English Dub Review: The Bizarre Stories of Professor Zarbi “Fatal Call”; “The Mistigris”

 

 

Overview:

“Fatal Call”

After discovering an old telephone, three teenagers have mysteriously died. Their surviving friend tries to get help from Professor Zarbi and Benjamin before he ends up dead too. Investigating the origins of the phone, Zarbi uncovers its distressful origins. But can they stop him before the ghost prankster kills again?

“The Mistigris”

A collection of forest trolls, known as The Mistigris have awoken from their 25-year sleep. Now they must feed on the energy of humans dancing before slumbering once more. Unfortunately, they have chosen a group of ageing adults to dance for them, and they will not last much longer. Thankfully, Professor Zarbi has an idea to satiate their cravings for good.

 

Our Take:

 

Did you know that Quebec has a provincial “star system” for local celebrities? Original programs are dependent on featuring talent from this system to connect with regional audiences.

The first plot from this episode included an old-school phone – the kind that plugs into the wall still. And how it is causing deaths in a Final Destination kind of way. The series has taken the training wheels off and for the first time, we are seeing some very gory deaths. Additionally, we are introduced to the first malicious spirit. One that is not going to be fooled so easily by Zarbi and Benjamin’s crafty solutions. Hopefully, the show continues further in this direction instead of the juvenile plots that we have seen thus far.  

The second segment had an interesting concept by introducing The Mistigris. A species of forest trolls that hold raves and feast on peoples dancing energy. It is disappointing that the Professor kills this entire clan by the conclusion. They throw a good party.

Unfortunately, there were some distasteful jokes made in this chapter of Professor Zarbi. Featuring a busload of older adults, much of the humour centres around stereotypes. Ageism is the focus of the story, and it is a poor choice. Thankfully, enough was going on in this episode to look past it.

The show is pushing its own boundaries and making bolder moves. Up until now, I have criticized the series for playing it safe and coming off as juvenile. And I am happy to admit that I may have been wrong. This episode is a level up in maturity level and hopefully, we get much more from this stylistic and original show.