Ju-on: Origins (2020)

Ju-on: Origins (2020)

Dir. Shô Miyake | 6 episodes, approx 29 mins each.

Despite the title, Origins isn't a prequel to the previous Ju-On films. Rather, it presents itself as something that's 'inspired by real events'.

Presumably, that's the same 'real' events that the original films were based on, which were dreamt up by Japanese filmmaker Takashi Shimizu.

The series also makes the claim that its story is "far more frightening than the movies" were.

The first falsehood enables it to benefit from the groundwork and reputation of Shimizu's works without being wholly tied to them, while simultaneously implying a level of spurious credibility by suggesting that it's more factual - more 'real world' and less 'fantasy' horror.

With regards the second half of the claim, and keeping in mind that fear is as subjective as humour, nothing in Origins came close to the horror of Ju-On: The Grudge (2002). The horror in Origins is more shock value grotesqueness than spine-chillingly supernatural happenings.

PTU: Police Tactical Unit (2003)

PTU: Police Tactical Unit (2003)

aka Tactical Unit: Into the Perilous Night

Dir. Johnnie To

A small team of Hong Kong Police Tactical Unit troopers search the streets for a comrade's missing gun over the course of one eventful night. They're the typical scumbag law enforcers that are common the world over, the kind that's ordinarily difficult to sympathise with, and yet somehow Dir. Johnnie To encourages viewers to do just that; and with each incremental, upwards notch of the danger level, one can stay fixedly right alongside them.

It didn't have a huge budget, but it evidently didn't need one. Instead, PTU has enough dramatic style and subtle humour to keep the meticulously paced slow burn of the story engaging until the various threads of the story meet and it becomes more than the sum of its parts; like the roads of a busy city, its avenues and pathways are interconnected.

There's music occasionally (by Chung Chi-wing) but mostly the sounds of the night-time streets are what's heard, functioning as another subtle but perfect connection to the environment.

Assassin's Creed Unity (2014)

Assassin's Creed Unity (2014)

Genre: Action / Adventure | Players: 1 / Multi | Developer: Ubisoft Montreal

AC: Unity was the first of the Ass series to be released on the new (at the time) eighth generation of home consoles; the PS4, etc.

Not being a timely sort of person, I first played it eight years later, in 2022. I should say 'first' and 'last' time because it's bloody awful and I won't be trudging through its story ever again.

To add insult to injury, it came out on the very same day as Ass Creed Rogue came out on the previous generation of consoles. Rogue wasn't perfect, but it was infinitely more playable in comparison to the 'next generation' Unity.

I'm reminded of the proverb 'with great power comes great responsibility', except in Ubisoft's case it's more like 'with greater processing power comes greater catastrophe'. I usually leave my glitch report until after I've mentioned gameplay, etc, but Unity has nothing of value to relay, so the glitch report is all there is!

Daimajin Kanon (2010)

Daimajin Kanon (2010)

26 episodes, approx 24 minutes each.

A Japanese tokusatsu show that has the usual explosive combat scenes scattered throughout, but the masked heroes aren't the main focus of the narrative. Instead, the story revolves around a pretty, young University student, Misaki Kanon (Yuka Rikuna), who moves to Tokyo in the hope of becoming a successful lyricist and singer.

To survive in a harsh environment, one needs to adopt an equally harsh attitude. For Misaki, the city is that environment. Her usual sensitive, fragile personality will be eaten alive if she doesn't do something uncharacteristic to protect it.

If you've watched any amount of Japanese animation, then you'll likely have encountered a similar set-up, but Misaki isn't as simpering as the full-blown animated stereotype typically is.

The ups and downs can be predicable and there are times when she could be accused of making a mountain out of a molehill, but the setbacks and departures from the daily routine add to the overall story when you consider her role in each one. Character growth needs challenges, irrespective of whether they're real or imagined.