A bitter pill lasagna to swallow.
We can talk all day about craft–character development, narrative tension, dramatic irony, visual motifs, conflicts both intimate and social–and don’t worry, I’ll touch on pretty much all of that during this post, both positive and negative. First, though, because I tend to get excited about all the analytical stuff and forget to mention the personal stuff, can I just take a moment to say how incredibly start-to-finish entertaining I find this show every week?
It’s a totally personal thing, I know, which makes it hard to write about and not all that valuable to others when it comes to recommendations. But as I went through my episode notes and found comments like “Nero is so chill ❤ I LOVE HIM” and “WHOA ANGELO WHAAAT” snuggled up next to “old guard vs new guard” and “this ep is all about food (decadence/gluttony?),” I realized that I am 100% fully invested in this story, not just as a blogger but as a fan, too. And, a few pulpy over-indulgences and weak characters aside, that’s a seriously great place to be halfway through a series.
I feel much the same way about Fango as you, I think. I don’t mind that he’s portrayed as a pretty stereotypical ‘mad dog’ kind of villain so much as I mind that it’s executed so very cartoonishly. Sure, 91 Days is an anime and there are quite a few outlandish moments, but on the whole everybody’s characterization feels pretty realistic and on-point. In comparison, Fango’s character feels more like an outdated comic book stock villain.
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