Thursday, April 30, 2015

Slow Mo Guys Tribute - We Can Make the World Stop AMV



AMV link:  here
AMV creator:  maruul
Series:  Slow Mo Guys/Rooster Teeth
Song:  We Can Make the World Stop by The Glitch Mob

Something a little different for our AMV posts.  I'm a huge fan of Rooster Teeth in all it's facets, and one of the ones I particularly like is the oftentimes educational and always cool The Slow Mo Guys.  If you've never checked them out give their main youtube a gander here

And here's a channel trailer for you to watch as well!


Wednesday, April 29, 2015

New Series 'Dragon Ball Super' Announced, Airing in July


Hold onto your hats people, this is not a drill! In news that came out of nowhere, it has been announced that a new Dragon Ball series, the first 'new' one in 18 years, will begin airing in Japan in July! The series, titled 'Dragon Ball Super', will take place 'after the defeat of Majin Buu, when the Earth is peaceful again'. Original creator Akira Toriyama is credited as coming up with the original story and character concepts for the series.

Some additional notes should be added to this however. 1) For clarity's sake, 'Dragon Ball Kai' began airing in 2009, so we've had a series on TV since the end of GT in 1997, but by Kai's very nature I can see why it's not considered “new”. 2) While the announcement lists it as taking place after Majin Buu, that doesn't mean it will actually be after the end of the manga, as both of the two recent films as well as the Jump Special Animation Tour special before them, also take place after that arc but during the 'ten year' time skip prior to the final chapters. This series could very well be in that same area of time. 3) It doesn't pay to be cynical, but it's worth pointing out that GT was originally touted as having Toriyama's involvement as well, but in the end his involvement was very minimal. While it's unlikely that that's true this time as well due to Toriyama's increased interest in the franchise as of late, it's still something to keep in mind.

Needless to say, this is news that I never thought I'd actually read or have the pleasure of reporting on. Dragon Ball Z was arguably my first anime series, is still one of my favorites, and the Dragon Ball franchise as a whole is among my absolute favorite things. To think we're getting another new series...I'm a little numb with excitement!

Monday, April 27, 2015

Discotek's Lupin III: Jigen's Gravestone dub available on Hulu






Late 2014 saw Discotek announce the acquisition of the newest Lupin III "film"  Daisuke Jigen's Gravestone.  What was even more surprising was that Discotek announced the film would be dubbed, a first dub for the company (they keep dubs on shows that have previously had them but don't dub themselves).  But a few days ago a new bit of news was dropped to the surprise of everyone.


Lupin III: Jigen's Gravestone is on Hulu dubbed. This Lupin production was dubbed in LA and features Richard Epcar back as Zenigata (he previously played the character in FUNimation's Lupin III:  Woman Called Fujiko Mine), but Keith Silverstein is Lupin, Cristina Vee is Fujiko, and Dan Worren is Jigen.

You can watch the entire film dubbed here and the subtitled version is also available!!!

The DVD and Blu-Ray release of the film is set to come out from Discotek/Eastern Star in 2015 but no concrete date has been given.

Thursday, April 23, 2015

New 'Muppets' Show To Be More...Adult?


Entertainment Weekly has reported that the upcoming revival series based on Jim Henson's Muppets characters is going to be a little 'different' than what fans might expect. The pilot, and entire concept of the series, is reportedly going to explore the 'personal lives' of the characters in a mockumentary style, reminiscent of Arrested Development and The Office, in a more 'adult' manner.

While the concept of exploring the characters sounds interesting, I have to admit, I'm a little concerned about the mockumentary style. If it's anything like it sounds to me, with characters constantly just talking to the cameras, then I'm not really a fan of that style of film based on examples of it I've seen before. As a big Muppets fan though, I'm still excited to check the series out when it finally airs.

1985 Vampire Hunter D Film to Receive New Dub


In news that nobody would have seen coming, Sentai has announced that the original Vampire Hunter D film will be receiving a new dub. The re-release is set to be available on DVD and Bluray on August 25, and it's unknown as of now if the original Streamline dub will also be on the new release as a bonus track.

There's not much else to report on as of now, but we'll try to keep you posted as more news becomes available.

Dragon Ball Xenoverse DLC Pack 3 Detailed


Further details on the third DLC pack for Dragon Ball Xenoverse have come to light! The pack which will mostly focus on the new film, 'Resurrection 'F'', will definitely contain the following.
  • 4 new playable characters (Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan Goku, Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan Vegeta, Golden Frieza, and Jaco the Galactic Patrolman)
  • 5 Parallel Quests
  • 2 new Masters (Jaco and '???')
  • 8 Master Quests
  • 14 Moves
  • 1 Accessory
  • 7 Z-Souls
The second mystery mentor is rumored to be Old Kai, which could hint at playable characters getting the 'Ultimate' transformation. It's also unsure if some of the other Japanese DLC for the film's promotion, such as Tagoma's scouter and Goku and Vegeta's new movie outfits for custom characters, will also be included. Most interesting of all is the fact that there doesn't seem to be any story missions from the film.

The pack currently has no official date announced, but is rumored to be by the end of the month, likely on the 28th.

Mr. Holmes First Trailer Released

The first trailer for the upcoming film 'Mr. Holmes' has also hit the internet.


The film, which is currently set to release in the UK on June 19 (no US release date has been announced as of yet) will star Ian McKellen as an aged Sherlock Holmes, whose memory is starting to fade, as he relives the details of his last – and only failed – case.

The entire concept sounds incredibly interesting, and with McKellan at the helm, this is definitely a movie to keep an eye on.

Jurassic World Global Trailer Released

We're still playing catch up from a lot of real-world work as of late, so bear with us – and first up is something that has me very excited, another new trailer for 'Jurassic World'!


Jurassic World, set to hit theaters on June 12, is the first new film for the franchise since 2001's Jurassic Park III. The story takes place twenty-two years after the events of the original film (matching the real-world passage of time) on Isla Nublar, were Hammond's dream of a fully functioning dinosaur park has finally come true. Attendance numbers are dropping however, and in an attempt to boost those numbers, the staff have created a new 'hybrid' dinosaur, the 'Indominus Rex'. The creature quickly proves to be too much to control, and Owen Grady (Chris Pratt), the park's Velociraptor trainer, is enlisted to help track down the renegade dinosaur.

The film, also starring Bryce Dallas Howard and Vincent D'Onofrio, is one of my most anticipated movies of the year. I've been a huge Jurassic Park fan ever since I was a kid, so to have a chance to re-live that kind of feeling all over again is going to be great!

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Noctis coming to Dissida after Final Fanatsy XV



Square Enix have been hosting location tests for Dissidia Final Fantasy at arcade centers in Japan, and several key developers in Square Enix producer Ichiro Hazama, Koei Tecmo director Takeo Kujiraoka, and head of Team Ninja Yosuke Hayashi answered a few questions in an interview with Dengeki.

So far, it’s been announced that Dissidia Final Fantasy on arcade will feature characters from the first Final Fantasy up until Final Fantasy XIV. Dengeki asks if there’s a chance we’ll see Noctis from Final Fantasy XV as one of the characters that eventually makes it into the game.

“We’re thinking about it, of course. He would likely use something like his ‘Phantom Swords’,” Kujiraoka says with a laugh.

“There are even some among us that have been thinking about it, saying ‘if Noctis will be in it, how will he perform those warps?’” adds Hayashi.

“However, this will have to be after Final Fantasy XV releases,” Hazama says. “It would be a bit too much to play as a Final Fantasy XV character in arcades right after the demo.”

Considering that Team Ninja are working on the development of Dissidia Final Fantasy, Dengeki asks if there’s a chance of seeing characters from the Dead or Alive series. To this, Hayashi responds by saying that for Dissidia Final Fantasy, it would be best to develop the game with Final Fantasy fans in mind. Team Ninja’s role is to provide their knowhow, experience, and technology.

Since their goal is to add 50 characters or more, there may be a lot of space in the roster for other characters, but Hayashi says that Final Fantasy is a series with a lot of characters, so there will be plenty to choose from, and clarifies that they don’t have any plans on adding Dead or Alive characters.

Moving on, Team Ninja’s Soft Engine is used to show more realistic skin texture and movements to the characters of Dead or Alive. Dengeki asks whether the studio will employ it for Dissidia Final Fantasy.

“At first, we asked ‘can we try it out with Terra?’” Hayashi responds with a laugh. “However, currently, it’s been decided not to use it for the time being. I don’t know if we will by the time it’s done, but we’ll try creating the game without using it first. We’ve discussed how once a character that requires it for ‘that’ appears, we’ll think about it again.”

Tomorrowland 2nd trailer



Tomorrowland has a 2nd trailer out for our viewing pleasure, and I'm getting more and more interested with every new detail I see.

Space Funk - Uptown Dandy AMV



There are so many great Space Dandy AMVs it's hard to choose just one, but recently a lot of them have been made using Uptown Funk.  This one is probably my favorite.


AMV link: here
AMV Creator:  Nearphotison
Series:  Space Dandy
Song:  Uptown Funk by Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars

ThatKaitoDan RWBY Volume 2 Retrospective Part 1




thatkaitodan:
Welp after several months of delays and even a final hurdle stopping this come out sooner, FINALLY my RWBY Volume 2 Retrospective is here!!!
Part 1 on my thoughts and feelings on the recent volume's content right here, keep in mind these are just my opinions, not the cold hard facts of the show, opinions vary. The remaining parts coming soon.  :)

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

New Lupin the 3rd Series Composed by Yuji Ohno Confirmed!


The new 'Lupin III' TV series that was originally announced for Spring in Japan has unfortunately been delayed until the fall – but it's not all bad news however. The 'original' composer, Yuji Ohno, has been enlisted to do the series score! Ohno released a comment on his involvement with the series, stating “"Lupin is returning center stage! This is what 'Lupin Sound' should be! Please look forward to that kind of music." While Ohno didn't score the original 'green jacket' series, he did score the second and third TV series (often affectionately referred to by fans as the 'red jacket' and 'pink jacket' series), as well as all of the yearly TV specials for the franchise.

There has been no word as of yet as to the cast of the franchise, but it is likely that everyone from the recent series and specials will be returning. The only one in question (and keep in mind this is highly, highly speculative) is Jigen's original seiyuu, Kiyoshi Kobayashi. Kobayashi has been playing the character since the 70's, and the recent 'Daisuke Jigen's Gravestone' film seems like the ideal place for him to step down if he so wishes. We at the Fandom Writer certainly hope he's still involved though.

009 Re:Cyborg English Cast & Release Date Announced


After licensing it a few years ago, FUNimation has finally announced the English release date and cast for the 2012 film '009 Re:Cyborg'. The DVD/Blu-ray combo will be released on July 28th, with a limited edition set to include a 44 page interview and information booklet. The English cast is as follows.

Joe Shimamura/009 – Jason Griffith
Ivan Whisky/001 – Stephanie Sheh
Jet Link/002 – Marc Diraison
Francoise Arnoul/003 – Erin Fitzgerald
Albert Heinrich/004 – Dave B. Mitchell
Geronimo Jr./005 – Patrick Seitz
Chang Changku/006 – Michael Sorich
Great Britain/007 – John White
Pyunma/008 – Marcus Griffin
Dr. Isaac Gilmore – George C. Cole
Samual Klein – Kevin T. Collins
Void – Greg Abbey
Navy Man – Sean Schemmel

FUNimation is collaborating with Michael Sinterniklaas's N.Y.A.V. Post studio for the dub, which is why it has a mixture of LA and NY based voice actors rather than FUNimation's in-house crew. Sinterniklaas is also set to direct alongside Anthony Tortorici.

I only vaguely remember the early 2000's anime series of Cyborg 009 from Toonami, but I liked it well enough to be quite interested in how this film turns out.

Boruto: The Movie First Teaser Released


A first teaser trailer for the upcoming 'Boruto: The Movie' has hit the internet.


Not a lot is shown other than giving us a brief look at the animation, which again still appears to look as good as we'd expect a Naruto film to, but it does tease a few interesting tidbits. As seen in the end of the manga, Boruto seems to have a bit of an issue with his father, likely due to how busy Naruto is. There also seems to be potential rivalry between him and Sarada, Sasuke and Sakura's daughter. Most interestingly though are a set of labels on some characters in the teaser, or most specifically, Sasuke. The label of 'Master' pops up over him, seeming to imply that he's actually the sensei for Boruto (and perhaps Sarada as well)! That would definitely be a twist I wouldn't have seen coming.

The film is currently set to release in Japanese theaters on August 7th.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens Second Teaser Released


We're a little behind on news due to a busy work weekend, so most of you have probably already seen this, but in case you haven't – a new teaser for Star Wars: Episode VII: The Force Awakens, has been released!



The teaser still doesn't show enough for myself personally to decide how interested I am, being an armchair Star Wars fan as it were, but does give us a little more of a glimpse into what the film might be entailing. It's definitely nice to finally hear Luke, see a tease of Leia, and flat-out see Han and Chewie yet again.

The film is currently slated to release on December 18, 2015, and is the first in a series of new films for the franchise in the works since Disney purchased the Star Wars film rights.

Monday, April 20, 2015

Alan Wake 2...coming after all? It's more likely than you might think





Fellow Alan Wake fans rejoice!!!

Not only is Remedy seriously considering giving us Alan Wake 2 after their newest game Quantum Break releases, but we even have some details and a prototype trailer to show for it!!!

A massive amount of text, some concept art, and a video are below the cut.


Predator: Dark Ages short film trailer



While we all patiently wait for more news on Shane Black’s new PREDATOR sequel, short film director James Bushe took matters into his own hands and made a fan film featuring the man-hunting extraterrestrials; only this time they're up against a group of Templar Knights, who are put to the test when they encounter the PREDATOR. You can watch the trailer below, as the short gears up for its premiere at the MCM London Comic-Con on May 22nd-24th.

PREDATOR: DARK AGES is a short film that follows…
"a group of Templar Knights that are charged with hunting down a "Demon" that plagues the countryside. Their battle with the Predator is the thing Myths and Legends are born from."
The film was written and directed by James Bushe and stars Adrian Bouchet, Amed Hashimi, Sabine Crossen, Ben loyd-Holmes, Jon Campling, Joe Egan and Philip Lane.


Master Keaton Case 4: Immortal Man



Case 4:  Immortal Man
  

SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS

 

Friday, April 17, 2015

Dissidia Arcade Test Tutorial Video



Square Enix has released a new seven-minute tutorial video detailing how to play Dissidia Final Fantasy Arcade ahead of its location test start on April 17.

The game is due out in Japanese arcades this fall.



Wednesday, April 15, 2015

J-Stars Victory Vs.+ Receives Western Release Date!


It's been known for a while that Western audiences were finally going to get to play J-Stars Victory Vs. at long last, but we didn't know exactly when...until now.


Bandai Namco has just announced that the US will receive the game for PS3, PS4, and (digitally on) Vita on June 30th! The UK will see a release four days prior to this on the 26th.

J-Stars Victory Vs. is the latest in a 'series' of games from Japan that mashes up characters from various Shonen Jump titles such as Dragon Ball, Naruto, Bleach, Yu Yu Hakusho, One Piece, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, and many many more. The game allows you to duke it out in various locales from the included series, as well as play a story mode in a world that's a mash-up of these series as well. Unique to the non-Japanese release of the game however (hence the '+') will be some gameplay tweaks to balance the characters better, as well as an 'Arcade' mode to add further replay value.

Europe (and the US if they order from GameStop) will have the option to pre-order and receive a 'compendium' which will have character art and brief blurbs about the various titles included.

I am super excited for this game, being a big fan of a lot of the titles included as well as Shonen Jump in general. Time to pre-order!

Dragon Ball Xenoverse DLC Pack 2 is Available Now!


Despite some possible questions as to whether they were keeping to the originally announced date for North America, the second pack of DLC for Dragon Ball Xenoverse was released yesterday! As a reminder, this pack gives you:
  • 4 new playable characters (Nuova Shenron, Eis Shenron, Towa, & Mira)
  • 3 Time Patrol Quests (Story Mode)
  • 3 Parallel Quests
  • Pan as a Master, and her 5 Master Quests
  • 5 new costums from Pan, Gogeta, Super 17, Towa, and Mira
  • 22 new techniques from Pan and the four new playable characters
  • 6 new Z-Souls, 2 from Pan and 1 each from the new playable characters
DLC Pack 3 is still to be announced for a release date, but will feature (among other things) a playable version of Golden Freeza from the new 'Resurrection 'F'' film, as well as Jaco the Galactic Patrolman. Stay posted for more news as it hits!

Ant-Man Full Trailer Released



We're running a few days behind on this one, but on April 13th, a second (but the first full) trailer for Marvel's upcoming 'Ant-Man' film was released online!


The film, set to be released on July 17th of this year, will tell the story of petty thief Scott Lang, as he is brought in by Dr. Hank Pym to safeguard the Ant-Man suit, a technology which gives it's user the ability to decrease in size but increase in strength, from people who want to misuse it's power.

Admittedly, Ant-Man is not a character I'm super familiar with, and on paper the concept sounds kind of ridiculous – as does the name – but I haven't been disappointed by one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe film choices yet, so I'm looking pretty forward to when this film comes out.

Level E Review Update


This is just an update on the progress of the Level E review. Originally, I was planning to do it episode by episode, as was being done with Master Keaton by Alc, but due to the heavy back-and-forth during my work and this style just not presenting itself as the best method for my writing on most things, I'm having to change it to a post-series 'full series' review. I may tackle other series in an episode-by-episode format in the future, but for now, it will have to be full series reviews. Sorry to anyone this may have disappointed, but I hope you still look forward to the review!

Monday, April 13, 2015

Long Live the King - Final Fantasy Tactics AMV



AMV link:  here
AMV Creator:  acidragdoll's channel
Series:  Final Fantasy Tactics:  War of the Lions
Song:  Viva La Vida by Coldplay

Final Fantasy Tactics is one of those classics that stood out in it's own time and still does today.  Held as one of the best tactical RPGs of all time, it was a godsend when Square announced they were giving fans an updated PSP port featuring fancy new cutscenes with a hand drawn and painted look which included voice acting, new jobs, and new guest characters and a mission mode to add to our roster.  Add in a newly translated script full of all the Shakespearean dialogue we never knew we needed and a story that drew in old fans as well as new ones and you have an epic ripe for the taking.

I never even knew people did AMVs of the title but I was pleasantly surprised to find this after I got done reporting on all of the Dissidia news we've had over the past few days.

Also of special note since this alone doesn't get it's own news blurb but it's been confirmed that one of Ramza's abilities in Dissidia will be Shout.  I'm excited to see how that unique ability will be used in the game's fighting system.

Dissidia Final Fantasy Arcade to have 14 characters at launch








Dissidia Final Fantasy for arcades will have 14 playable characters at launch, Square Enix clarified during a live stream this morning.



On Friday, Japanese outlets reported the publisher as saying at its Closed Conference event that the game would launch with 50 characters.  But this was misreported, the company said.  Rather, Square Enix is planning to have 50 playable characters in the long run, added to the game via post-launch updates.

To date, the following seven characters have been confirmed:
  • Warrior of Light (Final Fantasy I)
  • Onion Knight (Final Fantasy III)
  • Terra Branford (Final Fantasy VI)
  • Cloud Strife (Final Fantasy VII)
  • Lightning (Final Fantasy XIII)
  • Y’Shtola (Final Fantasy XIV)
  • Ramza Beoulve (Final Fantasy Tactics)
View some footage from the broadcast below.
 
  
While the battle set up menu (the picture with Y'Shtola up top) might look familiar to players of the handheld Dissidia titles on PSP the battle hud still looks just a tad bit cluttered to me.  Also of important note is the lack of villains in the starting line up.  Now I'm sure with 50+ playable characters we'll get some villains eventually but one my favorite things in the handheld titles was maining Garland.
 
However I do wonder if Kenji Utsumi's death in June 2013 is a reason we haven't seen the character added to the roster; Square Enix might be pretty busy both casting voice actors for any roles that have never before had speaking parts AND having to recast Garland.  If Garland does appear we at least still have his English voice actor, Chris Sabat of FUNimation, here to be his VA...unless we get a different director for this game than the previous two games had.  That director Bob Buchholz is a different voice director than the one for the main Final Fantasy series (Jack Fletcher) and while many may have criticized the direction he gave most of the actors he is at least kind enough to try and keep voice actors as consistent as possible.

Dissidia Arcade VS PS4 Comparison



Square Enix showed off the latest trailer for the upcoming arcade game, Dissidia Final Fantasy, and the developers have uploaded another pair of videos, including one that compares the game’s arcade looks to what it would look like on PlayStation 4.




The above video shows the comparison between what Dissidia Final Fantasy looks like on arcade and what it would look like on PlayStation 4. As previously reported, a PS4 version hasn’t been “officially” announced yet, as Square Enix said that they would like for fans to enjoy it first in arcades. They mentioned that there won’t be any development towards a console release until at least a year after the launch of the arcade version.



The second video shows more gameplay footage of the characters, starting with Warrior of Light, Onion Knight, Terra, Cloud, Lightning, and Y’shtola. The video also shows a glimpse of a Midgar stage, along with more 3v3 action and Ifrit in battle.

The Boy and the Beast's Second Trailer Posted, Cast Announced



The second trailer for Mamoru Hosoda's upcoming film 'The Boy and the Beast' has just been released.


The film will tell a story set in the human world's Shibuya ward of Tokyo, as well as the bakemono realm. These two worlds are not meant to intersect, but one day, a lonely bakemono named Kumatetsu discovers a lonely boy lost in the bakemono world, and takes him on as a disciple which he re-names Kyuta.

Hosoda first gained notoriety with his previous films 'The Girl Who Leapt Through Time' and 'Summer Wars' before following it up with 'Wolf Children' in 2012, but the man's work goes back a long ways. Before breaking out on his own, he directed both of the 'Digimon Adventure' films (most notably 'Our War Game' – or the second half of 'The Movie' was it was released in the US – which shares many similarities with Summer Wars) as well as the sixth One Piece film.

In addition to the trailer, the cast of the film was also recently announced.

CHARACTERACTOR
Kumatetsu – Koji Yakusho
Kyuta (child) – Aoi Miyazaki
Kyuta (adolescent) – Shota Sometani
Kaede – Suzu Hirose
Grand Master – Masahiko Tsugawa
Monk Momoaki – Lily Franky
Tatara – Yo Oizumi
Iozan – Kazuhiro Yamaji
Ichirohiko (younger) – Haru Kuroki
Ichirohiko (older) – Mamoru Miyano
Jiromaru (younger) – Momoka Ohno
Jiromaru (older) – Kappei Yamaguchi
Chiko – Sumire Morohoshi
Kyuta's Father – Keishi Nagatsuka
Kyuta's Mother – Kumiko Asou

As a huge fan of all of Hosoda's previoius works, my level of excitement for this film is off the charts!

Boruto: The Movie First Screenshots Revealed







A Japanese website has unveiled the first screenshots for the upcoming 'Boruto: Naruto The Movie' film, showcasing both the leads Boruto Uzumaki and Sarada Uchiha, as well as their fathers, Naruto and Sasuke. While it's not much, the screenshots do seem to show that the animation will be keeping to the level that other recent Naruto productions have kept to.

In addition, the cast for Boruto and Sarada was also recently revealed, as the pair will be played by Yuko Sanpei and Kokoro Kikuchi respectively. Yuko Sanpei is probably best known for Renton Thurston from Eureka Seven and Nozomi Yumehara in various Precure incarnations, while Kokoro Kikuchi has played such roles as Kruppoh in Toriko, and Potpourri in Precure – though it's also notable that she was the voice of the young Boruto Uzumaki in The Last: Naruto the Movie.

Sunday, April 12, 2015

Master Keaton Case 3: Strange Tale of Lasagna





Case 3:  Strange Tale of Lasagna

 

SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS

 

Saturday, April 11, 2015

Final Fantasy Dissidia update

No not Dissidia on the PSP...no not Dissidia Duodecim on PSP either.  This is an entirely new game coming to Japanese arcades sometime this year.  The game was originally announced early this February.  The first game from the series in five years, the arcades Dissidia will feature a 3 VS 3 battle system.  The game’s first trailer shows the Onion Knight from Final Fantasy III, Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn’s Y’Shtola, Cloud Strife from Final Fantasy VII,  Terra Branford from Final Fantasy VI, Lightning from Final Fantasy XIII, and Warrior of Light from Final Fantasy.  I'll post that original trailer below:


Lots of images and information under the cut so enjoy!


Friday, April 10, 2015

Power Rangers film has supposedly found it's director



The Wrap is reporting that Saban Brands has found the director they supposedly want to make their new Power Rangers film.  Dean Israelite, who directed Paramount time-travel film Project Almanac, is said to be in negotiations to helm Lionsgate and Saban Films' Power Rangers movie.

POWER RANGERS - The new movie promises to completely re-envision the Rangers, a group of high school kids who are infused with unique and cool super powers but must harness and use those powers as a team if they have any hope of saving the world.

The screenplay was written by Ashley Miller and Zack Stentz. They were previously credited for their work on X:Men: First Class, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles and Fringe

I'm actually a classic PR fan (Gyt, our other FW participant is not) and while I'm not familiar with Dean Israelite's work the team writing the screenplay certainly has some good material in their portfolios.  I'll continue to post any news I find on the project here in case anyone is interested and when the film comes out proper I'll be dragging along Gyt to see the film with me in theaters.  Expect a nifty little "Fan VS Newcomer" editorial out of that in the future.

Thursday, April 9, 2015

Review Announcement: Level E


The next series to receive a review by the site has been decided – joining the ranks alongside Master Keaton, is going to be Level E!

From the creative mind of Yoshihiro Togashi, more known for Yu Yu Hakusho and Hunter x Hunter, Level E tells the story of an Earth that has been populated by thousands of aliens from all over the galaxy. While all the other aliens are aware of their presence, it is a secret only from the Earthlings. Baka, the prince of the planet Dogra, crash lands on Earth and loses his memory. Yukitaka Tsutsui is a freshman who moved out of his parents' home to live on his own, hoping to pursue a baseball team position at the new high school he's attending. The normal life Yukitaka once knew is quickly pulled away when he arrives at his new apartment only to discover Baka waiting inside, and as he becomes the target of the prince's torment.

Goku's New 'Super Saiyan God' Form Revealed


The look of Goku's new “transformation” for the upcoming film 'Dragon Ball Z: Ressurection 'F'' has just been revealed, after somewhat leaking out through a variety of sources before official confirmation was made. The movie (which can be read about in more depth here thanks to the hard working folks at Kanzenshuu) will tell the story of a revived Freeza as he comes to Earth looking for revenge on the Saiyans for his earlier defeats.

The 'form' itself is a bit hard to quantify as of now apparently. Dialogue in the film itself apparently describes it as just 'a Super Saiyan with the powers of a Super Saiyan God' thus altering the normal golden hair and aura to that of blue, but some sources are already referring to it as 'Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan'. Whether this name will turn out to be accurate in any official capacity is yet to be known.

'Ressurection 'F'' is due to come out on April 18th, with a US premiere following shortly thereafter and a 'larger' run planned for this summer from FUNimation. The first trailer for the film can be viewed here, and the second here. Expect further coverage on the film (as well as first 'pre-film viewing' thoughts) to come in the near future!

ThatKaitoDan's RWBY Reviews - More Coming Soon!



Fans of RoosterTeeth's hit series RWBY have been coping with the loss of beloved creator Monty Oum for a few months now, and it's understandable why – for such a creative young soul to be taken from us so early in life is nothing less than a tragedy. The outpouring of love from fans have been keeping the RWBY torch burning strong with all kinds of fan art, fan fiction, and sometimes even dissections.

One such fan, ThatKaitoDan (a good friend of the site) is getting ready to delve further into his dissection of the series over on his Youtube channel. If you're a fan of RWBY and you haven't already checked them out, I'd definitely suggest you do so – you can watch the entirety of his reviews from the playlist here.

Wednesday, April 8, 2015

Un-Transmutable Differences: FMA V.S. Brotherhood


Hiromu Arakawa's 'Fullmetal Alchemist' began serialization in July 2001 in the magazine Monthly Shonen Gangan. It gained almost immediate recognition as something truly special, and only a short while later, an anime adaptation was greenlit and began airing on October 4, 2003 and lasted until October 2, 2004. Due to the anime starting so quickly after the manga, the anime had to go at a slower pace in it's adapted material, as well as creating 'filler' (material not present in the original manga that often, but not always, doesn't do anything to further the main storyline) episodes, before eventually going in it's own direction separate from the manga - though it would occasionally sprinkle certain elements from further in the manga into it's storyline as well. Although the series was both a financial and critical success both in it's home country of Japan and in the rest of the world, and was extremely well received by fans in general, the drastic difference between it and the manga lead to a divide in opinions between Fullmetal Alchemist fans.

Discotek Licenses Lupin the 3rd V.S. Detective Conan TV Special & Film, & More!


Discotek Media has announced this past Tuesday that it has licensed a slew of new anime, including both the Lupin the 3rd V.S. Detective Conan TV special from 2009, and the Lupin the 3rd V.S. Detective Conan film from 2013. Both the TV special and the film feature a combination of casts from the two franchises. The former tells a story about a country called Vesparand, where a new mineral with super stealth properties has been discovered which attracts Lupin's attention. At the same time the untimely deaths of Queen Sakura and her son, Prince Gill leave Princess Mira next in succession to the throne. During a trip to Japan, Princess Mira finds her double in Ran and takes the opportunity to trade places, which ends with Ran being spirited away to Vesparand with Conan, Zenigata, Kogo Mouri, Lupin and Fujiko in tow. There they meet a waiting Jigen and solve the mystery of the deaths of the Queen and Prince; the latter is a follow-up tale of sorts where Conan's attempt to stop Kid from stealing another jewel brings him face-to-face with Lupin and his gang once more. Meanwhile, Emilio Baretti, a famous Italian singer arrives in Japan with his entourage for a concert that is in danger of being cancelled because of an anonymous threat. As the cases come together, Conan has to solve the underlying cause of unwanted developments unfolding after their arrival.

This is an exciting time for Detective Conan (or as it is also known in the US, 'Case Closed') fans, as it marks the first time since FUNimations run with the series that a new company has licensed something from the franchise. While this doesn't automatically mean anything as Discotek has become the go-to company for Lupin, it does mean they are at least aware of Detective Conan as well – only time will tell if they pick it up as well.

Other titles licensed by Discotek in the same wave of announcements are Library Wars, 5 Centimeters Per Second, Giant Gorg, Sonic X, Dororo, and Shin Getter Robo V.S. Neo Getter Robo.

Master Keaton Case 2: Little Giant




Case 2:  Little Giant

 

SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS

 

Monday, April 6, 2015

Viz Media adds Yo-kai Watch manga to catalogue



Viz Media has just announced that it will be bring the Yo-kai Watch manga to the West. Yo-Kai Watch is an incredibly popular series of games by Level-5 (the group behind Dragon Quest and Professor Layton) that fans have been demanding be brought stateside.  While it seems as if none of the games multiple entries is in the works for us here in the West Viz is releasing the manga adaption.

Viz's synopsis is as follows:  Nathan Adams is just an average kid until a mysterious Whisper gives him a device that allows him to see what others cannot, Yo-kai of all shapes and forms!  Now, armed with the Yo-kai Watch, Nathan, Whisper, and their new invisible friends embark on an all new supernatural adventure!

The manga is planned for a September release.  For more information click here.

Master Keaton Case 1: Man in a Maze


 
 
Case 1:  Man in a Maze

I want to make a special note, I will be doing any and all anime reviews whilst watching their English language dubs.  If no dubs are available I will of course use their subtitled versions but this will be a very rare occurrence.  If you don’t like that factor well…I’m sorry but I was born and raised in the United States of America and while I like watching subs I actually only speak my native English language.  I just generally get more enjoyment out of dubs (usually) than subtitled versions of anime or films.  That’s not to say the dubbed versions are superior but as a native English speaker I listen/watch and enjoy those more than versions where I’m constantly staring at a 1 inch frame of space to read subtitles whilst missing the nuances of character reactions or beauty of backdrops and character interactions. 

That said I won’t comment on performances all that much as that can be a very touchy subject for most fans.  Subbies and Dubbies still exist, they’re still animalistic with each other, and I don’t want that shit coming in and ruining reviews or even just genial discussions any of you may want to have in the comments below.  If you like or dislike a performance that’s fine.  If you despise an actor that’s fine, but don’t hound about it in the comments. 

In terms of the dub of Master Keaton I have watched the original Japanese version a handful of times but I much prefer and enjoy the dub version produced by Ocean Group.  Why?  Well it’s an odd thing but in Japanese the actors only do one thing:  speak Japanese.  There are no real attempts at any sort of accentual changes or ways of really speaking.  In the English version we are able to have the actors speak one concrete language but have the actors use accents varying by character and the region in which the stories take place/characters are from.  While many praise the anime’s dub as one of the better dubs Ocean Group produced they also comment about the accents used in the show.  Most think a majority of the accents are over exaggerated.  I’d say for me there are one or two characters where this is the case but most of the actors make their accents more realistic which fits with the show.  Now, off of my soap box and onto the review!!!

 

 

SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS

 

 

Sunday, April 5, 2015

Tegami Bachi (Letter Bee) Manga to End with 20th Volume


The 19th volume of Hiroyuki Asada's Tegami Bachi (Also called Letter Bee) just came out in Japan this past Saturday, and lists that the 20th volume (due out this winter) will be it's last. The manga began in Monthly Jump in 2006, and when the magazine ended it switched to Weekly Jump before finally finding a new home in Jump Square in 2007. The manga tells the story of a young boy named Lag Seeing who delivers mail as a “Letter Bee”, coming across all sorts of dangers which his “Dingo” companion Niche protects him from. The 17th volume was just released by Viz in the US last November.

This is a series I remember liking well enough when I got to read a bit of it in the US version of Shonen Jump, so I really need to get around to checking it out more properly eventually. I remember that Niche is adorable and sassy, and that's more than enough for a read, I'd say.

David Lynch will no longer direct Showtime's Twin Peaks revival



Twin Peaks fans have been waiting 25 years for the continuation of the tale of mystery in the sleepy town of Twin Peaks.  Sadly David Lynch has just announced he is pulling out of Showtime's miniseries revival/continuation of the show.  He has stated that the revival itself has not been cancelled, just that issues arose and due to these issues Lynch has left the project.  No other news on if the returning cast members will now remain with the project or bow out but I'll try to keep everyone posted as soon as I hear more!

For a direct quote about the announcement directly from David Lynch's Facebook page:

"Dear Facebook Friends, Showtime did not pull the plug on Twin Peaks. After 1 year and 4 months of negotiations, I left because not enough money was offered to do the script the way I felt it needed to be done. This weekend I started to call actors to let them know I would not be directing. Twin Peaks may still be very much alive at Showtime. I love the world of Twin Peaks and wish things could have worked out differently."

Saturday, April 4, 2015

Dragon Ball Xenoverse: DLC Pack 2 Coming April 14



Bandai Namco USA has announced that the second DLC pack for Dragon Ball Xenoverse, which is coming out in Japan on April 8, will be available to American players starting on April 14th. The pack will include the following:

  • 4 playable characters (Nuova Shenron, Eis Shenron, Towa, Mira)
  • 3 Time Patrol Quests (story mode)
  • 3 Parallel Quests
  • Pan (GT) as a Master, with 5 Master Quests
  • 5 full costumes from Pan (GT), Gogeta, Super 17, Towa, and Mira)
  • 22 moves from Pan (GT), Nuova Shenron, Eis Shenron, Towa, and Mira
  • 5 new Z-Souls (two from Pan, one each from the other newly playable characters)

DLC Pack 2 will retail from the PSN store for $9.99, or if you have or purchase the Season Pass for all DLC for $24.99, you'll be able to download it automatically.

Friday, April 3, 2015

Persona 3's Fourth Film Adaptation To Be The 'Final' One


'Persona 3: The Movie #3: Falling Down', the third anime film adaptation of the popular PS2 game, has just hit Japanese theaters, and the ending has revealed that the next (as of yet untitled) film will be the “final episode”. The first and second film have been released in the US, via import, by Aniplex USA, however neither film has been dubbed, and like all Aniplex DVD's, sell at far too high a price for any but the most ardent fans to stomach.

Reports from fans that have seen this movie already seem to suggest this third film ends with Ryoji and Aigis facing off on the bridge, which leaves a fair amount of story left to cover in the fourth film, but not so much as to be impossible. Whether we will then see a future adaptation of the 'The Answer' chapter of Persona 3, or anime adaptations of the 'Persona 4 Arena' series which crosses over the Persona 3 and 4 games, is up in the air.

It's time to light the lights...and re-meet the Muppets?!



After 19 years away from the small screen The Muppets are geared up to make their return to television!

ABC reports that the co-creator of the Big Bang Theory, Bill Prady, is filming a "proof of concept" for a revival of the much loved classic television variety show.  Prady is co-writing a script for a pilot presentation that sources are saying could be presented as early as May to Madison Avenue advertisers.  If all goes well it could go straight to a series!

For more information you can read the full write up via The Hollywood Reporter here.

Thursday, April 2, 2015

Master Keaton review announcement




Master Keaton is a Japanese manga series created by Hokusei Katsuhika and Naoki Urasawa (though disputes as to the real creator have sprung up time and again over the years).  The manga was serialized in Big Comic Original between 1988 and 1994 and ran for 144 chapters.  The anime adaptation was created with 24 episodes airing between October 1998 and March 1999 in Japan on Nippon Television.  An additional 15 episodes were created and released as OVAs airing between December 1999 and June 2000, bringing the total to 39 episodes.  The manga's target audience was Japanese men in their 20's and 30's, a comparatively older target audience than is common for most anime series. 

Dragon Ball Z: Extreme Butoden Teaser Released


Bandai Namco Games has released a teaser video for the upcoming 3DS game, 'Dragon Ball Z: Extreme Butoden', which is due out in Japan on June 11.



The game is being developed by Arc System Works, who are more known for their work on BlazBlue, Guilty Gear, and Persona 4 Arena games, have previously worked on Dragon Ball Z titles for the Game Boy Advance, called 'Supersonic Warriors'. The game will feature a decent sized roster of at least 20 different playable characters, but boasts that the 'support' character roster will bring the overall character count over 100. Assist characters can include people like Chi Chi or Bulma, who will yell and cause a text box to appear or bring out a laser gun to shoot your opponents, all the way to things like Hirudegarn or a Great Ape who will fire energy from their mouths at the opponent.

The exact roster of characters, playable or otherwise, has yet to be confirmed, but seems to be quite wide, ranging all the way from the original Dragon Ball, to GT, and even including some of the more recent films and specials. It's unknown as of now if the game will be coming to the US – the last DS game, 'Ultimate Butoden', did not, nor has either of the card-based 'Dragon Ball Heroes' 3DS games – but it looks like it'll be a lot of fun if and when we do get our hands on a copy.