Wherein I am being critical

I watch a mix of tv and web-streamed shows to distract myself when I'm not otherwise trying to do productive things with my life.

My definition of "productive" would no doubt be very entertaining to truly productive people, but we're moving on from that topic.

One of my amusements, RWBY, just appears to have concluded its first... season? Initially I was drawn to RWBY 'cause it's got that cheesy anime feel and looked entertaining. Over a year or so, the Rooster Teeth crowd that produces RWBY released four trailers focusing on a fairy-tale themed intro of each of the four primary characters accompanied with some kind of music. I enjoyed the trailers and was intrigued enough to track the series. I've now watched it all the way through and... hm.

Pros:

• The voice casting is solid.
• The characters are entertaining.
• The worldbuilding and premise is really interesting.

Cons:

• The story is a little choppy.
• There seems to be a lot of focus on the side characters and not enough on the primary characters.
• The animation could use some polish. I know Poser has its flaws as an animation program, but... yeah. Still. Flaws.

Hopefully whatever counts as the next "season" will find some focus for the show.

Then there's "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.". So I was prepared to give up on this show until I watched "The Girl in the Flower Dress". That episode proved to me that this show has potential. Then, very slowly, without my even quite realizing it, I started to like the characters. I'm still iffy on super-hacker-girl and square-jawed-badass-guy, but I have to admit I am warming to them. I'm now quite fond of the previously-annoying techno-nerds. They're like adorable puppies. Kinda. And the Clark Gregg and Ming-Na Wen combo is just unbeatable. I'm finding the mystery of Coulson to be a bit tiresome. The mystery of Skye is a little intriguing. I'm still ambiguous as to how I feel about the character of Skye, so I suppose that impacts my reactions to the sub-plot. I kind of wish the show would spend a little more time on a better antagonist or two, just to give the show some better dramatic tension. A few more super-powered bits would be nice, as well. There's a billion minor Marvel characters out there. Surely a few could be plopped into the show?

I hate to compare "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." with "Arrow", but I have to say "Arrow" does a better job with the action/antagonist thing. Sure, the acting is worse (soooooo much worse) but "Arrow" does a better job of capturing the mood and throwing in the little touches of the DC Universe to keep the show tied to its roots. Just throwaways like Kord Industries or Ferris Airlines or the League of Assassins is making a huge difference.

I maintain that "Person of Interest" is the best show I'm currently watching in terms of plot, acting, and interesting characters. Sure it's my opinion, but that's all I really care about anyway. Heh.