Season Review: Devil May Cry: Season 2

Devil May Cry by Adi Shankar returns for another season on Netflix. It features the return of Johnny Young Bosch as Dante, Scout Taylor-Compton as Lady, Ian James Corlett as VP Baines, Kari Wahlgren as Eva and Robbie Daymond as Vergil. It also features Ray Chase as the demon king Mundus, Graham McTavish as Arius, John Gries, Salli Saffioti, Andrew Morgado, Tara Strong, Kue Lawrence, Marcel Nahapetian, John Omohundro, Paris Johnson with Keith David and the late Tony Todd rounding out the cast.

Picking up where the first season left off, the United States of America has declared war against Hell itself and the bloodbaths are playing right into the worst hands in both the human and demon worlds. But the shadowy backer of the paramilitary organization DARKCOM has plans of his own and that can spell the end for both realms. It’s up to Dante, the Son of Sparda, to save humanity while DARKCOM’s former golden girl Mary must make a stand of her own and decide whether she’s fighting for her home and her unit or for her own hatred of demons. Meanwhile, the other lost Son of Sparda, Vergil has his own agenda and his own vendettas…

Spoilers are to follow:

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Season Review: The Witcher Season 4

The Witcher returns for its fourth season and now features Liam Hemsworth in the lead role of Geralt of Rivia. New additions to the cast include Meng’er Zhang, Danny Woodburn, Christelle Elwin, Ben Radcliffe, Fabian McCallum, Aggy K. Adams, Connor Crawford, and Juliette Alexandra. It also features Clive Russell, James Purefoy with Sharlto Copley and Laurence Fishburne.

Set after the end of season three, the story follows Geralt and Jaskier journeying through a warzone to Nilfgaard under the belief of rescuing Ciri. Yennefer leading the remnants of the Sorcerers against Vilgfortz and his conspirators before he destroys them all. And Ciri joining with a band of highwaymen to try and get away from the various factions wanting to use her. Meanwhile, Nilfgaard continues to consolidate their power, the forces of the northern kingdoms struggle to keep them in check and a new threat stalks the Ciri and her band of friends.

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Season Review: Critical Role: The Legend of Vox Machina

The crew of nerdy-ass voice actors are back for a third season of Critical Role: The Legend of Vox Machina as the familiar crew of Laura Bailey (Vex), Liam O’Brien (Vax), Travis Willingham (Grog), Marisha Ray (Keyleth), Ashley Johnson (Pike), Sam Riegel (Scanlon), Taliesin Jaffe (Percy), and Matt Mercer return for more adventures in the D&D world of Exandria. Newcomers include Mara Junot as J’mon Sa Ord, Rachel House as Dohla, with Debra Wilson as Pa’tice and Luis Carazo as Zerxus. Returning cast includes Indira Varma, Stephanie Beatriz, Sunil Malhotra, Esme Creed-Miles, Gina Torres, Aisling Franciosi, Mary Elizabeth McGlynn, Will Friedle, Fred Tatasciore, Troy Baker, Kelly Hu, Cree Summer, and the late Lance Reddick as Thordak.

Continuing from the end of season 2, Vox Machina have secured a great victory in securing three Vestiges of Divergence, great artifacts with the powers of the gods, and have slain Umbrasyl of the Chroma Conclave. But to defeat the rest of the draconic cabal, more Vestiges must be claimed and the quest for them will lead them all over the world, into the depths of hell itself, and in the sights of old enemies and new. And if they’re to stop the Cinder King’s mad plan that would bring the world to ash, an alliance of convenience with a treacherous deceiver may have to be made. And that could cost them more than they can imagine…

Warning: Spoilers may follow.

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Season Review: The Witcher Season 3

The Witcher returns for its third season and sees the return of Henry Cavill as Geralt, Anya Chalotra as Yennefer, Freya Allan Cirilla and Joey Batey as Jaskier. It also features MyAnna Buring, Mimi Ndiweni, Eamon Farren, Anna Shaffer, Royce Pierreson, Ed Birch, Hugh Skinner, Simson, Tom Canton, Sam Woolf, Aisha Fabienne Ross, Mahesh Jadu, Wilson Mbomio, Jeremy Crawford with Graham McTavish, Bart Edwards and Lars Mikkelsen.

Picking up after the second season, the combined forces of Geralt and Yennefer having managed to keep their ward Ciri from the Deathless Mother and the Wild Hunt. Now acting as a slightly dysfunctional but still close family unit, the three of them train, learn and try to stay ahead of those hunting Ciri. Easier said than done as kingdoms of the North, the Brotherhood of Sorcerers and the Nilfgaard-Elvish alliance all want her for their own ends.

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Season Review: The Cuphead Show! Season 3

The Cuphead Show! returns to Netflix for its third and final season and once again features Tru Valentino and Frank Todaro as Cuphead and Mugman with Grey DeLisle as Ms. Chalice, Joe Hanna as Elder Kettle, Luke Millington-Drake as the Devil and Wayne Brady as Mr. King Dice. It also features the return of Gary Anthony Williams as Quadratus, Chris Wylde and Rick Zieff as Ribby and Croaks, Marcia Gay Harden as Sally Stageplay and additional voices by Dave Wasson and Cosmo Segurson.

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New In Review: Sonic the Hedgehog 2

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is the sequel to the 2020 live-action adaptation of the Sonic the Hedgehog video game franchise and was directed by Jeff Fowler. It features Ben Schwartz as Sonic, Idris Elba as Knuckles the Echidna, Colleen O’Shaughnessey as Tails and Jim Carrey as Dr. Robotnik. James Marsden, Tika Sumpter, Natasha Rothwell, Adam Pally, Shemar Moore, Lee Majdoub, Effina Luk, Melody Nosipho Niemann and Tom Butler round out the cast.

Picking up not long after the end of the first movie, Sonic the Hedgehog has settled in pretty well with his new family of Tom (Marsden) and Maddie (Sumpter) in Green Hills while occasionally moonlighting as a superhero. But when Robotnik returns from his off world exile thanks to a new antagonist Knuckles, Sonic will have to team up with Tails (seen at the end of the first movie) to defeat him and prevent the mad doctor from acquiring a mysterious relic that ties to both Sonic and Knuckles’ past.

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Season Review: The Cuphead Show!

Back in 2014, the first trailer for Cuphead appeared; pioneered by the brothers Chad and Jared Moldenhauer, this run-and-gun styled video game was a love letter to the animation of the 1930’s. The plot was simple, two sentient cup brothers, Cuphead and Mugman are hustled by the Devil himself and the only way to save their souls is to travel across the Inkwell Isles and collect the contracts of other runaway debtors, thus pitting them against a wide bevy of bizarre bosses. Featuring some fantastic hand-drawn animation, toe-tappin’ jazz, wacky bosses and a surprising amount of challenge, Cuphead “Don’t Deal with the Devil” became a surprising success.

So it became an even bigger surprise that Netflix announced an animated series based on the game in 2019.

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Season Review: The Witcher Season 2

The Witcher season 2 is a continuation of the Netflix dark fantasy epic and stars Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia, Anya Chalotra as Yennefer the sorceress, Freya Allan as Princess Cirilla and Joey Batey as Jaskier the bard. It also stars MyAnna Buring, Mimi Ndiweni, Eamon Farren, Anna Shaffer, Royce Pierreson, Mecia Simson, Tom Canton, Wilson Mbomio with Kim Bodnia and Lars Mikkelsen.

Previously, I wrote that The Witcher was certainly ambitious and it was clear that the cast and crew were working to make something akin to HBO’s Game of Thrones. But the first season was hampered by the anachronistic storytelling for each episode and a disconnect between the various characters because of that. Has that been fixed for Season 2? Well….

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Season Review: Arcane

Arcane is a Netflix animated series based on the online multiplayer game League of Legends by Riot Games. Set in the game’s world of Runeterra, the show acts as a prequel of sorts to the game. Detailing the conflict and rising independence of undercity Zaun from Piltover as viewed through the growing conflict between sisters Vi and Jinx. It features the voices of Hailee Steinfeld, Ella Purnell, Mia Sinclair Jenness, Kevin Alejandro, Katie Leung, JB Blanc, Toks Olagundoye, Remy Hill, Mick Wingert, Harry Lloyd, Reed Shannon, Yuri Lowenthal, Roger Craig Smith, Josh Keaton and Jason Spisak.

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New In Review: Enola Holmes

Enola Holmes is the latest young adult mystery film based on the Enola Holmes Mysteries novels by Nancy Springer. It was directed by Harry Bradbeer and stars Millie Bobby Brown as the titular character, it also stars Helena Bonham-Carter, Louis Partridge, Fiona Shaw, Frances de la Tour with Adeel Akhtar as Inspector Lestrade, Sam Caflin as the elder Holmes brother Mycroft and Henry Cavill as Sherlock Holmes.

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