I Can See You Bitch Youre Wearing a Black Tuxedo Against a Midnight Blue Sky and Its Sparklin

F O U R T H of G O O D B Y E — Neo Yokio (Netflix)

Neo Yokio (Netflix)

Neo Yokio (Netflix)

Comedy

Logline: Joined by his faithful mecha-manservant, Kaz Kaan pursues love, fashion, and supernatural forces amid Neo Yokio's sinister high society.

Dru's Decision: CARRY | ***

Ever since the "anime boom" of the 1990s, the Japanese animated art form has gained quite the following in the West through streaming networks, oft-questionable dubbing, and several unsuccessful live-action adaptations. This Japanese-American collabo combines the classic, basic anime ambiance with a wry, Twitter-versed sense of humor. The show is not just a high-brow roast of vapid NYC elite, but contains commentary on the nouveau riche, the negative effects of capitalism, andhikikomori (withdrawn recluses). Oh, and the upper echelons are demon-hunting magistocrats.

Jaden Smith's narcissistic Kaz is more concerned with the color of his tuxedo for a society event than the demonic forces possessing his friends. Smith's flat delivery may seem off-putting, but fits the character perfectly. Jude Law's dapper British accent gives mechabutler Charles an Alfred quality, while Susan Sarandon provides requisite cold bitch as Kaz's pseudo-manager Aunt Agatha. The Kid Mero + Desus Nice give excellent comedy as sidekicks Lexy + Gottlieb, whose Caprese cocktail I'm curious to try. Jason Schwartzman infuses rival Arcangelo with plenty of condescending disdain, while Tavi Gevinson makes Helena sound like the coolest anti-capitalist millennial.

The fourth episode featured some of the show's best comedic moments, including a hilarious Lexy + Gottlieb transformation and Kaz's first encounter with an ex that left him bereft in the pilot. The pilot + third episodes set the table for other storylines (the shift in Helena's personality in the pilot, the disappearance of the Helenists in the third), but got their licks in with some silly social commentary (the Times Square Bachelor Ranking Board in the pilot, the dress code in the third). The second episode, my fave, not only featured a fun Katy Mixon guest voice as a Southern pop star, but milked a lot of comedy out of wardrobe choices.

The demon storylines usually serve more as a distraction for Kaz's social life, resolving quickly + without later issue, causing the show's stakes to be lower than the submarine housing level Kaz visits in the pilot. The comedy can feel superficial or inaccessible, and certainly this show takes itself pretty seriously, but there is something novel about the fusion of oft-empty American excess with oft-cutesy Japanese visuals that is charmingly weird. Overall Neo Yokio, the self-proclaimed "greatest city in the world," can be a fun place to visit for short bursts.

Team: Hend Baghdady (executive producer), Kazuhiro Furuhashi (director), Ezra Koenig (creator, ep, writer), Junji Nishimura (director), Nick Weidenfeld (ep, writer)

Series Regulars: Jaden Smith as Kaz Kaan, Jude Law as Charles, Tavi Gevinson as Helena St. Tessero, Jason Schwartzman as Arcangelo Corelli, Susan Sarandon as Aunt Agatha, The Kid Mero as Lexy, Desus Nice as Gottlieb

Production Company(s)/Studio(s): Friends Night, MOI, Production IG, Studio Deen

1st Episode: "The Sea Beneath 14th St." (September 22, 2017) - ***

Rat catcher.

The 80s Neo Yokio promo tourism video. The Rat Catcher exoncists were really catching rats. The shot of the tennis player's butt in her skirt. "It's been three weeks, and I still can't believe she's really gone. My one true love is now living the glamorous life of an investment banker in San Francisco, while I remain in Neo Yokio haunted by her memory." Kaz tossing the watch Charles just fixed into the street. "Sorry, guys, but I can barely navigate the hellish vortex between breakfast + dinner, let alone the labyrinth of the field hockey field." The woman destroying her tennis racket after missing an ace. "I'm number two [on the Times Square Bachelor Ranking Board]?" "Two is a rather prestigious number." "Two is the loneliest number, Charles. Especially when you're second to a jackass." Kaz is having wine? "Why are you late? Don't you have a watch?" "Who cares what time it is when the future's an interminable abyss of wackness?" "Kaz, you're not a gentleman of leisure like those other uptown buffoons. You can't just drink Americanos + watch tennis all day." Kaz chafing at Aunt Agatha using the phrase "Rat Catcher." Kaz shopping for suits by touch. Margiela field hockey trainers? Arcangelo's intro card. The changing room scene was far less homoerotic than expected. "I am a magistocratic exorcist, and it's my sacred duty, you jackass." Kaz blasting Arcangelo though several walls. The sea beneath 14th street is interesting. "These are Helena's biggest fans." "We're called Helenists, you herb." "She's our queen." "Her blog is our bible." Helen's father calling Helena's possession a "tad awkward." So, Chanel is a country? Kaz rebuffed by Helena's force field. Kay's drop on the Bachelor Ranking Board. Kaz visiting the grave he designed for himself. The Babylon N°5 perfume. "It's really not a very elegant perfume. It achieved global success, but in a marketplace far less crowded than today's. I believe a classic is a classic when talking about clothes, cars or watches, but scents need to change with the times, don't you agree?" Kaz deducing that Helena's suit is possessed. "Sir, at this hour, the bubble traffic is horrendous. It could take us hours." Possessed Helena blasting a hole in the ceiling and water spilling in. "You fools will never be safe. Your vanity ensures it." "Karl Lagerfeld said 'Vanity is the healthiest thing in life.'" "God, you really are a herb." Kaz asking Helena out. Arcangelo's "flagrant foul" against Kaz. Kaz scoring the winning point in spite of the large goalie. "Charles, play Vivaldi's concerto." "In D minor, sir?" "No. In E-flat major." "Ah! Very good, sir."

2nd Episode: "A Pop Star of Infinite Elegance" (September 22, 2017) - ****

Midnight blues.

Is Sailor Pellegrino a version of Sailor Moon? The crying Knickerboxer players. Kaz's blush. Medusa licking Sailor Pellegrino's nose. Sailor Pellegrino's sparkling business card. The bloody nose Kaz gets when Sailor Pellegrino kisses his cheek. "A tuxedo is a living thing, Lexy. You can't just yank it out of storage the day of the ball. It needs to be reintroduced to human society, slowly + carefully." Kaz believing Helena will understand his viral kiss cam kiss. "Sailor Pellegrino is wack. You know? I can't stand that white-bread pop shit." "Her music is for corn puffs, but you can't deny, she's talented." The same Arcangelo intro card. Kaz shamed about his midnight blue suit. "Get in the Phantom!" Poor Charles. "But surely you've heard of a demon hiding in a diamond. 'For the Love of God,' Damien Hirst, 2007. A platinum cast of a human skull, encrusted with 8,601 flawless diamonds." The adjunct museum curator remarking on Kaz's suit. "Maybe I should pay her a visit." "Oh, I'm sure she'd love that." "I'll bring her a big Toblerone." "How thoughtful." Helena's desire to boycott the Black + White Ball for its "vapid celebration of capitalist values." Kaz taking his Toblerone with him. Sailor Pellegrino holding up an octopus tentacle. Medusa on her own small treadmill too. No one can pronounce "ichiban" correctly. "You're Neo Yokio's most eligible bachelor, and she just moved here last week. She don't know what a chop cheese is." The tuxedo masks. "Oh, Arcangelo, what, do you live here [at Bergdorf's]?" "I wish I lived here." "Me, too." Charles showing the Aunt Agatha call with video even though Kaz said audio only. "People just can't get enough of other people standing on a red carpet." Super understanding Sailor Pellegrino. "I took two beta-blockers, but I still can't shake my nerves." Everyone else wearing midnight blue suits. "You're too neo riche to pull it off anyway." "Excuse me, but there is nothing wrong with being neo riche." "Old money doesn't make you any less of a jerk." Sailor Pellegrino walked out to steal the skull, right? "Helena Saint Tesoro arrived." "Can you see what she's wearing?" "It looks like a hospital gown + bandages." "Next level." Sailor Pellegrino revealing her true form to Kaz. "I can see you, bitch. You're wearing a black tuxedo against a midnight-blue sky. And it's sparkling." Kaz slicing the skull in half to kill the Sailor Pellegrino demon. "I guess I'm not the worst-dressed person at the ball after all." Kaz walking out solo.

3rd Episode: "O, The Helenists…" (September 22, 2017) - ***

Dress code of conduct.

"I keep having nightmares about walking through the ball with my boxer shorts exposed." That was my face when I heard squid ink fettuccine too, Kaz. "[The Helenists are] wearing hospital gowns and bandages + they refuse to take them off." Oh my, "hikikomori" is such a niche concept. "What are you guys drinking?" "A Caprese Martini." "Caprese? Like the salad?" "That's right. We invented it last week. It's tomato, basil, and mozzarella. But now, it'll get you lit." Kaz's reaction face to the Caprese Martini. "Well, I'm sorry, girls, but Helena Saint Tesoro has lost the plot." "Helena Saint Tesoro has not lost the plot." "Helena is the plot. And the author. And the main character." Are there 1,000 words on the "graceful geometry of cable-knit sweaters"? The principal giggling at Kaz's belief he will actually be teaching elegance. "[The school's dress code] is so conservative, just like you." "My style is not conservative." "Girl, you are wearing khakis right now." "These are Ralph, though, Purple Label." Kaz finding a demonic broach at Professor Muhly's house. I liked Kaz's draped shroud. Kaz chasing the demon through the library. The entire pile of letters from the Helenists. "Why would you lie to me about going to a club?" "Because I'm a classically-trained musician, and my boyfriend spins this embarrassing mess. Please don't tell anyone I date a DJ." "Your secret is safe with me." The fanmail forming tentacles that come for Helena. The Helenists planning to sacrifice Kaz so they can become possessed by demons. "You're the epitome of everything that's wrong with this wicked city. You are vain. You are foolish, and quite frankly, you're not even that elegant." "How dare you." The Helenists disappearing. "I don't get it. How did you know the Helenists were gonna kill me?" "I had a dream that a Toblerone was in trouble, and that Toblerone was you." The headmaster abolishing uniforms. "I don't hate you. I just wish you weren't such a lapdog of the bourgeoisie."

4th Episode: "Hamptons Water Magic" (September 22, 2017) - ***

Liquid courage.

"Just as this calm pool of water sits at the center of a chaotic metropolis, you, too, have an inner reservoir of peace + tranquility." Cathy's revelation. "I'm due at the cemetery." "Please don't be so dramatic, Kaz." "Don't flatter yourself. I have no wish to die. It's my uncle's funeral." The chanting priest at the funeral. "At least he died doing what he loved." "Drowning?" "No, sailing! They couldn't even find the body. He's probably being dragged around the Atlantic in a tuna net, like a dolphin." First dibs on the loafer collection sounds really important. "I just thought you might prefer the black Alexander Wang trunks since you are in mourning for your uncle." Charles at 22% battery. The sliding door at Caprese Boy. "What's the point of owning a business if you can't take a vacation?" Sexy + Gottlieb's failed business plan. "[The Jitney] is an artisanal school bus." The unkept interior of Albert's house. Charles' blowing out the charging port. Lexy + Gottlieb changing forms when the jump in the infinity pool. "Provincial as ever, I see." "Fancy words won't hurt me, schmuck. You're in my house now. Technically, it's not your house." "It's the family trust's house, and soon it'll go to the highest bidder." The raccoon charging Kaz. "Without water, there'd be no nautical fashion." Panda Gottlieb like Chewbacca. "All right, if you were my tasteless cousin, where would you be?" "I don't know, the Mountain Dew pavilion?" Arcangelo complimenting Female Lexy. "He's Formula 1 while you're baby formula." Panda Gottlieb grunting when Arcangelo says the new pet wave is cheetahs. "Yo, that was creepy as fuck, son. I'm really not enjoying the male gaze right now, so we gotta find your cousin ASAP." Panda Gottlieb shaking his head at Female Lexy. "I didn't realize you had a new girlfriend. You didn't mention her this morning. Yeah, I find it's in bad taste to bring up stuff like that when you run into an ex." Female Lexy hitting on Matoko. "You think I'd miss my chance to smash the hottest lesbian on Long Island? Let me make lemonade out of these lemons. Can I live?" Panda Gottlieb taking down each of the sumo suit wrestlers. "You can't go around making me your prop, dawg." Female Lexy crossing her arms, pushing up her breasts. "I don't want you kissing me, son!" "Lexy, you sound like a real homophobe." "Homophobe? No, B. I may have this hot female body right now, but I do not identify as female. Even if I did, you still can't kiss me to make your ex jealous!" Female Lexy tossing a misogynistic Kaz into the pool. Charles down to 1% by the morning. The raccoon jumping into the pool and transforming back to Albert. "Next thing I know, my dudes turned into butterflies. So, I'm running around trying to catch their bitch asses, and then it hits me, I could do this to my dad and get the house." Albert kissing Kaz on the cheek. Sadie, Charles' pilot, opening up the mecha suit. "You know, I kind of miss being a panda. All that fur felt good, man. I miss my beautiful female body, if we're being real about things."

See more posts like this on Tumblr

#Neo Yokio #Netfix #Comedy #Carry #3 Stars

lightnerwisecon.blogspot.com

Source: https://fourthofgoodbye.tumblr.com/post/166452615246/neo-yokio-netflix

Share this post