitation or executed on the spot. The series follows rookie detective Akane Tsunemori, a prodigy who could have had her choice of careers but wound up joining Unit One – here she quickly finds herself out of place amongst seasoned Enforcers and her uptight commanding officer. Akane and her new team begin to string a pattern together as the frequency of brutal murders increase and it seems an enigmatic terrorist is hellbent on not just bringing down the society but exposing the secrets of the Sibyl System for the whole world to see.
I’ve a pet hate when it comes to anime, those shows where it takes nearly half a season to explain the basic story, constantly throwing terminology and plot-saving loopholes at you until it’s patched together a questionable run. For all of its complexity, Psycho-Pass does not fall into that trap and by episode two it’s pretty clear what the show is about and while it may throw it’s own share of new terms and devices at you it’s not a total overload.
The series is as intelligent as it is dark, a perfect combination for any cyberpunk show. It doesn’t shy away from gore and violence doing so as a means to highlight the the brutality of those who commit the crimes despite the threat of being caught by an all seeing surveillance system and that same savagery trapped within us all
It took me a little while to warm up to Akane, in the beginning her appearance makes her stand out the most, her facial expressions are blanketed in an innocence or rather a naivety to see the real world around her, she is a prime example of the country”s population and it’s only by working alongside those who skirt the edge of the Crime Coefficient does she wake up to reality. Her development and transformation from an anxious rookie to a confident detective is handled very well and as a main character she really comes in to her own, supported by some archetypal characters. These characters aren’t lazy and the show does offer some background on them over it’s run but again is careful to reign itself in whenever it starts to deviate from the main plot. Akane is mentored in part by Shinya Kogami, a former Detective now turned Enforcer, he toughens her up and hones her skills while she offers him an anchor to hold him back from allowing his obsession with a cold case and a missing killer from entirely overcoming him.
It’s an extremely well executed show and the entire first season is available to watch on Netflix right now!
Fans of Equilibrium, Dredd and Death Note will love this!
Noflix – Blood Lad
From deathly serious to trying to be funny about death! Blood Lad is an action comedy and while it does have it’s moment, they are few and far between! The series follows Staz, a vampire and territory boss in the East Demon World, he spends his days oogling manga, playing video games and dealing with threats to his power.
Unlike his ancestors, Staz has little interest in stalking and feeding from humans that is until Fuyumi Yanagi stumbles into the Demon World and is killed during an assault on his seat of power.Staz sets out on a journey to restore the girl ghost to her former self enlisting the aid of old friends and some new ones while battling all kinds of demons along the way!
It really has no highlights, boob jokes, effeminate ogres and a pouty main character draw few laughs and the spotlight is stolen mostly by Bell a foul mouth spatial magician and Mamejirou a beer swilling three eyed furry demon animal mascot… thing! Several episodes in I found myself bored and distracting myself with anything but paying attention to what was going on on screen. Blood Lad is pretty colorful and has a pretty interesting concept but it just doesn’t go anywhere.
The ten episodes do a lot of talking but just don’t pay off and it suffers from that pitfall of cramming too much in too early.
Avoid like the plague!
Fans of Soul Eater, Hellsing and Highschool of the Dead should avoid this!
Editor-in-Chief, part-time super villain and hoarder of cats. If you can’t find me writing, I’m probably in the kitchen!
