Notice for Review Requests

I receive review requests weekly. However, my personal schedule is hectic and I no longer review actively. (I also manage another blog called The Toronto Cafe and Food Blog). I do read every request sent but I apologize in advance that I do not reply to them all.

If I do take on a request, I will forewarn that it may take some time before I can review it. I am now looking to review adult fiction and self-help books instead of young adult fiction because I have grown out of it. If you are to request a review for either adult fiction or self-help, I will more likely to give it a shot.

In the meantime, Stop, Drop, and Read! serves as an archive book review blog. When I have the time, I may post a review. Thank you for understanding.

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Watching on Wednesday: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (The Complete First Season)

Title: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (The Complete First Season)
Type: Show
Age Group: Teens +
Release Year: 2002
My Rating: 4.5/5

Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar) is the new student who just moved to good ol' Sunnydale. Apparently she caused a lot of trouble in her last school. But she has a good reason for her bad reputation: she is a vampire slayer.

When the school librarian, Rupert Giles (Anthony Stewart Head), approaches her, she immediately rejects the idea of continuing her slaying career. After all, she left California to start a new and normal life here. Unfortunately, Sunnydale High School is right on top of Hellmouth, the gateway for demons.

Befriending Willow (Alyson Hannigan) and Xander (Nicholas Brendon), the trio encounters a variety of supernatural evils. From a seducing praying mantis to invisible girls, Buffy tackles them all with her kick-ass fighting skills and wits.

She runs into Angel (David Boreanaz), who is a sexy and mysterious vampire. Whenever he's around, something bad will happen and he makes sure to let her know. She develops feelings for him, but can their relationship last?

Angel warns her the world will be in trouble when the The Master, an ancient and malicious vampire, rises to the surface of Earth. It is her duty to stop this from ever happening. But can Buffy handle such a powerful enemy?

When I was a kid, I never took interest in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I was too young to understand what was happening and stuck to my Sailor Moon fandom. It wasn't until three years ago when I took notice of this show again. It aired on TV after school but I only watched three to four episodes before they removed it from the channel Razor completely. For the last two months, I was able to watch the first whole season. Even though it is an old show, I love it!

In the very beginning, I thought Alyson was a terrible actress. I found her extremely awkward as Willow for the first two episodes or so. She eventually grew and her acting became better suited for her character. And David Boreanaz? Now he was definitely eye candy of the 90s. But I had a bit of a problem with Angel's moodiness. I was not into the whole mysterious vampire act (//cough// But definitely better than a certain sparkly one //cough//). I hope to learn more about him in the next season. Sarah nailed her role as Buffy and her fighting moves were utmost impressive!

Every episode (or most), dealt with different paranormal creatures. And I liked how it was not solely based on vampires. To be honest, I thought that was what the whole show was going to be about. I didn't think there were going to be other supernatural beings thrown into the bunch. It was nice that they did this or else I might've became bored with it. (How far could you take a vampire concept without repeating yourself and make it more interesting than the last episode?) What I really wanted to know was how Buffy became a slayer. They never answered this question and she had normal parents who were unaware of what she did to save the world. I hope this would be cleared up in the later seasons.

If you haven't watched Buffy yet, really, go check it out. If you are sick of your usual vampire stories, Buffy the Vampire Slayer will make you love them all over again (like it did to me!).

Oh! And I have a little something for you! I took a picture of the actress who played the snobby, rich Cordelia Chase (Charisma Carpenter) at a convention a couple of years ago! Sorry, I don't want people stealing it and claiming the image (though I'm sure someone out there will be a thief) so I resized and watermarked it :


I had to take it a couple of times before I managed a clear shot. They hired big, fat men to block people from snapping pictures while she was at a signing. Yay for my ninja skills!

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5 comments:

♔ jessica.marie said...

So I am the biggest Buffy fan EVER!!!
Ask anyone :D

So.... a couple random facts:
-Sarah Michelle Gellar originally tried out for the part of cordelia.
-Willow was originally played by a larger woman with brown hair but was re-cast after the pilot. The un-aired pilot can be viewed on youtube ;)

♔ jessica.marie said...

Oh and I also :cough: HATE sparkling vampires :cough: due to my immense love of buffy

The Book Resort said...

Buffy is the peanuts.

Liviania said...

Hah, Angel gets better. You'll see.

And how Buffy became the Slayer is explained in the prequel comics, which officially replaced the (bad) movie as canon.)

The first three seasons are on hulu, you know.

Diana Dang said...

@Jessica: I'm glad Sarah played Buffy =D Haha, sparkly vampires are not vampires! They are faeries with teeth!

@Diane: The peanuts? xDD

@Liviania: Yes, we'll see. ;D

I am not in the States so hulu doesn't work for me. But luckily I found a site that has all of the seasons!