The Jade Pyramid

Hands down my favorite (so far) of the Eleventh Doctor audio stories read by the fantabulous Matt Smith, The Jade Pyramid has a wonderful atmosphere and a very strong adventure in medieval Japan at its heart. Well told throughout, I liked the supporting characters, their interaction with the Doctor and Amy seemed natural and just right. Loved the opening descriptions of Eleven and Amy from the elder's cultural perspective; always great to have a different angle on things. Oh, and 'look behind you' in the middle of the story resonates with the recent Series Six promo and adds a tension to the scene.

Matt's reading barreled along, keeping things fast-paced and interesting. His Doctor is amazing, and it was a delight hearing him bringing the other characters to life with such verve; he hits the bullseye with Amy's Scottish accent.

8 / 10 Recommended!

Sailor Moon Live Action

Being a fan of the anime Sailor Moon (the Japanese version with English subtitles, not the horrific, dumbed-down, censored, and kiddified North American dub) I was interested in seeing how the Live Action series (made in 2003) was handled.

Although it was ever so slightly campy and reminiscent of Power Rangers with its monster-of-the-week, I was genuinely surprised by how good and addictive the live action series was.

What really made it work for me was the casting of the five leads, which was inspired. Particularly Sawai Miyu as Usagi Tsukino/Sailor Moon. She's instantly likable and fun, even managing to break your heart during the highly-charged emotional moments.

Although the series followed the original manga storyline more closely than its anime counterpart, it eventually headed off into a new direction, effectively placing its own stamp on the franchise. Where I think it failed is in not exploring the Chibi-Usa/Chibi-Moon storyline from the anime's second season (which was originally planned). Instead, Luna the cat is inexplicably turned into a little girl who can become a Sailor Senshi. Her style is that of Chibi-Usa, as well as her Soldier attacks. It feels like an enormous wasted opportunity.

Another disappointment is in not leaving things open to continue the series. It had a heck of a lot of potential to go on, and I'm surprised that further seasons weren't produced as it was ridiculously popular in Japan.

Those quibbles aside, I thought it was a brilliant re-telling of the well-known story.