Review - Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger

Millions of years after being imprisoned on the planet Nemesis, the witch Bandora is accidentally freed by astronauts exploring the planet. With her minions in tow, she returns to Earth to wreak havoc.  To prevent Bandora from destroying the planet, the Mysterious Sage Barza awakens the Five Holy Warriors of Justice. Together with their Guardian Beasts, these legendary warriors transform into the Dinosaur Squadron Zyuranger to do battle against Bandora and her monsters.

Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger is the 16^th entry into the Super Sentai franchise and stars Yūta Mochizuki, Seiju Umon, Hideki Fujiwara, Takumi Hashimoto, Reiko Chiba, and Machiko Soga.

In many ways, Zyuranger is one of the most influential Super Sentai series. Beyond the fact that its footage became the basis for the iconic Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, it originated the Sixth Ranger trope and became the first series within the franchise to rely more heavily on fantasy rather than science fiction as part of its narrative. This provides Zyuranger with a unique storyline that has a rich mythos behind it. It begins 170 million years ago when humans and dinosaurs lived in peaceful coexistence (factually impossible, but it makes for a cute little alternative history). During this era, the witch Bandora ignited a war with the dinosaurs as revenge for the death of her son. Five tribes of humans banded together with the dinosaurs to stop her. While they successfully managed to seal her away on the planet Nemesis, it came at a cost. The dinosaurs became extinct and the five tribes were destroyed. Millions of years later, Bandora is freed and the leaders of the five tribes must be resurrected to prevent history from repeating itself.

As the follow-up to the dramatic and wildly entertaining ChōjinSentai Jetman, Zyuranger falls short in many ways in comparison. Despite having an engaging mythology behind it, Zyuranger fails to match the intrigue of its predecessor. Where Jetman delved into the interpersonal relationships of its characters and delivered layered storytelling, this series feels regressive in its decision to tell more formulaic stories. Nearly every episode follows the same premise where a child is in danger and requires aid from one (or all) of the Zyurangers. It gets rather stale and makes it somewhat of a chore to it through. However, there are some respites from this monotony. Nearly a quarter of the way into the series, a multi-episode storyarc introduces Burai and the villainous Lamy. It’s a thrilling arc that challenges the Zyurangers and injects some much-needed drama into an otherwise flat series. Burai, the older brother of TyrannoRanger Geki, transforms into the powerful DragonRanger and embarks on his quest for vengeance against his brother. This arc features a lot of great action and it also helps to shake up the status quo. A second Burai-centric arc occurs towards the end of the series, which is also well done and provides us with quite a few poignant moments.

Another area where Zyuranger fails to match Jetman is in its cast of characters. Jetman had characters that were distinctive, charismatic, and complex. Both the heroes and villains were individuals we could root for. Zyuranger disappoints on almost every level on this front. There are only a handful of characters who have some semblance of a personality and who are legitimately entertaining. Yūta Mochizuki is absolutely fantastic as the leader Geki. Maybe I’m biased since Mochizuki would later go on to play Tuxedo Mask in the Sailor Moon musicals, but I find him to be charming and he has a magnetic presence on screen. He plays Geki as someone who is capable, strong, and compassionate. Seiju Umon similarly delivers a layered performance as Goushi, otherwise known as MammothRanger. He’s quiet and reserved, but his intelligence and articulateness make him quite useful to the team. A comparable character would be Ami Mizuno, AKA Sailor Mercury, from Sailor Moon. That said, it is Machiko Soga who steals each and every scene as the villainess Bandora. She’s loud, brash, and totally zany. Bandora ends up being the true standout from the series for this very reason. She’s funny and really campy, but it works. Sadly, the rest of the cast isn’t as memorable. Reiko Chiba’s Mei is the token girl character in Zyuranger and is unfortunately vastly underutilized. She’s not a character who has a whole lot of depth and can even be a bit grating at times. Hideki Fujiwara’s Dan and Takumi Hashimoto’s Boi are basically interchangeable. Neither character appears to have any personality to speak of and both do virtually nothing throughout the series. They become casualties due to the decision to focus on the various children who play supporting roles and to the prominence of Burai during large chunks of the series. Similarly, Bandora’s minions aren’t given much in the way of motivation and are instead largely treated as generic comedic relief.

While watching Zyuranger, it’s impossible not to compare it to Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. Interestingly, they have what the other needed as far as shortcomings are concerned. Zyuranger had the rich backstory and mythology that Mighty Morphin Power Rangers lacked, while Mighty Morphin Power Rangers had the distinct and relatable cast of characters that Zyuranger needed. There’s no denying that Zyuranger skews towards a younger audience and that its light tone was likely purposefully chosen to contrast its predecessor Jetman’s more mature tone. There are many episodes that are quite enjoyable and I think that the concept behind it is really creative, but ultimately formulaic storylines and a forgettable cast undermine Zyuranger.

RATING: C+

Review - Justice League Season One

After being accidentally awakened on their native planet, a group of Martians launch a full scale invasion on Earth. Seven of Earth’s greatest heroes band together to stop this threat and become the legendary team known as the Justice League. Together they are Earth’s only hope against despotic aliens, treacherous Atlanteans, and nefarious supervillains.

Justice League is an animated series that made its debut in 2001, created by Bruce Timm and Paul Dini. Its first season consisted of 26 episodes and featured the voice talents of Kevin Conroy, George Newbern, Susan Eisenberg, Phil LaMarr, Michael Rosenbaum, Carl Lumbly, and Maria Canals.

As far as iconic superhero cartoons go, Justice League is way up there with Batman: The Animated Series and X-Men: The Animated Series. This seminal adaptation of DC Comics’ premiere team introduced a generation of kids to superheroes like Wonder Woman, the Flash, and Hawkgirl alongside old favourites Batman and Superman. With its sophisticated multi-episode story arcs and streamlined animation, it stood above its contemporaries (and even most of its successors) in terms of quality. What also helped to set it apart was its pitch perfect casting. From Carl Lumbly’s ambivalent Martian Manhunter to Maria Canals’ attitude-filled Hawkgirl to Michael Rosenbaum’s comedic Flash, the voice work on Justice League is distinctive and embodies each character flawlessly. In fact, it’s so good that it’s hard to imagine anyone else in these roles.

The series opens with “Secret Origins,” a three-part saga that sees Superman and Batman assembling a team of heroes to defeat a Martian invasion. It clearly draws inspiration from the first arc of Grant Morrison’s JLA run, though it’s streamlined significantly and features a slightly different roster. While the alien invasion narrative is predictable, it does its job of assembling the team in a way that makes sense and provides the epic grandeur that is necessary for origin stories of superhero groups. It does struggle a bit with its introductions. Green Lantern, Hawkgirl, and the Flash are without actual origins, while Wonder Woman’s gets mangled to the point that it’s unrecognizable (more on that later!). Still, it’s a great start.

Aside from the opening arc and the concluding one, the rest of the first season is comprised of two-part arcs. These vary in quality. The Aquaman-centric “The Enemy Below” is a standout. It introduces the King of Atlantis as he deals with the treachery of his half-brother Orm. Orm covets the throne and will do whatever it takes to get it, including starting a war with the surface world and attempting to murder his own brother. It’s a surprisingly dark storyline with some truly harrowing moments. Beyond that, it also accomplishes portraying Aquaman as someone who is not to be trifled with.

“Paradise Lost” and “Fury” are also some of the better episodes from the first season, though both are somewhat hindered by their failure to properly portray Wonder Woman and the Amazons. “Paradise Lost” sees Wonder Woman striking out on her own to recover artifacts for the sorcerer Felix Faust, who has turned her Amazon sisters to stone and won’t reverse his spell unless Wonder Woman completes his tasks. It’s a fun globe-trotting adventure that feels very reminiscent of Indiana Jones. It also features one hell of a smackdown between Superman and Wonder Woman while they are under the influence of one of the artifacts. “Fury” is an all-female romp as Wonder Woman and Hawkgirl team-up after a renegade Amazon unleashes a plague that only affects men. It’s enjoyable from a superficial level as it gives the series’ lead heroines the opportunity to interact with one another and get to kick butt without their male teammates sucking up the spotlight. However, its thematic elements are problematic as it’s clearly attempting to tackle feminism, but is done through the lens of a male writer and a male director.

“Injustice for All” is another noteworthy episode. Long-time Superman foe Lex Luthor escapes from prison and enlists the aid of Ultra-Humanite in order to assemble a gang of supervillains capable of taking down the Justice League. These types of superhero team vs. supervillain team are typically among my favourites whenever they crop up in comics and adaptations. They generally provide for a lot of interesting interactions and “Injustice for All” does not disappoint. From Lex and Ultra-Humanite’s rivalry to Cheetah’s flirtations with Batman, writer Stan Berkowitz gives us plenty of fun dynamics that punctuate this episode. Its only shortcoming (surprise, surprise) has to do with Wonder Woman. Cheetah is amongst the cast of villains used in this episode, yet she’s not acknowledged or even portrayed as a Wonder Woman villain.

The best episode from season one may be the three-part conclusion “The Savage Time.” In it, the Justice League (sans Batman – thank the Gods) are transported to an alternate past where the Nazis won World War II with the aid of the immortal villain Vandal Savage. Along the way, the League are fractured and must rely upon the aid of others to prevent Savage’s further assault on western Europe. Hawkgirl and the Flash ally themselves with the high-flying Blackhawks, Green Lantern becomes a part of the US military unit known as Easy Company, and Wonder Woman takes part of a sabotage mission alongside the spy Steve Trevor. Savage is a menacing villain and the technology that he introduces into the war makes for some great imagery. More importantly, “The Savage Time” digs deep into the motivations and emotional core of its lead heroes. The trio of Hawkgirl, Green Lantern, and the Flash are integral to the overall plot, but they also offer differing point of views on war. The contrast between Hawkgirl and the Flash is especially fascinating. Hawkgirl has a more militaristic, greater good approach whereas the Flash has a “no man left behind” perspective that’s more personal in its nature. Green Lantern, meanwhile, proves himself as a capable hero without the use of his ring. This is crucial to showing the audience that he’s more than just some ring-slinging space cop. I also must admit that I quite enjoyed all of the interactions between Wonder Woman and Steve Trevor. While I may not like them much as a couple in any medium, their dynamic here was quite cute.

The rest of the episodes from season one vary greatly in quality. Those that feature Green Lantern more heavily (“In Blackest Night,” “The Brave and the Bold,” “Metamorphosis”) tend to be on the duller side. “Legends” is a frustratingly disposable entry as it uses analogues for the Justice Society rather than the actual characters, which would have made for a more impactful storyline. “War World” suffers from being ridiculously predictable by pulling out the gladiator games trope (which is done in just about every TV show – including Smallville, Supergirl, and twice in Justice League Unlimited). If that weren’t enough, it’s also one of the (many) episodes where we see Superman severely depowered in order to make him seem more vulnerable.

Part of what makes Justice League so special was its strong adherence to character development. The first season is significant for its plotting of a budding relationship between Hawkgirl and Green Lantern. Both are very militaristic characters, though the former is wilder and more impulsive. She’s exciting and gives the usually straight-laced Green Lantern a foil. We see this replicated with his dynamic with the Flash, who serves as the comedic relief on the team. Ultimately, these are the characters that help to ground the series and they end up being the standouts. While this trio was afforded a lot of great character development that endears them to the audience, the same cannot be said for Wonder Woman. It’s clear from the onset that the producers don’t understand her character and they don’t even seem to like her. Where Hawkgirl is the cool girl on the team and can hang with the guys, Wonder Woman is presented as the prissy ice princess who is antagonistic towards men. In this series, Wonder Woman is very aggressive and there’s very little warmth to her. She’s not driven by any kind of divine mission of peace, which is evidenced by the shift in her origin story from a warrior who earns the right to be the Amazons’ champion to a petulant princess who steals her armour. Her lack of compassion and the overall harsh nature of her character betrays a very shallow portrayal. This is extended towards the Amazons as well. They’re not given any kind of depth or interiority. Instead, they’re man-hating extremists whose isolationist views are coded as weird and aggressive. It’s a place that Wonder Woman can’t wait to escape from, rather than a peaceful home that she loves to return to from the harsh realities of Man’s World. The problem is that the series is plotted by a bunch of men who can’t seem to understand why women would want to isolate themselves from the rest of the world (i.e. men) and who have a very difficult time writing women as anything more than love interests or aggressive warriors. It’s clear that they were pulling mostly from a late Silver Age or Bronze Age context for the Amazons, but it feels dated and unnecessary as they chose to ignore (and thus disrespect) George Perez’s influential work on the character and her mythos.

After all these years, Justice League still holds a special place in my heart. While it can at times adhere too much to common tropes and it fails miserably at portraying a well-written Wonder Woman, there’s a lot to love about its first season. The voice work is stellar and the amount of character development that is packed into these 26 episodes is nothing short of amazing. Hawkgirl remains the star for me and she steals every single scene she’s in, so further applause is in order for Maria Canals for that. The complex storytelling that is achieved is also brilliant and is worthy of praise. While the first season doesn’t quite hit a home run, it’s always worth a watch – though some mild cherry picking may be necessary.

Review: Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Crystal (Season One)

After a chance encounter with a talking cat, 14-year-old Usagi Tsukino is transformed into the superhero Sailor Moon. She is charged with defeating the sinister Dark Kingdom alongside her allies Sailor Mercury, Sailor Mars, Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Venus, while also looking for the mysterious Moon Princess and the mystical Legendary Silver Crystal. Along the way she meets the dashing Tuxedo Mask, an enigmatic figure whose motives remain unknown.

Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Crystal is the 2014 anime reboot based off of the manga series by Naoko Takeuchi. Its first season consists of 14 episodes and features the voice talents of Kotono Mitsuishi, Hisako Kanemoto, Rina Sato, Ami Koshimizu and Shizuka Ito.

Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Crystal is the most faithful adaptation that’s been produced from Naoko Takeuchi’s seminal manga series. It adapts the original story chapter-for-chapter, using the dialogue and panel work from the first arc as its blueprint. This works wonderfully in order to set the tone and create a consistent pace. Tonally, Crystal is more dramatic than its predecessor and comedy is seldom utilized. At times this hinders the first season, particularly as it hinders character growth, but it also keeps things cohesive. It is also much darker in its imagery and finer plot details, particularly as we see the destruction caused by the enemy. This contributes to a feeling of maturity within the series, thus allowing audiences to take the characters more seriously and increasing the stakes and tension.

The narrative of the first season of Crystal unfolds seamlessly and without interruption or unnecessary subplots, unlike its filler-riddled predecessor. In the first episode, Usagi transforms into Sailor Moon in order to save her friend Naru from a monster. From there, Ami (Sailor Mercury), Rei (Sailor Mars) and Makoto (Sailor Jupiter) are introduced in rapid succession. This moves the plot along at a brisk pace and allows the audience to warm to these characters quicker. Their mission is clear from the onset as well – they must find the Moon Princess and the Legendary Silver Crystal. The Sailor Guardians don’t waste copious amounts of time merely reacting to enemy schemes nor do the villains embark on assignments that only serve to decelerate the plot. The original anime was most frequently caught in a monster-of-the-week storytelling formula that created uneven pacing and saw the introduction of numerous (often inane) villainous subplots. Where it took 34 episodes in the original to reveal the identity of the Moon Princess and the location of the Legendary Silver Crystal, it takes a mere nine in Crystal. This does mean that Crystal benefits from being binge-watched, since it is purposely plotted so that each episode leads into the next and not a second is wasted on filler. By following the manga more closely and through the benefit of retrospect, the first season of Crystal plays out like one long film. This is further emphasized by its explosive (stock footage-free) action sequences and timeless orchestral score.

While Crystal is very faithful to its source text, it also deviates in ways that help the series to feel fresh and new. For instance, many of the hyper stylized comical character reactions have been excised in favour of portraying the characters more realistically. The biggest change though is that the Shitennou are not killed off individually early on in the story. Instead, they survive the attacks lobbed at them by the Sailor Guardians and remain as a unified team until close to the season’s finale. This helps to contrast them against the versions we’ve seen in both the original anime and the live-action, where they were prone to in-fighting and never quite managed to work in unison. Crystal also makes canon the notion that the Shitennou and the Sailor Guardians were lovers in their past lives, which adds an interesting layer to their backstories. Additionally, it complicates matters for the Sailor Guardians. In their past lives they loved these men, but are now forced to do battle against them. Another change, which I found to be less effective, was made to Queen Beryl’s demise. Without spoiling anything, I’ll just say that I prefer her (rather gruesome) death in the manga rather than the somewhat contrived one she’s given in this series.

While its storytelling is on point, Crystal struggles with character development. On one hand, this series gives us one of the most organic and relatable versions we’ve seen of Usagi and Mamoru’s relationship. Usagi as a character feels much more tangible than other portrayals, as she grows tremendously from the first episode until the season’s conclusion. She’s not a walking caricature who vacillates from comic relief to fierce warrior at the drop of a hat. Similarly, Mamoru doesn’t come across as a one-note character whose sole purpose is to provide pep talks to the lead heroine. He’s a complex and tortured character, but he’s also warm and caring. Since both characters are portrayed more realistically, we’re able to take their relationship more seriously. As you can imagine, the scenes between these two characters are some of the best in the first season. On the other hand, every other character feels tragically underdeveloped. The dialogue and voice work do absolutely nothing to hint at distinctive personalities for the Sailor Guardians. Ami and Minako fare the best. Ami’s intelligence is utilized throughout, while we get to see Minako’s take-charge attitude and a bit of her goofy side. Even still, Crystal would have benefitted from injecting personality into their words and actions. This would mean making Makoto’s lines gruffer and having her be more impulsive in battle, while also emphasizing Rei’s distrust of men (which is mentioned in passing, but not elaborated upon) and playing up her cool girl demeanour. This personality problem is also relevant to the Shitennou. Since they’re given more screentime, it would stand to reason that the writers and producers would make more of an effort to actually flesh them out. Sadly, they don’t. They would have done well to heed Naoko Takeuchi’s character notes for them – Jadeite is the serious one, Nephrite is the emotional one, Zoisite is the manipulative one, and Kunzite is the quiet storm.

The elephant in the room when it comes to Crystal is its animation. Its rushed production seems to have translated into some rather rough work that does the first season absolutely no favours. The characters are so often awkwardly drawn that it makes it difficult to appreciate how good this first season is. It’s unfortunate since the aesthetic of the series is actually very strong and is far more cohesive than its predecessor. The character models are elegant and feminine while the overall look of the show is achieved through pale tones and more detailed settings, all of which help to contribute towards a whimsical feeling. The original anime was notable for featuring numerous animation directors, all of whom had very different styles, thus creating differing quality from episode to episode. Crystal has the same style throughout, but it’s undermined far too often by its aforementioned sloppy animation. As a side note, it also would have benefitted the animators to actually depict the Sailor Guardians with more meat on their bones. Naoko Takeuchi herself said she wished she’d depicted Usagi a bit chubbier and giving them larger frames would have actually fixed many of the awkward poses we see the girls in.

Overall, Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Crystal’s first season is massively entertaining and rather addicting to watch. I admire and appreciate its adherence to the manga, as no other adaptation has been this faithful before. It allows wider audiences the opportunity to appreciate Naoko Takeuchi’s hard work on her epic and poignantly romantic first arc. In doing so, Crystal has the best pacing and narrative structure of any other adaptation of Sailor Moon. It also smartly improves upon some of the manga’s weaker points as well. The manga’s rather weak action sequences are elaborated upon and transformed into high octane spectacles, while its quick disposal of villains is ignored in favour of keeping the Shitennou around for a much longer period of time. If I judging Crystal solely on its story, then I’d say that it’s the best adaptation we’ve got thus far. Sadly, its animation and poor character development are glaring flaws that cannot be ignored. The first season is pretty damn good, but it’s also not the best it could have been.

RATING: B+

Review: Winx Club (Season One)

After a chance encounter with the fairy princess Stella, 16-year-old Bloom learns that she has mystical powers. She is subsequently transported to the world of Magix, where she enrolls in the magic school Alfea. There, she and Stella form a special team known as Winx Club with their friends Flora, Musa and Tecna. Together they must learn to master their special abilities and best the mischievous trio of witches known as the Trix.

Winx Club is an Italian animated series created by Iginio Straffi. Its first season consisted of 26 episodes and aired in 2004.

At its core, Winx Club is a healthy mix of She-Ra: Princess of Power and Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon with a dash of Harry Potter. The series owes a lot to the magical girl genre as it focuses on a group of teenage girls who transform into powerful heroines in order to fight the forces of evil. We’re introduced to the world of Winx Club through Bloom, a seemingly normal girl who was raised on Earth. She’s bright, inquisitive and moralistic. Much of the first season focuses on Bloom and her search for the truth about her past, much of which is a total mystery to her, as well as her blossoming relationship with Sky. Bloom’s character and her arc are surprisingly deep, as the season explores subjects like adoption and self-doubt. Bloom can be a bit bland at times, which is why it helps that she’s contrasted and complimented by her group of friends. Stella is the scatterbrained fashionista, Flora is the gentle environmentalist, Musa is the sarcastic music lover, and Tecna is the logical scientist. Their characters are mostly secondary in comparison to Bloom, but they are given their fair share of the spotlight. For instance, we see that Stella can be a bit of a screw-up and Musa’s interactions with her love interest Riven proves to be volatile at first.

The first season largely revolves around the Trix’s constant pursuit for power and their eventual mission to acquire the powerful Dragon's Fire. As antagonists, the Trix are nasty, vindictive and relentless. Though they initially seem like mere nuisances to the Winx Club, much like the Misfits were to Jem and the Holograms, their plots become more and more deadly as the season wears on. This cumulates in an intense and harrowing battle during the final episodes, where the Trix attempt to invade Alfea and the combined might of Magix must unite against them. This multi-part finale exemplifies the season’s pervasive darkness and maturity, which seems at odds with the demographic it aims for, and shows just how high the stakes are in this world. In fact, it is its tone that partly makes Winx Club so interesting in its first season. It is further helped by the directional quality the stories have, as the Trix’s schemes and Bloom’s identity crisis work are interwoven into an evenly paced arc that stretches across the entire season.

The animation is perhaps what is the weakest about Winx Club’s first season. The style itself is interesting and provides the series with a unique aesthetic, but the quality of it is both inconsistent and crude. Its usage of CGI makes everything seem dated and the backgrounds aren’t quite as detailed as they should be. The characters themselves also look awkward at times, both facially and when they move around. Action sequences also have a tendency to be rather static and laughable, which is unfortunate since the series depends heavily on magical conflicts. This unevenness also spills out into the voice work. The Cinelume/RAI English voices aren’t the best since the characters don’t sound distinctive enough and their line delivery isn’t the best.

The first season of Winx Club does a remarkable job of establishing a unique cast of characters and the magical world they live in. The concept itself isn’t wholly original, but its execution is bright, fun and entertaining. There’s a depth to the characters and their stories that is uncommon in most animated series aimed at younger audiences, which is actually quite refreshing. Overall, I appreciate the efforts made to create a series of overarching storylines that lead towards an explosive conflict in the season’s final episodes. Individual episodes can be a bit childish at times, but the general tone for the first season is consistent and its pace keeps audiences engaged. While the low quality of the animation and voice work hinder Winx Club quite a bit, the lovable characters and captivating storylines are enough to really illustrate why this series was able to transform itself into a profitable franchise.

RATING: B-

Ranking the Seasons of Buffy The Vampire Slayer from Worst to Best

Buffy the Vampire Slayer is easily one of the most iconic and beloved supernatural dramas in existence. As the brainchild of a pre-Avengers Joss Whedon, the series was set in the fictional town of Sunnydale and featured Sarah Michelle Gellar kicking ass as the titular slayer on a weekly basis from 1997 until 2003. Over the course of its seven season run, Buffy the Vampire Slayer was a hit with fans and critics alike. That being said, it would be remiss to suggest that all of its seasons were created equal. In fact, many articles have been written contemplating the pros and cons of each. While there will never be an official consensus amongst fans, this will be yet another (highly subjective) attempt at ranking the seven seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer from worst to best.

SEASON SIX

Big Bad: Dark Willow

Best Episode: “Once More, with Feeling”

Worst Episode: “Normal Again”

Despite the fact that it boasts the impressive musical episode “Once More, with Feeling,” I find it difficult to plod through season six. Whedon and Co. are to be commended for taking risks throughout the season, particularly when dealing with Buffy’s attempts at being an adult and providing for her family (as evidenced in the hilarious “Life Serial”) as well as her coming to terms with her resurrection after being seemingly ripped out of heaven by her friends. The Dark Willow saga that unfolds over the last four episodes is as satisfying as it is unexpected. The epic Buffy/Anya/Giles versus Dark Willow fight remains one of my favourites from the series. My problem, however, is that this season takes forever to actually get to that point. We’re stuck with the bumbling nerd troika for a mind numbing amount of time while Buffy and her friends become exponentially more unlikable as they make a series of unforgivably piss poor decisions. Willow magically alters Tara’s mind (which amounts to a metaphoric rape), Dawn becomes a kleptomaniac, Xander leaves Anya at the altar for no good reason at all, and Buffy engages in a nauseating relationship with Spike that ends when he attempts to rape her. Also, Tara dies. Since this was the first season without Anthony Stewart Head’s Giles overseeing the group as part of the main cast, his absence is felt tremendously and is quite possibly why everyone goes off the rails at an alarming speed.

 

SEASON SEVEN

Big Bad: The First

Best Episode: “Chosen” (minus Anya’s death)

Worst Episode: “Him”

The seventh season gets a lot of hate for the Potentials. Sure it’s kind of like having a dozen Dawns running around, but they’re far from being the worst thing about this season. While Xander and Willow bounce back from their questionable behaviour in the preceding season, Buffy circles the drain as she descends into becoming a shrill drill sergeant who acts like she’s better than everyone else and whose every line of dialogue seems to drip with condescension. This is so pronounced that she makes former bad girl slayer Faith look like the nice one. The seventh season also gets demerit points for killing off Anya (Why?!).There are moments of brilliance though. I rather enjoy the introduction of D.B. Woodside as Robin Wood and how his character is woven into Spike’s backstory. The usage of Tom Lenk’s Andrew Wells as comedic relief throughout the season is hilarious and his split second wheelchair fight with Anya remains one of my favourite laugh out loud moments from the series. The idea of the First is also quite neat and is very much reminiscent of how Naoko Takeuchi conceptualized the primordial Chaos in her seminal manga Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon.

SEASON ONE

Big Bad: The Master

Best Episode: “Prophecy Girl”

Worst Episode: “I, Robot… You, Jane”

Buffy’s first season may have a fuzzy nostalgic place in my heart. Its episodes are atmospheric and concentrated more on the horror elements of the show. With witchcraft, insectoid demons and ventriloquist dummies involved, this season is actually quite creepy. However, I’d be lying if I didn’t say that it’s not quite as epic as the ones that followed it. Obviously part of this has to do with the fact that it had a limited budget and because the writers were still settling on a tone, but it also has to do with its infamous “monster of the week” formula. Nearly every episode in this season is self-contained and contributes very little to the actual overarching plot of the Master’s ascension. As a kid, the Master scared the living daylights out of me and he had incredible potential to be one of the best baddies Buffy ever had. Unfortunately, he’s trapped in his damn lair for the entire season while Buffy mostly reacts to a series of random demonic occurrences.

SEASON FOUR

Big Bad: Adam

Best Episode: “Hush”

Worst Episode: Both “Beer Bad” and “Superstar” are equally as bad for me

Season four gets a lot of flak from fans and is sometimes considered one of the worst. I couldn’t disagree more. Buffy’s singular year at college was memorable and breathed new life into the series. The Initiative was a mildly interesting concept and Riley even started out as a semi-decent love interest for Buffy. This season also marked the expansion of Emma Caulfield’s Anya, who basically steals every damn scene she’s in with her brutal honesty and flawless comedic timing. Buffy needed Anya to survive after the gaping hole that was left following Cordelia’s departure. While Spike was meant to fill this snarky role, it was Anya who became the new Cordy with her unique brand of humour. This season was shaky in parts, particularly towards the end, but there’s a surplus of amazing episodes that help to counterbalance this. “Living Conditions” is absolutely hilarious, “Fear, Itself” stands as one of the stronger Halloween-themed episodes, “Wild at Heart” featured Alyson Hannigan acting her butt off and the two Faith episodes (“This Year’s Girl” and “Who Are You”) set up a rather impressive crossover with spin-off Angel. This season also gave us “Hush” – quite possibly the best standalone episode from the entire series. The Gentlemen remain some of the creepiest villains we’ve even seen on the show and the cast showed they could still be funny even without the writing team’s snappy dialogue.

SEASON FIVE

Big Bad: Glory

Best Episode: “The Body”

Worst Episode: “I Was Made to Love You”

There are two huge reasons why this season is so damn good – Glory and “The Body.” As far as Big Bads go, Glory was different from everyone that came before her. She wasn’t some brooding vamp hiding in a crypt, but rather a stylish goddess living in a lavish apartment. She was equally as manipulative as Angelus and as darkly humorous as the Mayor, but she was much more powerful and was far more unhinged. “The Body,” meanwhile, is a poignant and powerful episode that deals with death and loss in a gut-wrenchingly sincere manner. It’s so good and so haunting that it’s actually quite ridiculous that this episode never netted the series an Emmy in an acting or writing category. Beyond that, season five is notable for Emma Caulfield becoming part of the main cast (yay!) and for the introduction of Buffy’s universally despised kid sister Dawn (hiss!). Dawn is a big reason why this season didn’t rank higher and her introduction did seem to mark a shift in quality of the series, particularly as it altered the chemistry and dynamic within the cast. There’s also the fact that she’s unbearably annoying. Even still, this season is full of great episodes like “Buffy vs. Dracula,” “Family” and “Triangle.”

SEASON TWO

Big Bad: Angelus

Best Episode: “What’s My Line (Parts 1 and 2)” and “Becoming (Parts 1 and 2)” are strong contenders

Worst Episode: “Ted”

By its second season, Buffy the Vampire Slayer really hit its stride. All of the main cast had been fleshed out and their roles were firmly established, which gave the writers the opportunity to play with their relationships and throw in a series of jaw-dropping twists. Xander begins dating mean girl Cordelia while Willow engages in a relationship with the werewolf Oz, a badass new slayer is introduced (and is subsequently killed – boo!), Buffy loses her virginity and Angel turns evil. This season was also notable for unleashing the vampiric equivalent of Sid and Nancy in the form of Spike and Drusilla. The psychotic duo and their electric chemistry injected this season with a kind of energy that the first was missing. Once evil Angel was thrown into the mix, all bets were off. The second season was tonally consistent and kept a solid pace as well, balancing filler with overarching plots (and comedy with drama) better than most others. I’d be hard-pressed to pick favourite episodes, but some of the standouts include “School Hard,” “Halloween,” “What’s My Line (Parts 1 and 2),” “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered” and the supremely creepy “Killed by Death.” Let’s also not forget the epic moment that was Buffy using a rocket launcher in “Innocence” and the tear-inducing final moments between Angel and Buffy in “Becoming (Part 2).”

SEASON THREE

Big Bad: The Mayor

Best Episode: “Graduation Day (Parts 1 & 2)” (though “Homecoming” and “Doppelgangland” are perhaps equally as amazing)

Worst Episode: “Anne”

I’ve got one word for this one – Faith. When Whedon and Co. introduced a new slayer in the form of the morally corrupt Faith (portrayed flawlessly by Eliza Dushku), they gave audiences an alternative to the righteous Buffy and illustrated how destructive the powers of a slayer can be in the wrong hands. Faith was mouthy, impulsive and rebellious, but she was also cruel, calculating and sociopathic. Her character arc was remarkably well-written and really showcased this beautifully broken shell of a girl who just wants to belong. This level of quality writing extended to just about every other character on the show, particularly as Cordelia pivoted away from her mean girl persona towards Scooby Gang member then towards jilted lover. The writers gave us plenty of Cordy’s legendary zingers and standout comedic moments (like when Buffy gains telepathy and discovers that Cordelia quite literally says what she’s thinking), but we were now finally able to sympathize and identify with her just as much as many of the others. Since I count both Faith and Cordelia among my favourite characters, my judgment may be cloudier here. Season three also alleviated the Buffy/Angel melodrama that made season two a little too soapy and focused on them working together as a team, while also delving deeper into the interpersonal relationships of the Scoobies. A good chunk of my favourite episodes from the series come from this season – notably “Faith, Hope & Trick,” “Homecoming,” “Band Candy,” “Gingerbread” and “Doppelgangland.” Its two-part finale is also something to behold. From Buffy’s final showdown against Faith to the Scoobies blowing up the school, “Graduation Day” gives us everything we could ever ask for in a finale.