Some Decent Dramaz on American TV... Finally!!
It's been a long time since I've found an American tv show that could rival the incredible emotional rollercoasters I find through anime. This show has been on after Sept 11th... which is only appropriate since it's ABOUT people who were directly affected by the tragedies of that horrible day. The show I speak of, of course, is Rescue Me... Denis Leary's homage to the FDNY and it's personnel. Although the show really doesn't paint the firefighters of new York City as humble, gracious, or even civil individuals, it does show them as real humans. Flawed. Somber. Tormented. It's hard to escape what makes us real... even if not all of it is good.
The first 4 seasons are on DVD now with the 5th season scheduled to air this Fall (a season behind because of last year's writers' strike). I didn't even know the 4th season was out until I saw it while browsing the DVD aisle at BJ's the other day. Having just marathoned Season 3 the week before over the course of a few nights, I immediately picked it up.
At the end of Season 4, Episode 3, one of my favorite characters put a gun in his mouth... screen went black... gunshot heard... credits began to roll. I could have immediately cured my insatiable curiosity right away by continuing on to Episode 04... but where's the fun in that? Bah, I'll watch it tomorrow. Until then, it's going to be excruciating not knowing what's to become of Chief Reilly.
Of course, I'm good with living through cliffhangers. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya was difficult. School Days TV was quite the adventure. Air TV almost killed me. Even now I'm waiting to see if Shiori (Kanon 2006) survived past the day the doctors said she was due to die... especially sad since she made up with her estranged sister just the day before. Not saying that seeing Sayuri on the ground in a puddle of her own blood with her head split open was easy to get through either.
Damn you anime... stop killing all the cute girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The first 4 seasons are on DVD now with the 5th season scheduled to air this Fall (a season behind because of last year's writers' strike). I didn't even know the 4th season was out until I saw it while browsing the DVD aisle at BJ's the other day. Having just marathoned Season 3 the week before over the course of a few nights, I immediately picked it up.
At the end of Season 4, Episode 3, one of my favorite characters put a gun in his mouth... screen went black... gunshot heard... credits began to roll. I could have immediately cured my insatiable curiosity right away by continuing on to Episode 04... but where's the fun in that? Bah, I'll watch it tomorrow. Until then, it's going to be excruciating not knowing what's to become of Chief Reilly.
Of course, I'm good with living through cliffhangers. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya was difficult. School Days TV was quite the adventure. Air TV almost killed me. Even now I'm waiting to see if Shiori (Kanon 2006) survived past the day the doctors said she was due to die... especially sad since she made up with her estranged sister just the day before. Not saying that seeing Sayuri on the ground in a puddle of her own blood with her head split open was easy to get through either.
Damn you anime... stop killing all the cute girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!