Ten Shot, In Half

So it’s a Ten Shot, but for 2 shows, so I’ll do 5 each. Both Trese and Wish Dragon are on Netflix and just came out this week.

First up, Trese.

1. Animated Urban Fantasy. Not anime, closer to Batman TAS or Justice League style. Pretty well done. Not as smooth as some of the better action anime’s out there, but good enough to be enjoyable. Not for the little kiddies.
2. Set in Manila, Philippines. So unless you are familiar with the mythology of Indonesia, you won’t recognize the supernatural entities at play. Aside from a ghost, the only familiar monsters were two werewolves and some zombies. Kinda refreshing, actually. I get a bit sick of everything being Vampires and Werewolves.
3. Congruent with the setting, everything is in English, some Spanish, and Tagalog (if you are pronouncing that Tag-A-Log, you are wrong). All the spells are in Tagalog (I think, sure sounds like Tagalog).
4. It’s only 6 episodes, and while it starts out feeling like a baddie of the week, it quickly moves to a big baddie stirring up trouble. Who the big baddie is becomes obvious quickly, but there are still surprises involved.
5. The pacing is quick, and it’s tight. Not a lot of lingering atmospheric shots. They got a story to tell, and only 6 half hour episodes to tell it. If you need to use the bathroom, pause it, or you’ll miss something.

Next up, Wish Dragon.

1. CGI Animation, well done. Very much one for the kids, but enjoyable for the adults too.
2. It’s Disney’s Aladdin, but while the chord progressions are the same, the key is different. There is still a lower class young man getting three wishes aimed towards the attention of an upper class young woman. And that’s about where it stops being Aladdin.
3. The Dragon is comic relief, but less because he’s copying Robin Williams, and more because he’s been stuck in a jade teapot since the Qing Dynasty. And he’s highly annoyed with the young man.
4. The last wish is used selflessly, but not to free the dragon. You’ll see it coming, but only just.
5. The Chinese God behind it all is a hoot. Too bad he’s only there in the beginning and the end. Also, the young man’s mom and neighbors are funny as well.