So, I realize my last few journals have been pretty negative, complaining about this and that, and I may tend to post more negative thoughts than positive ones. If guess I like something, I just enjoy it and don't feel the need to write about it.

So this time, I'll make an effort to be more positive and tell you what kind of works I've been enjoying recently!

First off, ED BRUBAKER'S RUN ON "CAPTAIN AMERICA" has been phenomenal so far. I mean, the comic should be bland patriotic propaganda (I'm being unfair, of course ), but it's actually one of the best mainstream books I've ever read. The artwork has been awesome as well, and both writing and art have been holding this high standard for more than 50 issues! [link]

Secondly, NAOKI URASAWA'S "PLUTO - THE GREATEST ROBOT ON EARTH". I don't read many manga, but I've fallen in love with Urasawa's work ever since I started reading "20th Century Boys". He's certainly one of the best storytellers I know, and probably the only one who will move me to tears... frequently! So, after I've read the aforementioned "20th Century Boys" and his *other* well-known series, "Monster", I was eager to read more... and luckily, his re-telling of one of the most popular Astro Boy episodes, "the greatest robot on earth", is currently being published in the US. And it's as great as anything I've read by him. [link]

Thirdly, I really enjoy the CLONE WARS TV series. It's probably the best TV animation since the original WB Batman animated series (that's arguable, of course!). It has a lot of dialogue and exposition, and I find myself rewinding all the time because I blinked and missed some detail. And that's something I really like, in a time in which TV animation has become very, very flat (story- and art-wise). It's almost as densely scripted as "Ghost In The Shell - Stand Alone Complex" -- and hey, this is Star Wars, a property I thought was completely down and out after the new trilogy. Oh, and I usually don't like CG animation, but this one looks great. [link]

Lastly, Germany finally has a good casting show on TV - intended to find a singer for the rather laughable Eurovision Song Contest, no less! The first show already boasted some surprising talent [link] ... and again, I usually hate these shows. HATE HATE HATE-- uh, wait, I was supposed to think positive...

Okay, so much for my efforts to think positive ^_^

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