There was a point in the first episode of Netflix’s Castlevania where I saw a dead child, torn up by demons unleashed upon the Earth. Going in nearly blind to this new series and knowing the property based on the name alone, that was one of the few surprises to be found in this short season, meant to show that this wasn’t an animated show that was going to hide away from going to dark places: the show is the dark place and you’re in it nearly right away.
I enjoyed Ghost in the Shell, I’ll admit that much. As a movie, it was entertaining. Visually stunning. Sonically harrowing. The acting was alright, but the biggest sin the movie commits outside of its controversial whitewashing scandal is that it turns the philosophical message of the source into a character story. While not a bad call in an attempt to appeal to an American audience, it ultimately may be considered insulting in the sense that it belittles the audience in an attempt to appeal to them. Now that rumors of an adaptation of the classic and influential anime film Akira are spinning once again, Akira has the chance to succeed where Ghost in the Shell, ultimately, fell short. While the idea either excites...
