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With the introduction of anime to its extensive library, Netflix has become an integral player in the anime industry, with original shows like Aggretsuko and Castlevania garnering critical acclaim. If you haven’t had a chance to check out one of their original titles, allow us to give you a sneak peek of what Netflix has to offer.
- Kotaro Lives Alone
Kotaro Lives Alone follows a 4-year-old boy named Kotaro who suddenly moves into an apartment complex by himself. Although Kotaro does his best to be self-sufficient, providing for himself and traveling alone, his neighbors collectively pitch in to lend Kotaro a helping hand. Kotaro gets especially close to Shin: a lonely mangaka who takes Kotaro under his wing. As Shin and Kotaro grow closer, Shin becomes less of a friend and more of a guardian as he starts to uncover more details about Kotaro’s mysterious past and the whereabouts of his parents. Don’t let the adorable main character fool you; this show gets deep, touching on heartbreaking themes of love, abandonment, and child abuse. It cleverly masks these topics with cozy slice-of-life vibes and light-hearted humor that makes the show easy to watch. Kotaro Lives Alone is a true gem, and with only ten episodes in the series, it won’t take long to get through.
- Seven Deadly Sins
Seven Deadly Sins takes us to the Kingdom of Liones, a Britain-based kingdom that’s currently under attack by those who swore to protect it. When the royal family of Liones is seized by the treacherous Holy Knights, Princess Elizabeth manages to escape and sets off in search of the only group of warriors powerful enough to run to the Kingdom’s aid: the legendary Seven Deadly Sins (a crew of renegade knights that personify each of the seven sins.)
With Seven Deadly Sins, you can expect a medieval series that focuses more on story development and less on individual characters, sacrificing character development for the sake of advancing the overarching plot. Its genre-bending elements will give you a little dose of everything: a little bit of romance, comedy, and suspense to counter all the Akira Toriyama-esque action and drama. Since its premiere, Seven Deadly Sins has made quite a name for itself. The series had an impressive five-season run, two films, and three OVAs making it one of the most successful anime titles from the Netflix catalog.
- DOTA: Dragon’s Blood
Based on Valve’s Dota 2, DOTA: Dragon’s Blood follows the story of Davion the Dragon Knight who teams up with a warrior princess to save the world from a powerful demon. With the appearance of everything from brothels, dragons, taverns, and sword fighting, it’s basically the anime equivalent of Game of Thrones. The DOTA cast is made up of every race and class you would expect to see in a show based in the Middle Ages, including everything from warrior princesses to elves, dragon knights, and demons. The characters are fleshed out in such great detail that they come off as real. Even their dialogue flows naturally. One of the best things about the series is the writing; it manages to string together multiple storylines at once and introduce characters often without causing frustration or confusion. DOTA’s cinematic storytelling, gruesome battles, and mystifying lore make it not only one of the best Netflix originals but one of the best video game adaptations ever made for TV.
- Cyberpunk: Edgerunners
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners takes us to Night City, a cyberpunk metropolis where money is everything. Here, we meet David Martinez, an underprivileged kid who’s down on his luck. A misfit and an outcast, David tries everything in his power to stay on the straight and narrow path until an unfortunate tragedy leaves him without care or guidance. With his back to the wall and nowhere else to go, he turns to a life of crime and gets taken in by a crew of degenerates, who make a living doing odd jobs on the underground: the aptly named Cyberpunks. Packed with a killer soundtrack and S-tier visuals, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners is grade-A adult animation whose graphic violence, dialogue, and sexual content make it NSFW. Ironically, Cyberpunk’s tone is a complete contrast to its dazzling neon aesthetic, giving us a hard, gritty tale of one kid’s fall from grace. After witnessing the shadiness of the dog-eat-dog world of Night City, there’s only one thing viewers will take away: trust no one.
- BEASTARS
BEASTARS is an intriguing story about oppression, discrimination, and internal struggle. In the BEASTARS universe, carnivores are ostracized in society and labeled as monsters for their natural abilities. Eating meat is illegal, having fangs is frowned upon, and herbivores talk down to them on a regular basis. This treatment is made worse when an herbivore is devoured at Cherryton Academy, creating tension among the student body. It’s here that we meet Legoshi, a wolf whose reputation precedes him. Despite his daunting appearance, Legoshi is a gentle giant who has struggled to resist his animal instincts since he was a pup. His strength is tested when he falls in love with a rabbit, a controversial pairing that tests his willpower. BEASTARS’ dramatic tale of love and prejudice is complemented by its unique art style, with heavily outlined illustrations that really get straight to the heart of you. The script is so poetic, it’s almost lyrical, cleverly showcasing the inner dialogue of its cast. With two seasons out and another one on the way, it’s definitely one of the best anime Netflix has to offer.
With the announcement of new anime like the Scott Pilgrim series, we know the Netflix original lineup is only getting better from here. You can check out anime like BEASTARS and Cyberpunk: Edgerunners streaming now on Netflix. What’s your favorite Netflix original anime? Let us know on social media @blackgirlnerds.
Some movies spark an urge to travel, fall in love, or even eat your way through a new city. Ironically, The Equalizer 3 gave us all those urges while also allowing us to enjoy intense death scenes and bloody vengeance.
I want to travel to a coastal city in Italy, drink un caffè at a little bistro where the locals know my name, eat pasta con carne or fresh fish of the day, and fall in love with a tiny town that embraces me as one of their own. Don’t worry, this is not Eat, Pray, Love. I mean that The Equalizer 3 is more than just your average film about a protective retired assassin who saves the day.
Denzel Washington has always been THAT guy, especially for the Black community. He is our inspiration, our favorite actor (even if we don’t know it). If you google “top Black actors,” he is number one, and for good reason. Washington is known for his engaging and powerful performances. He’s done so much to help alter the perception that Black actors can’t bring in that mainstream (white) audience. Everybody loves Denzel!
When it comes to this particular genre, in the beginning, people were fascinated by Taken (2008), and it was popular enough to become a trilogy. But Taken 2 and 3 weren’t as great as the first. People are head over heels for John Wick (myself included). He’s another ex-whatever thrust back into the world he tried to leave behind. Here’s the thing: all these men have “a very particular set of skills,” but when it comes down to it, if I need help from kidnappers, mafia, mob, or even military assassins, between Robert McCall (Washington), Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson), and John Wick (Keanu Reeves), I’m going with McCall.
In The Equalizer 3, we find Robert, aka Roberto, in Italy, serving justice for those who have been egregiously wronged and can’t do much about it themselves. He seeks peace and finds local crime bosses and the Italian mafia in a little heavenly corner of Southern Italy. Robert is making new friends and family and finding his zen, post demolishing an entire vineyard-turned-compound.
When the people he cares about are taken advantage of and threatened, he becomes protective and wants them to live their best lives. This is bad for the Italian mafia, who wants to eliminate all the locals for personal gain. Like always, McCall gives them a chance to do right. They are disinclined to acquiesce to his request, so blood rains.
With returning director Antoine Fuqua and returning writers Richard Wenk, Michael Sloan, and Richard Lindheim (based on the television series created by Michael Sloan and Richard Lindheim), we are given some great action and fun dialogue in this third installment. The film also welcomes Dakota Fanning (Emma Collins) to the franchise, as well as Eugenio Mastrandrea (Gio), Remo Girone (Enzo), Andrea Scarduzio (Vincent), and Andrea Dodero (Marco).
It was a pleasure to see Washington and Fanning back on screen together. We haven’t seen them together since Man on Fire when Fanning was 9 or 10 years old (now 29). Their chemistry is fantastic. It was like a teacher with their favorite student, or even better, a father-daughter relationship. Washington completely embodies his character, Robert McCall. From the little random comedy moments in dialogue to the deafening stare from across the room, his character is so fun to watch on screen. The Equalizer 3 is very engaging; our compliments to the cast. Automatically, working in a film with Denzel Washington means you step up your game.
The film has humor and heart, with stunning cinematography and fantastic action scenes. A major round of applause goes to the special effects team and makeup department for every bit of blood splatter committed in this film. The blood and death scenes, while intense, were brilliant.
There were a few chuckles and OMG moments as Denzel “murderized” (beyond even a regular homicide) someone on screen. But it was all done in an impressively different way from other films in this category. There were no surprise twists or turns. It was straightforward and still creative. The dialogue was enhanced from the first two Equalizer films, as was the story. There was a stronger connection to McCall’s situation and his purpose.
Out of everything that happens in this movie, including the slaughter of bad guys, the only real question we had at the end was, why did the lady have no pants on? But, I chalk it up to the Italian culture that, honestly, given how hot it’s been lately, I can get behind.
The Equalizer 3 from Sony and Columbia Pictures hits theaters exclusively on Friday, September 1, 2023.
Ahsoka’s third episode marked the franchise’s first-ever live-action appearance of an original Star Wars Resistance character, Senator Hamato Xiono. Senator Xiono (played by Nelson Lee) debuted on the sequel trilogy-era animated series via hologram. He’s the father of Star Wars Resistance‘s main character and hero, Kazuda Xiono. Senator Xiono’s tense meeting with General Hera Syndulla on Ahsoka wasn’t just a fun crossover, though. It showed how Xiono’s refusal to take Hera’s warnings seriously will one day lead to his home world’s destruction in The Force Awakens. Let’s dive into Senator Xiono’s role in Ahsoka, his Star Wars history, and his ultimately tragic story.
Who Is Ahsoka‘s Senator Xiono?
New Republic Senator Hamato Xiono represented Hosnian Prime, a major Core Worlds planet. Ahsoka revealed the wealthy, well-connected, regal politician also held an even higher position in the fledgling government. Senator Xiono was part of a small group of influential Senators who worked as both advisors and decision-makers alongside Star Wars‘ Chancellor Mon Mothma during the New Republic’s early years.
Ahsoka carefully notes that Xiono attained his spot in Mothma’s inner circle despite not having fought against the Empire during the Galactic Civil War. Hera Syndulla accused him of sitting out the conflict to see who won, but it’s not clear why Senator Xiono didn’t rebel against Palpatine. Hosnian Prime was close to Coruscant, the seat of the Emperor’s power. It might have been all but impossible for Hosnian Prime to rise up without causing its own destruction.
That danger might explain Senator Xiono’s past inaction in the Star Wars world, which would have seemed prudent to him once the Empire collapsed. It clearly did not prevent his people from electing him to serve as Hosnian Prime’s Senator for decades. But it did prove a harbinger of how Xiono would serve his New Republic.
When Did Senator Hamato Xiono Make His Star Wars Debut?
Senator Xiono first appeared in the Star Wars universe on the animated series Star Wars Resistance, which took place 25 years after Ahsoka. Xiono (voiced by Tzi Ma) originally appeared via a scrambled hologram during the show’s first season. While we couldn’t see his face during that call, we could hear him scolding his son for working with the “extremist” Resistance group. Senator Xiono had previously secured a position for his son in the New Republic Defense Force Academy. That resulted in Kazuda joining the government’s Starfighter Corps.
Star Wars Resistance made it clear that Senator Xiono wanted his son to serve the New Republic, which he hoped to keep out of a war with the First Order. Only war—and worse—would ultimately find Senator Xiono in Star Wars‘ world.
What Happened to Hosnian Prime in The Force Awakens?
Senator Hamato Xiono’s Hosnian Prime was so important in Star Wars, it ultimately became the capital of the New Republic. It was also part of the rotation of planets that temporarily hosted the Galactic Senate. All of which made it a primary target of the First Order. The fascist group took aim at Hosnian Prime and four other planets in the Hosnian System when it used Starkiller Base. That fatal blast, seen across the galaxy, destroyed all five planets along with the New Republic’s Fleet that had been based on Hosnian Prime.
Hamato Xiono and his family only survived because they’d been off-world during the attack. And yet, despite the annihilation of his planet and his people, mirroring the moment in Ahsoka, Xiono still could not bring himself to fight. When he contacted his son to let him know he was alive, Xiono implored his son to run rather than fight with Star Wars‘ Resistance. He even blamed Kazuda for making his family a target.
Ahsoka Reveals The Tragedy of Senator Xiono’s Own Failures
Now, thanks to Ahsoka, we know Senator Xiono’s failures were not just limited to later in life. Nor was his cowardly response to Hosnian Prime’s destruction a single dereliction of duty. He was never capable of doing the job the galaxy and his people needed him to do when it needed Xiono most. He always failed to see the danger posed by Imperial loyalists and the First Order that sprung from them. The Senator was so desperate to avoid war that he helped usher in its arrival.
If Senator Xiono had taken General Syndulla’s warnings seriously during the time of Ahsoka, he might have saved his home and millions of lives. Instead, he helped ensure its destruction and an era of death in the galaxy far, far away. It’s a sad end for a Senator who could never recognize what so many others desperately tried to make him see.
Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist. You can follow him on Twitter and Bluesky at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.
The post Senator Xiono’s Live-Action Debut on AHSOKA Makes His STAR WARS Story More Tragic appeared first on Nerdist.
Representation matters, and Black children deserve to see positive representations of themselves, their identities, and their communities in the books they read.
Growing up, it was a Saturday ritual for my mother to take me to the library. It was something I looked forward to, spending time with my mother and having a world of books to choose from.
I also remember how difficult it was to find books with Black children. There may have been a few, but for the most part, none with rich stories for me to identify with. So, I had to place myself into stories that weren’t necessarily for me and use my imagination.
But finding one representative story is not enough. In a 2009 TED Talk that’s been viewed over 30 million times, Nigerian novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie talked about the danger of a single story. She tells the story of how she found her authentic cultural voice and warns that if we hear only a single story about another person or country, we risk a critical misunderstanding.
When children don’t regularly see an accurate representation of themselves, it sends to them a powerful and harmful message that they do not belong. If children aren’t able to find themselves reflected in the stories they read or when the images they see are not authentic, they learn a lesson in how they will be perceived in the world. Black children need to see their real lives on the page; their families and culture.
I was excited to find out that Adichie was publishing her debut children’s picture book, Mama’s Sleeping Scarf, a story about a little girl’s love for her mother’s scarf, and the adventures she shares with it and her whole family.
Adichie wrote this story for her daughter and as the daughter of Grace and James, her late mother and father. This is why the book is published under the name Nwa Grace James. She wanted to honor the relationship with her daughter as well as honor her parents, whom she lost recently.
This is an adorable book with beautifully-colored illustrations by Joelle Avelino, a Congolese and Angloan illustrator. The story is about Chino and her mama’s soft, silky scarf. For little Chino, the scarf is like a piece of her mama that she can hold onto throughout the day while Mama is at work. Chino plays with the scarf as any typical young child would. The green fabric with “big red circles” and “little blue circles” can be a blanket for Bunny, a curtain to play peekaboo, and a scarf for Chino, which she wears at dinner when Mama comes home.
Throughout the day, Chino plays games, eats snacks, and exercises with her papa, grandpa, grandma, and Bunny. The scarf serves as a connection. This comes to life when grandma ties the scarf around Chino’s head and tells her, “Now you look just like Mama.”
Finally, the scarf returns to Mama at bedtime. Mama has long, beautiful braids that she has to keep tight. This book rolls through the typical day of a fun-loving family from morning until bedtime, and Adichie has a wonderful way of emitting a fun and warm impression on the reader.
What I love is that Avelino’s illustrations depict a family with a range of skin tones and hair colors, which is a refreshing reflection of the true diversity of the Black community. Bright backgrounds with repeating circular patterns feature various shapes and colors while placing the focus on Chino’s relationships with the people she loves most. The straightforward text lingers on each scene, inviting children to dwell in Chino’s world.
Reading this story made me think about how the smallest thing, like a piece of cloth, can do big things for a child. I don’t know about you, but my mother had a couple of items of clothing that I associated with her. I can’t say that I used them to feel closer to her when she would leave, but I do understand little Chino’s bond with her mother.
Chino’s mother must have her sleeping scarf, with its bold colors and circles “to keep her hair soft and nice.” Chino loves that scarf almost as much as her mama, as it gives her comfort. When Mama must leave for work, Chino worries that she won’t come back. Most children can relate to this, as they don’t want to see Mama go. Chino’s mama knew that something so special to her would be just the thing to refocus her child’s fears.
Overall, this is such a sweet story about worries and adventures, along with routines and family. Mama’s Sleeping Scarf shows how the smallest things are connected, how a family relates to one another, and more importantly, how Mama always comes back home.
I give this book a 5/5 stars. It is a celebration of everyday Black family life.
Mama’s Sleeping Scarf is available September 5 everywhere books are sold. Please consider purchasing from Bookshop.org which helps indie bookstores compete online and maintain their presence in local communities.