Howl's Moving Castle

I had heard nothing but amazing reviews of this movie from almost everyone that I know, so now that I have been granted the magic of Netflix once again I decided that I should check it out. I have to say I wasn't disappointed.

The movie is set in a magical, yet easily identifiable land that is on the brink of war. We start with Sophie, an eighteen year old who takes up her father's hat shop after his death. One day when she goes to see her little sister Lettie she is accosted by two guards. A man steps in and saves her and with magic transports her to her sisters bakery. When Sophie returns to the hat shop, which is also her home, she is cursed by the witch of the waste who is after Howl's heart. Sophie is transformed into an old woman and decides to go to the north then burden anyone with her problems. As she goes further into the waste she rights a scarecrow which turns out to be enchanted by a witch. This scarecrow, which Sophie names Turnip head because of the vegetable that makes up his head, brings Howl's castle to her so she has somewhere to get out of the cold.  Sophie is scared at first, but remembering that Howl only eats the heart of pretty girls, goes inside and sits by the fire. She then meets Calcifer, a fire demon that is bound to Howl. Soon Sophie is cleaning the castle as well as taking care of Markl and finding out that Howl, though a powerful magician, is quite a coward. With Sophie's help he stands up to Madame Suliman, the King's official sorceress, but in the process of fighting off her henchmen gets into pretty bad trouble. Sophie, goes into Howl's childhood through his magic door and finds a way to help both Calcifer and Howl. I don't want to ruin the ending, but it is what you expect from a child's film, with a little twist. 

This is a movie that has to be seen more then one (or maybe just don't watch it for the first time at one in the morning) to get the full effect of the story. As I rewatched it a second time I started to notice little details here and there that made how we got the ending make so much more sense. Just to point out a few, all the colorful items in Howl's room and the cave that Sophie sees in her dream. Since he lost his heart as a child he still has childish desires, that is why he is selfish, only wants to be beautiful, and surrounds himself with toys and pretty things. I was more satisfied with the ending the second time (not that I didn't like it the first time or anything) The art work was absolutely amazing, I was blown away time and time again about how detailed and wonderful it was. I can't even praise the animation enough, everything was beautiful. 

*gif not mine credit to owner/marker*

I watched the English version so Howl's voice was Christian Bale and Calcifer was done by Billie Crystal. I don't know if I would have had a different reaction hearing the Japanese version, but there voices really drew me into the characters. I have always loved Christian Bale's voice, it is really beautiful when he isn't making it all raspy like in batman. I have always loved Billy Crystal and the fact that he was Calcifer made me love the character more then I already did. This being said, I can't help but feel that some of the scenes had a much bigger impact and seemed less...scripted...in the Japanese. I know it was supposed to be a children's movie, but at times I found myself going...really? As someone who watches a good deal of anime, both subbed and dubbed, it isn't as if I haven't had these moments before, but I might have to go find a subbed Japanese version to see if there is a major difference.     

*spoiler alert*

The ending, though wonderful and what is expected, has a really interesting aspect to it. I expected Turnip head to change back into a human and with a little of thought I could have figured out that he was the missing Prince. However I never saw coming that Sophie was his true love, yet she would be in love with Howl and Howl would be in love with her. My favorite line in the whole movie is when the Prince sees that Sophie is in love with Howl. "One thing you can always count on is that hearts change." I think this is a very powerful message and I really love it. I didn't see it coming, but thoroughly enjoyed it.  

Overall I give it a 4.8 out of 5. There was just some points at the awkward dialogue made me almost cringe. I am really excited to read the book that this was based on as well, though I hear that they are nothing like the movie. It is a really fun and great film with obvious messages and lessons to be learned. I recommend watching it.  

Inuyasha - Season 1

Though this is the first anime that I really got into and interested in, I have still yet to finish it. I get so far and then something comes up and I stop watching it. I am determined to completely finish it this time.

The story follows fifteen year old Kagome, who up until her most recent birthday is a normal teenage girl. When her cat wanders onto the building that holds hidden well on the shrine grounds that are also her home, Kagome is grabbed by a centipede monster and dragged into the well. She comes out in a new land many years in the past and is soon fighting the centipede monster again who says she posses the Sacred Jewel of the Four Souls. After the jewel is ripped from her body, Kagome has no choice but to release Inuyasha. Inuyasha, a half demon sealed fifty years ago for attempting to steal the jewel, reluctantly joins with Kagome to find all the shards that had shattered throughout Japan after Kagome shatters it with an arrow. Now there are a lot of episodes in this anime so I am going to break it down by season.

Inuyasha is the main male character in the anime (obviously since it is named after him) and a rather rough character at first. He is half demon, half human and wants to use the Sacred Jewel to turn into a full demon. Very early into the season though you learn Inuyasha kind of had a crappy life. He was excluded and ridiculed as a child because he was part demon, his brother Sesshomaru wants to kill him because he is half human and the woman he loved sealed him to a tree for fifty years. Not exactly the best life a guy could have. It gets worse when said love of his life comes back from the dead, but I'll deal with that a little later. Inuyasha also has a caring and sweet side that we get to see when Kagome is in danger. Inuyasha also gains possession of Tessaiga, a powerful sword made out of the fang of his father, which he can use because he wishes to protect humans, unlike his brother Sesshomaru.

Kagome is the main female lead and it is safe to say that the series could have just as easily been named Kagome as it could have been named Inuyasha. Kagome is the reincarnation of Kikyo, Inuyasha's first love and a powerful priestess. Now, at times Kagome can be your typical anime girl, annoying always screaming for Inuyasha ect. but that isn't all the time which makes her a lot easier to stand. You have to admire the way she deals with the whole Inuyasha, Kikyo thing even if she won't admit to herself that she is in love with him. As many people have pointed out, the series could have easily been called Kagome because we follow her and know more about her then we do Inuyasha. 

Shippo is a young fox demon who joins the party after Inuyasha saves him from the Thunder Brothers who killed Shippo's father. Inuyasha and Shippo don't get along very well, but Kagome took a quick liking to him because he was so cute and made Inuyasha let him join them. Shippo most of the time is comic relief, he has little fighting ability and at times gets kind of annoying. I love Shippo, don't get me wrong, he is funny and at times very insightful, but like all little kids he gets in my nerves sometimes. 

Miroku, a Buddhist monk, comes into the series as another person looking for the sacred jewel. Though he is a good man at heart he has a lecherous streak and doesn't miss an opportunity to touch a pretty girls butt. He doesn't agree to join Inuyasha and the others until he see Kagome pick up a tainted piece of the sacred jewel and purify it immediately. It is from Miroku that we first hear about Naraku, a powerful demon who is collecting the jewel fragments himself. Miroku needs to find and kill Naraku to lift a curse that has been put on his family causing there to be a tunnel in their right hand that will suck everything into it. If Miroku can not kill Naraku in time he himself will be sucked into the wind tunnel. He uses this as an excuse to ask any beautiful woman he sees to bear his children.    

Sango and Kirara (pronounce Kilala) round out the party that travel with Inuyasha and. We don't met her until the 24th episode of the series. Sango comes from a special village of demon slayers and Kirara, though a demon, is her helper and pet. Sango is actually sent to kill Inuyasha because she believes he destroyed her village. This news comes after her younger brother, Kohaku, was possessed by a demon to kill their father and attempt to kill her. Kohaku is killed by palace guards leaving Sango alone besides for Kirara. After finding out that Naraku is behind the destruction of her village she joins Inuyasha's party reluctantly, but soon is drawn in my their friendship and warmth. 

I have so many mixed feelings about Kikyo. In the first season I truly do feel bad for her, however since I know what happens in later seasons I have grown to really hate her. It isn't because she comes in between Kagome and Inuyasha because that is typical in anime, but how many times are they going to kill her, but not really kill her. It gets old. Because I seem to be the only one who has addressed this I am going to keep a running count of how many times she "dies" and tally it all up in the end. First season we have her first death 50 years ago, when she falls off the cliff after she is brought back from the dead so that's two. I feel for her and technically she did have Inuyasha's heart first so I don't blame him for being torn, but after a while I just want her to die already. I am sure there will be more on this in other seasons so I will stop for now. 

Sesshomaru is the first villain we are introduced to in the series. He is Inuyasha's full demon half brother. Sesshomaru hates that Inuyasha is half human and that he associates with humans (first Kikyo and now Kagome). He also hates that his brother was left with Tessagia, the powerful sword made from their fathers fang. All this leads to Sesshomaru on a few occasions trying to kill his brother. Now I have to say that I have a mad crush on Sesshomaru, I don't even care that he is a semi-bad guy (kind of like Byakuya is Bleach, but that is a whole other anime). Sesshomaru has a loyal vassal, Jaken, who we really don't know much about in the first season expect his is annoying and everyone likes beating the crap out of him, including Sesshomaru. The become more important in latter seasons, almost as a parallel story line at parts, but they are rather limited in this season.

We are not introduced to the main villain of the series until episode 16, when we first hear of an evil and powerful demon who will do nothing to get the jewel fragments, Naraku. We also learn that he is the one who turned Inuyasha and Kikyo against one another as well as killing Kikyo. I was also impressed about how much we got to know the villain in just the first season. Usually in an anime they would leave the Naraku was actually Onigumo thing for a few more seasons. On a side note, why did they decide to make all of the villians in this anime hot (I know they are cartoons, but still).

My favorite episode this season has to be episode 13 when Inuyasha becomes human for the night. The fact that he has such an obvious handicap makes him more likable and I personally think he looks better with the black hair. Inuyasha tries not to make a big deal out of it, but becoming human one night every month really has to remind him just how he isn't quite demon or human. Also he seems to be much more straight forward with Kagome about how he feels when he is human though he is beat to hell and doesn't remember it later. I like when the main character has some sort of weak spot that he really can't do anything about. Even with this handicap he tries to fight and save Kagome and it is really a turning point in the series with how we see Inuyasha.

I like that in this anime it addresses the fact that Kagome has to balance saving feudal Japan, collecting the jewel shards, and her school work. In so many anime the fact that characters are in school is completely forgotten or ignored as the real plot line unfolds. Most of the action takes place in the school (like Boys Over Flowers) yet you don't see a single teacher or adult figure. Now I know that school systems are different outside of America, but the fact that these kids run rampant with no adults stepping in is so far fetched. However, this anime brings up the fact that Kagome is missing so much school and has tests she needs to study for. I like that though it isn't prominent all the time they don't forget about it. Also if I could get one of those spiritual necklaces that is one Inuyasha for most of the people I know that would be wonderful.    

Now I first watched this anime in English, but after watching it with subtitles (on Hulu if you would like to start watching it :) I don't know which one I like better. Inuyasha in the original is more dog like by growling and such and I really like that. However the first voice of Inuyasha and all the characters I was introduced to was the American voice actors so I am torn. Either way it is really amazing, but it is split about half and half between which voice actor I like better, the original or the American dubber.

This season gets a 4.8 out of 5. It gets such a high rating because my mom likes it and my mom really doesn'y like a lot of the anime that I watch. She thinks Bleach and Fullmetal Alchemist are too dark, but she would stil and watch Inuyasha with me. If it gets Mom's approval it has to get high marks. It isn't a perfect 5 out of 5 because, well, I know it gets better. Stupid reason, yes. Do I care, no. 

Sherlock - The Blind Banker

Alright so I seem to have caught up enough in my class work to take an hour and a half off to watch another episode of Sherlock. After the first episode I have very high expectations for this one and it very much fulfilled them. With in the first five minutes I knew I was not going to be disappointed. The whole scene with Sherlock fighting the man with the sword while John was out doing the shopping was wonderful. I also loved that shift in the "crime element" that Sherlock and John were hunting down. Also with only having three episodes in a series I think they did a wonderful job of developing the characters.

My love for the adorable awkwardness that is Sherlock in this series was magnified quite a lot in this episode. When he is bouncing around the bank office like a little child while all the workers watched was rather adorable.  Then when he pretending to be the neighbor downstairs I wanted to tackle him it was so cute. I will try to keep my Sherlock fangirling to a minimum, but at times he is really too much cute to handle. Stepping away from that Sherlock was a lot more angry and short in this episode then in the last one. He was also a good deal more manipulating, but dear god did he make that all black outfit look good. We also see that Sherlock isn't just the brains, but he is more then able to handle himself in a fight, which is sometimes forgotten in adaptations. We also get a little more into his back story, just a bit, when Sebastian talks about them at university.

John was also changed just enough in this episode. He has gotten over how brilliant Sherlock is and is starting to get a little fed up with him. Especially when John gets in trouble with the spray paint we can see and when Sherlock doesn't let him into the apartments, that his patience with Sherlock is wearing a bit thin. The fact that neither of them have jobs is also addressed in this episode, it bothering John more then it is bother Sherlock, which gives me high hopes that it is going to be on for a long time. I also love John and Sarah's interaction as well, it really showed that unlike Sherlock he wants romantic interaction and a somewhat normal life.

As for the actual case, if you haven't watched it yet skip this paragraph, was extremely interesting to me. It focused a lot more on Sherlock's brain power, but also that even he needs a little help to solve his cases. It was also a far more reaching case then the Cabbie Killer in the first series to a complete organization. Also working with the new Detective Inspector made Sherlock assert himself, which caused him to be more harsh then usual. From taking detective fiction I know that the little cases, the murders, are locked room cases. These were a favorite of Sir Arthur Conan Dole so I was glad that they were featured so early in the series. A weird thing I noticed was that John is always the only one who eats when him and John are out.

Overall I loved this episode. It had a lot more danger, I felt, then the first one. Also even though we know who the culprit was quite a bit before the end of the episode I didn't feel at all disappointed. I really did enjoy the part with the tea pots and the museum as well as the cipher. Everything was well done and I can't wait to have a bit of time to watch the last episode.  

Sherlock - A Study In Pink

Alright so after hearing my English friend rave over Sherlock and seeing it pop up multiple times on my Tumblr I decided to give it a try. Since this episode was an hour an thirty minutes I thought it deserved its own post. I have no idea if they are all this long or not, but I guess we shall see. Anyway I have to say that I extremely enjoyed it. The writing was wonderful and I loved how the updated it without totally butchering it. Sherlock is still antisocial so he texts everyone instead of calling them, I love that. I loved when he was sending the mass text messages in the press conference that just said "Wrong". It so fit the character of Holmes while blending it into the present time. I also loved how they showed the texts beside the person as well as how Sherlock's mind worked while they were running thorough the streets trying to catch up with the taxi.

The story line was also well written, though I figured out who the murder was or at least his occupation very quickly, I would have never gotten to the conclusion the way Sherlock did. However it is nice to think that you are as smart as Sherlock Holmes every once and a while. There are a string of three suicides that have happened in, all took the same drug in a location they were not supposed to be in. The police don't believe they are murders but they also can't ignore the fact that they are related. Soon a forth victim is found who is different from the others and this is when they call in Sherlock Holmes to investigate. I hate when a good mystery story is ruined so I won't tell you the ending, but it is rather good and very Sherlock Holmes.

Now he first thing that really struck me was the setting up of Watson's character. In all the other Sherlock Holmes adaptions I have seen it is Watson who is a solid rock to counter the insane genius of Holmes, but not in this series. John is a veteran returned from Afghanistan after sustaining a gunshot wound. He has not gotten use to civilian life and feels as if nothing is happening. This is very different from the upstanding physician that Watson is usually portrayed as, but I rather like the change. Watson usually has had some military background, but you never see the effects of that. Not only that but John was a lot more sassy then in a lot of the adaptions, the most recent movie aside. He goes with what Sherlock asks him to, but he also talks back and gets lippy. it took a little longer for John to grow on me, but by the end of the first episode I really liked him.

I have always loved Sherlock's humor, quick wit, and wonderful remarks so it did not take me long to like Sherlock in this series. I also didn't hurt that he has lovely eyes. When he got all excited about the fourth death I seriously couldn't handle how cute it was and then when he totally destroyed the forensic expert and the bitchy detective was amazing. The fact that he no longer smokes a pipe, but has nicotine patches I though was a wonderful way to update the piece as well as bring up the fact that he was a former addict. I really do love Sherlock in this series. I haven't decided if I like the fact that he has a brother or not yet however. Sherlock usually has no back story or family so I was a little thrown off. We will have to see after I watch a few more. 

Overall I thought it was brilliant and very well done and I hope all the episodes are this wonderful. I was excited, but also a bit disappointed that I figured it out so quickly. I hope the next one will be a bit more of a challenge. The characters are wonderful and BBC did a wonderful job with production. I give it a 4.8 out of 5
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Doctor Who Series 1 - Fantastic

So I have just finished the first series of Doctor Who for the second time and it is, in a word, fantastic! My aunt was the one who really got me into Doctor Who and I am very glad she did. It is the perfect mixture of humor, action and drama for me and every episode brings a mix of emotions. It just added to the list of impossible things that I want to happen, like my letter from Hogwarts, the TARDIS and the Doctor appearing out of nowhere and going traveling with him. There is just something about seeing the past, present, and future that appeals so much to me, and obviously to thousands of other people. 

Now the 9th doctor Christopher Eccleston actually had to grow on me. My aunt is a huge fan of David Tennant, who it the 10th doctor, so to see someone who wasn't him playing the doctor was a bit weird, but I ended up loving him. He is smart, sweet, bad ass, and totally fits his catch phrase, fantastic. 

Rose took some time to grow on me as well, at first I found her annoying. The first episode almost made me stop watching, but slowly she grew on me. I think Billie Pipper is beautiful and her voice is wonderful, I am going to be sad when she is no longer with the doctor, but I have heard wonderful things about the other companions. I also loved almost all of the outfits that they put her in, I want the TARDIS wardrobe please and thank you. Her relationship with Mickey was kind of annoying as well, I was never convinced that she was in love with him, but Mickey and the doctors back and forth was wonderful. 

And then there is Captain Jack Harkness, who is kind of sex on legs and will have sex with anything that has legs...maybe if they don't depending. I love his character and I am so excited to see that he appears through out the other series as well as Torchwood, which I might watch. He also shows up in my favorite episodes in the first series. 

"Empty Child" and "The Doctor Dances" are my favorite episodes, well "The Doctor Dances" is my favorite but it is a continuation of "Empty Child". I have always been interested in World War II which is the time period that it is set. Just everything about it I love, and yes the first episode is creepy as anything with scary children, but it has a happy ending and I am all about happy endings. It also had my favorite line after "fantastic", which is "Just this once, everybody loves!" 

*****SPOILER ALERT******

I guess I should have done this before, but if you don't want to know the end don't read further

The first series is wonderful, the last episode made me bawl like the teenage girl I am and I didn't want to see him go. I was so happy when they finally kissed, but I knew it was the end so it was so bitter sweet and lovely. I have no idea what I am going to do for the end of the other series, I might need to buy tissues in bulk.  Doctor Who is a wonderful series and really does have something for everyone. I highly recommend it even if you don't like Science Fiction television shows.

House M.D.

Alright so something I have done this semester while battling my way through my math homework, a final I should be studying for right now, is rewatch the first season of House which I own on DVD. I forgot how much I like this show until I came back to it. I stopped watching when they got rid of the original cast of Chase, Cameron and Foreman and started having the competition to see who the next team would be (I think it was the third or fourth season). Now I know that Chase and Foreman are back, but I can't just jump back into the series since I have missed so much. If it is an instant watch on Netflix I might try to get caught up.

ANYWAY, like I was saying the first season was absolutely amazing even though I have watched all of these episodes before. I never get old of House, maybe because he reminds me of my brother, or looking at Chase. Now I don't know why I liked him so much the first time I watched this series because he is a bit whinny and a backstabber in this season. I won't give any details just in case you haven't watched it yet (GO WATCH IT), but I have a soft spot for Chase. It might have something to do with the fact that he has an Australian accent and is extremely good looking....just maybe. 

My favorite character however has to be House's best friend Wilson. Why you ask, well because that is who I am in friendships. I am the person that does everything possible for the other person and 9 times out of 10 gets walked all over. Wilson is also as witty as House, but also a nice guy. I really just like his personality and the way House and Wilson interact with each other. He is the only person House is close to in this season and it lets you see a softer side of House.  

Overall rewatching the first season has pulled me back into liking House and trying once again to watch the series. I just checked and it isn't an instant watch, but that is why there is an Internet full of illegally copied episodes for me to watch...not that I would ever do that. Now I am going back to studying for my math final...so excited.

Shining Inheritance!

So I am a big fan of Asian Dramas and I just finished my second full series Shining Inheritance. Let me just say that after the first episode I was hooked and even though classes and work made me take a long time to finish the series it was completely worth it. I know that a lot of people don't like watching foreign movies or shows because they have to read the sub titles and I understand that. I also think that just because something is in a different language does not mean it can't still be funny and pull at your heart strings. This drama made me laugh, cry, be angry, and just about everything in between. It gets five stars! If you want to watch on your own and don't want me to spoil it for you, stop reading now and go watch it on Dramafever :)

I loved the lead characters so much and I found the acting to be very good. You felt for Eun Sung so much and couldn't help but love her. She made you love her from the first episode and the love she had for her brother Eun Woo. True at parts I wanted her to smack her step mother and step sister, but the fact that she didn't shows just how strong she was. And at the end when she does finally hit Seung Mi I wanted it to be her mother, but it was great all the same. At the beginning of the series I was a little worried that she would just be sitting around crying all the time, but I soon saw that she would not be held down for long. She reminded me a lot of the lead character from Boys Before Flowers Jan Di. If you haven't seen Boy Before Flowers go watch it now! That gets like 300 stars and I will be making a lot of comparisons between the two :)

Both the male roles Hwan (left) and Joon (right) were also very well portrayed so that you fell in love with them both. They are also very attractive :) Now because I watched and loves Boys Before Flowers I was a little harder on the males to begin with, but again as the series progress I grew to love them. Though both series lead, Hwan and Jun Pyo, are almost the same character I found Hwan to be a lot more likable a lot earlier in the series, but Jun Pyo pulled at your heart strings more because he did love Jan Di so  much, but something always happened to complicate the relationship. Hwan was a bit more realistic as a person who you would find in real life and though the storyline was a bit far fetched you completely forget about that. Joon was so sweet that I instantly fell in love with him and even though I knew he wouldn't get to be with Eun Sung in the end I found myself at times rooting for him. Also the fact that he wasn't just the "other guy" but also had a sub-story line of his own made him even more lovable. He was the perfect guy that any girl would want to date and in real life any girl with half a brain or heart would have gone for him instead of Hwan, but that is the beauty of drama. Everything turns out for the best just like a fairytale.

This series has a Cinderella story plot line and the wicked stepmother is about as horrible as you can get. It is remarkable just how evil she is and what she makes her daughter so as well. Now she does get punished in the end, but I don't think it was nearly as severe as it should have been. In the last episode however you get the idea that she is suffering while Seung Mi was happy teaching and being with her mom.

If we are talking about Cinderella stories then Hwan's grandmother is the fairy godmother. She is so sweet and helps Eun Sung so much, but she isn't so perfect that she is unrealistic. She really wants Eun Sung to take over the company and is upset when she doesn't. She is also so tricky that at times you don't know whether she is helping or not. Also the fact that she has Alzheimer's makes her even more human. Also the fact that she doesn't realize Hwan loves Eun Sung until the end makes everything more believable.

Overall it was an excellent series and I highly recommend it. I gave away a few things, but still there are so many twists and turns that even if I described the whole series you would still be surprised at parts. It had the right mix of romance, humor, and down right depressing points. I could go on and on about how all the characters were lovable, but it is better if you just go watch it yourself. I promise that you won't be disappointed.



Don't call me Bones!

By far one of my favorite shows! I just finished re-watching the first season and it reminded me why I love this show so much. Smart, funny, witty (that is a bit redundant, but whatever) and David Boreanaz how could you go wrong? If you have never seen the show before you can either go on Wikipedia or listen to my very short and probably wrong run down.

Temperance Brennan is a forensic anthropologist who works for the Jeffersonian institute in Washington D.C. Special Agent Seeley Booth is an F.B.I homicide investigator who brings his cases to Brennan because she is the best in the country. Every week an F.B.I case comes to the Jeffersonian and Brennan, who Booth affectionately calls Bones, and her team figure out what happened. Sounds like every other crime show, but what makes Bones is the humor and the characters. You fall in love with Bones, Booth, Angela, Hodgins, and every one else that passes though the lab.

When I re-watched the first season I surprised about how much the focused on Booths military service, which has seemed to die out as the series grows longer. They do mention Booth being in the Rangers from time to time, but many of the cases in the first season bring up Booth's beliefs and ties to the military. Also the friction between Booth and Hodgins who is a conspiracy nut.

Another thing was all the relationship undertones the I forgot were in the beginning of the series. Of course there is the tie between Booth and Bones (If they don't get together at the end of the series I am going to be pissed!), but also Angela and Hodgins. I forgot that they started to mention that even in the very beginning because it becomes so much more evident in the following season.

I highly recommend this series to anyone. It has comedy, action, science, and just about everything else. Here is to hoping that the rest of the series is a good as the first season was.