Favourites

I’ve never much been one for medical dramas and it’s not so easy for me to put my finger on why. If you forced me, I’d say because it hits too close to home. Who wants to spend time in a hospital, even a fictional one, if they don’t have to?

After hearing enough people go on about how good The Pitt was, I decided to give it a go, and yeah… It’s great. I completely fell into its rhythm, not at all concerned that he majority of the medical jargon was a foreign language.

I got so into it in fact that, starved for more, I found myself scrolling through HBO Max’s recommenced section and clicking on ER.

Now, I don’t know what I thought ER was, but I assumed it was rubbish. In the UK we have shows like Casualty and Holby City, and they’re woeful. Corny. Bad acting. Drama that feels engineered for TV rather than a natural outcome of the context. But ER was not that. It shocked the hell out of me.

It was well written, smart, and had that gritty, grainy 90s film look that I just adore. Immediately likeable characters. Funny. And above all, rooted and down-to-earth. I only watched the first episode mind, so maybe it declines, but I really liked it.

I wonder what other gems I’ve completely written off? Answers on a post card.

Gosh darn it, sometimes you just need a cracking yarn. Tight plot, snappy dialogue, full of twists and turns, and a great central performance to tie it all together. Slow Horses is that. I blasted through the first two seasons before I knew what was happening.

The formula does strain somewhat after a while. By Season 4 I felt I knew the beats before they happened. But I’m pretty sure that was in part because I was watching it all so quickly. I’ve no doubt if I leave it a few months and go back to it, I’ll be swept up in it all again.

I’ve been getting back into manga recently. Specifically, old school horror manga. I’ve dipped in and out of manga over the years. It started with Dragonball, quickly followed by Death Note and then a whole slew of the big hitters of the day.

At some point during that early burst I discovered Osamu Tezuka. I read MW and Ode to Kirihito over two or three days and thought that was the best shit i’d ever seen. I fell in love and learnt that manga didn’t have do be power levels and energy blasts. Tezuka later work was dark, disturbing, and deeply moral/ And I’ve been seeking those qualities in my manga ever since.

Fortunately, there’s quite a bit to choose from in that space, but the two most celebrated are Junji Ito and Kazuo Umezu. I have to confess I’ve never been able to get into Ito. His plots all have that ‘one thing after another’ vibe. But I recently tried The Drifting Classroom, Umezu’s most famous work, and I’m happy to report, I loved it.

The Drifting Classroom is about a school that disappears and ends up in desolate, horror-ridden dimension. The students and teacher are all taken, and a power struggle ensues that brings out the worst and best of humanity.

What’s great about this book is that it’s not just visual horror. It’s not just incredible, visceral art, it’s also a great story. There are tantalising mystery elements, genuinely innovative solutions, psychological complexity, and strong character dynamics. It’s not as morally rich as Tezuka, but it’s a great read, and it’s easy to see why it’s a classic.