Sunday, February 2, 2014

[Anime] Dreamworks getting serious about a live action Ghost in the Shell Film

This past Friday, that DreamWorks had reached a deal with Snow White and the Huntsman director, Rupert Sanders for a live action adaptation of Ghost in the Shell.



It's really no surprise that DreamWorks wants to do something with the GitS, they acquired the rights to the franchise back in 2008 with Steven Spielberg being enamored by the series. Back then it was rumored he would direct as well...

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

Saturday, February 1, 2014

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

Films in Brief: 1/31/14

Guys, let's face harsh facts. The new mainstream releases for the past couple of weeks have been sometimes painfully awful or just plain disappointing. Sure, there are a lot of things going on in indie cinema to celebrate (and especially in Canadian cinema), but for those looking for a bit of film history or nostalgia to get through what has been a pretty savage winter thus far (both in terms of quality and temperature), Cineplex and the TIFF Bell Lightbox have you covered.



THE GREAT DIGITAL FILM FESTIVAL kicks off at select Cineplex locations across Canada today (including for the first time ever in Halifax, .), bringing with it a whole slew of cinematic classics for the low price of $6. With a specific focus this year on science fiction and superheroes, one of the highlights is an all day comic themed blockbusters (on February 2nd) that runs the gamut from the original Richard Donner SUPERMAN to Tim Burton's now 25 year old BATMAN (and Christopher Nolan's THE DARK KNIGHT) to Joss Whedon's large scale team-up THE AVENGERS, and more. If caped capers aren't your thing, there's some classic anime (the also 25 year old AKIRA and the equally heralded GHOST IN THE SHELL), a Guy Richie double bill (LOCK, STOCK, AND TWO SMOKING BARRELS, SNATCH), some classic Terry Gilliam (BRAZIL, MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL, and the incredibly underrated THE FISHER KING), a couple of seemingly randomly selected classic James Bond films (ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE, THUNDERBALL), and some cult sci-fi classics (FLASH GORDON, BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, TRON, LOGAN'S RUN). But perhaps most bodacious and welcome of all are 25th anniversary screenings of the most excellent and often bogusly imitated BILL AND TED'S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE. That one alone is pretty radical.

Friday, January 31, 2014

Animes I Like Part 1

Ok, so a couple of people at my school have asked me for my complete list of animes and my thoughts on each one, so here we are:

I'm breaking this into parts, because, like the big nerdy otaku that I am, I have watched ALOT of animes, and to keep this from being one long ass post, I'll just use genres.


Mothballs: Don't Tell Gally To Stay In The Galley

THIS WEEK: Battle Angel



On January 28th, Yukito Kishiro finally brought the Battle Angel Alita: Last Order manga to the end of its run.

The Sci-Fi Fanatic BIG 20 Sci-Fi TV Heroes

...And drum roll, please, for THE SCI-FI FANATIC BIG 20 SCI-FI TV HEROES response to SCIFINOW's own .



20. OLIVIA DUNHAM (FRINGE).

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

Thursday, January 30, 2014

Recovered Writing: MA in SF Studies, Genre Definitions Paper 1, Mega-text and the Cyberpunk Subgenre, Nov 13, 2006

This is the sixth post in a series that I call, "Recovered Writing." I am going through my personal archive of undergraduate and graduate school writing, recovering those essays I consider interesting but that I am unlikely to revise for traditional publication, and posting those essays as-is on my blog in the hope of engaging others with these ideas that played a formative role in my development as a scholar and teacher. Because this and the other essays in the Recovered Writing series are posted as-is and edited only for web-readability, I hope that readers will accept them for what they are-undergraduate and graduate school essays conveying varying degrees of argumentation, rigor, idea development, and research. Furthermore, I dislike the idea of these essays languishing in a digital tomb, so I offer them here to excite your curiosity and encourage your conversation.



As I remember it, Professor Andy Sawyer led the Genre Definitions module of the MA in Science Fiction Studies program, but we had some seminars with Professor Peter Wright. This is the first of two major essays from the Genre Definitions module. It allowed me to begin my research in an area that I was very interested in (i.e., cyberpunk) but that I had not yet seriously researched.

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

Top 10 Anime Feature Films

Let me start off by saying this list is heavily opinionated. Everything I write in this article is my own opinion based on the anime films that I have seen. I haven't seen every anime film but I have seen a good amount. Also, like most of my lists, I have conditions for what I qualify as an anime "feature film" as I stated in the title. That means it is a standalone film and not apart of a series of movies (Ghost in the Shell Arise, Evangelion, etc.) or movies that are from a popular anime series (DBZ movies, Fullmetal Alchemist Sacred Star if Milos, Trigun Badlands Rumble, Cowboy Bebop The Movie, etc.). So the movies that I am writing about are the ones that tell a story in their given time frame and end it within that time frame. With all that said, let us begin!



10

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

Anime Review: 11eyes

Sometimes an anime comes along that has serious potential but through improper development of characters it falls apart. One such anime was the 2009 anime 11eyes. I will be summarising the story, characters, animation and sounds to then give a final summary so without further ado, my review of 11eyes.



The story focuses on Satsuki Kakeru a middle schooler who was taken off to a plane of existence later called the red night to fight creatures and rescue a girl trapped in a gemstone, the idea itself was solid with good production however leaving a massive lack of emotion for the characters succeeding showing lack of development.

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

Arcane Reviews Update

UPCOMING REVIEWS!



Hello ladies, peoples, and animals it is I, the Arcane Reviewer! Here to bring you a little update. Now I have reviews planned for the rest of this month but I also have some specials set up for the months February and March. So without further or due I present to you the upcoming Arcane Reviews for the next three months.

Live Action Ghost in the Shell

DreamWorks has made a deal with Snow White And The Huntsman helmer Rupert Sanders to direct Ghost In The Shell, a live-action film based on the Japanese manga futuristic police thriller that has a new script from William Wheeler. The film is being produced by Avi Arad, Ari Arad and Steven Paul. Fueled by the personal passion of Steven Spielberg, DreamWorks acquired the project several years ago with ambitious plans to shoot it in 3D.



Created by Masamune Shirow, Ghost in the Shell was first published in 1989 by Kodansha, one of the largest publishing companies in Japan. It went on to generate two additional manga editions, three anime film adaptations, an anime TV series and three videogames. DreamWorks released the second anime film.

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

THE DAKOIT SPECULATION HIT LIST: January 29th 2014!!! UPDATED

These last several weeks has seen a prominence of certain unique trends in the collector and speculator market. Others including myself have noticed increasing demand on later prints of back issue keys and recent/current #1's.



Some notables are subsequent prints of Superman Man of Steel #18 (1st app. of Doomsday). 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th prints are all selling higher than the 1st print of this key ($35-$300).

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

Geek Movie, TV Round-up 'Tarzan,' 'Fantastic Four,' 'Flash,' 'Avengers'

The Latest Top Pop Culture News



ICv2

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Rupert Sanders Signs On To Direct GHOST IN THE SHELL Adaptation for Dreamworks

There's a demand out there for studios to adapt well-known animproperties into live-action films.Over the years, several studios have tried and failed to adapt successful animated hits like AKIRA and AEON FLUX, but they either stalled out in pre-production or failed at the box office.Several years ago, there was a planned adaptation of COWBOY BEBOP with Keanu Reeves set to star.That of course fell through as well, but damn it if the studios never say die!



In fact, they're pushing one of the biggest animhits of all time through production now.Dreamworks is setting up a live-action, big-screen version of GHOST IN THE SHELL, and they've hired SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNSTMAN director/philanderer/Kristen Stewart lover Rupert Sanders to helm the film. The project is expected to be shot in 3D from a script by screenwriter William Wheeler.

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

Dreamworks Producing Live-Action 'Ghost in the Shell' Adaptation

Years have passed (literally) since anyone's talked about re-adapting Masamune Shirow's landmark manga-cum-anime Ghost in the Shell. First conceived on the page by Shirow in 1989, brought to the big screen in 1995, and sequelized in 2004 (by legendary Japanese filmmaker Mamoru Oshii), the Ghost in the Shell franchise has largely survived as a television property in the intervening decade, as seen in early aughts TV show Standalone Complex and, much more recently, OVA series Arise.



This makes recent developments over a new Ghost in the Shell film potentially very exciting. It turns out that there's been movement on bringing Shirow's creation back to theaters with a new update on his original work; Dreamworks, the studio that initially released the truly excellent movie sequel Ghost in the Shell: Innocence ten years ago still owns the rights, and they're intent on pushing ahead with another interpretation of Shirow's manga, this time through a live-action rather than animated lens.

'Ghost in the Shell' Gets Director, Will Be Adapted In 3-D

Some big news went under the news radar this weekend as reported that DreamWorks has made a deal with Snow White And The Huntsman helmer RUPERT SANDERS to direct GHOST IN THE SHELL, a live-action film based on the Japanese manga futuristic police thriller that has a new script from William Wheeler.



"The story follows the exploits of a member of a covert ops unit of the Japanese National Public Safety Commission that specializes in fighting technology-related crime."

2014 Challenge #3

Aside from reading and money-saving, one thing that I didn't fulfill last year is watching anime---whether old-school or recent. For 2014, I want to change that and watch as many animes as I can. Hopefully, by the end of this year, will have many crossouts. XD



Since anime series have a lot of genres, I decided to assign genres per month. This will also be easier for me to pick which animes to watch in the next months.And after watching some animes, I also plan to post reviews about them here.

Rupert Sanders Set To Direct Live-Action Ghost In The Shell

The long-touted and, I always believed, quite unlikely American, live-action version of Ghost in the Shell is still in development. According to , RUPERT SANDERS has been recruited to direct the film.



Sanders' debut, Snow White and the Huntsman, was rich in texture and did feature some very striking imagery. He's clearly got some skills with the modern FX toolkit too, so I'm sure that Sanders could make a Ghost movie that looks and feels pretty special.

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

Live Action Ghost in the Shell Adaptation Gets Director

DreamWorks is taking steps to make its live-action adaptation of the venerable Ghost in the Shell franchise, and they've picked a director with experience in turning lady-led action into undeniable box office success.



According to Deadline, the film has just gotten a new script treatment from WILLIAM WHEELER, writer for The Reluctant Fundamentalist, several episodes of The Cape, a JODIE FOSTER-directed project that goes by the name Brand, and Queen of Katwe, a film based on the life of teenage Ugandan chess prodigy Phiona Mutesi, to be directed by MIRA NAIR. So that's an interesting guy to put behind a cyberpunk story about a female human/cyborg shooting guns and battling hackers, terrorists, and machine intelligences. And by interesting, I mean that's a body of work that may contain exactly the kind of nuance that would give a movie about a woman with cyborg parts firing guns, driving fast cars, and beating up bad guys a cyberbrain, not just some bionic prostheses.

Monday, January 27, 2014

Appleseed (2004)

Directed by: Shinji Aramaki



Starring: Ai Kobayashi, J r ta Kosugi, Yuki Matsuoka

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

Rupert Sanders to Direct Live-Action Adaptation of 'Ghost in the Shell'

Rupert Sanders to direct Live-Action Adaptation associated with 'Ghost in the Shell' | FirstShowing.net

Rupert Sanders to always be able to Immediate Live-Action Adaptation of 'Ghost inside the Shell'

January 24, 2014

Sunday, January 26, 2014

Rupert Sanders Will Direct Ghost in the Shell Live-Action Film

Get ready, anime and manga fans, it looks like another favorite series is about to get tackled by Hollywood. Ghost in the Shell was picked up a while back, and now Dreamworks has assigned a director to it: Rupert Sanders. The director of Snow White and the Huntsman will helm the film which features a new script by William Wheeler. I don't have a lot of faith in Sanders after the mediocre Snow White film, so I'm not sure how I feel about having him in control of this project. Then again, like many other anime films that get a director -- it may not get much else, and disappear into development hell.
Full Post

steven spielbergs adds ghost in the shell to dreamworks slate. a live version of the animie .

worse if steven spielberg and dreamworks now that they revealed they are going to do a live action version of the japanise sci fi punk classic ghost in the shell. which is about a female cyborg cop matou who leads the anti terroist division and spawned an anime and a cartoon series ghost in the shell stand alone complex. steven made it known dreamworks have the rights now to do a live action movie version which given how james cameron similar plans to do the animie battle angel alita is not going to happen till he is done with Avatar. and warners plans to do the classic akira fell part do to it way too costly . if steven and dreamworks pulls this off not only will it be the first time plans for any studio to do a live action version of a hit animie like ghost in the shell but. also may wind up with warners and other studios following suit again mostly warners going back to try for akira. but mostly leading the pack now and coming from dreamworks. a live action version of the japanese cyberbunk cyborg classic. ghost in the shell. hope when it gets around to casting steven considers looking at actor crispsen freeman for the role of togasa since he did the characters voice in the anime when it got translated for the u.s but also in stand alone complex too.
Full Post

Ghost in the Shell

Ghost in the Shell by



Reports of a live-action Ghost in the Shell in the works!

30 Week Blog Challenge

NOW PLAYING: Laundry League -



Funny thing about that song--it's composed by an old middle school friend of mine named Danielle. I haven't spoken closely with her in ages, but I have fond memories of our time together in art class during 8th grade. I know she's on her way to become a great musician and Holiday Haunts is one of my favorite songs from her.

Rupert Sanders Locked In To Direct GHOST IN THE SHELL Film

Good news for fans of the classic anime/manga Ghost In The Shell: DreamWorks has just made a deal with director Rupert Sanders to bring the cyberpunk police drama to the big screen.



DreamWorks had already released the second anime film before being encouraged by Steven Spielberg, a personal fan of Ghost In The Shell, to make a live-action motion picture. Sanders will be taking the chair next to producers Avi Arad and Ari Arad, who are previously known for Iron Man, as well as Ghost Rider producer Steven Paul.

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

Saturday, January 25, 2014

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

Even as a fan of Snow White and the Huntsman, I am not pleased with Rupert Sanders' new role in the live action, Ghost in the Shell

According to Deadline, Rupert Sanders, director of Snow White and the Huntsman, will direct Steven Spielberg's DreamWorks production of Ghost in the Shell.



Oh, I know your reactions:

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

Science Fiction Comic Book Authors

The first science fiction comic strip was My Skygack from Mars, which was created by AD Condo. It was a comedy strip that appear in 1907 in the newspapers of the time. Buck Rodgers was the first serious sci-fi comic strip that made it's debut in 1928. This was followed by Flash Gordon and Dan Dare, which was created in the UK. Sci-fi comics are now extremely popular all over the world and the many science fiction comic book authors continue to produce highly imaginative plots and concepts.



Many of the first comics were sci-fi, and the introduction of Superman from Planet Comics gave rise to the super hero sub-genre. During the 1950s, EC Comics published science fiction comics to great success. The storylines and characters began to increase in sophistication, and US sci-fi comics continued into the 1960s with stories for both children and adolescents. By the late 1960s, adults became interested in the genre and began a wave of underground comics.

DreamWorks' Ghost in the Shell adaptation to be directed by Rupert Sanders

A few years ago, DreamWorks Pictures acquired the rights to adapt Masamune Shirow's cyberpunk Ghost in the Shell cyberpunk manga into a live-action movie but for a while, things fell quiet (As if often the case in the movie business). Today however, have reported that DreamWorks have signed up Rupert Sanders (Snow White & The Huntsman) to take on directorial duties for the feature, which has received a new script from William Wheeler (Hoax, The Reluctant Fundamentalist).



The original manga has received numerous adaptations and re-imaginings in the past, with the most notable being the two films directed by Mamoru Oshii (which even inspired the "digital rain" in The Matrix) and the Stand Alone Complex TV franchises, although Production I.G. have recently been releasing Ghost in the Shell: Arise, a brand new 4-part OVA series that once again re-adapts the world of Motoko Kusanagi and Public Security Section 9.

Friday, January 24, 2014

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

It's almost New Year

I putted rest of the photos from my camera to my laptop. There was nothing special, but I think that next year I don't want to write about them so I put some of those photos here now before new year ^^'.



There was lot of photos of my little dogs. And they looks so tiny in them because now they have lot of fur and those photos was taken at end of the summer I think. There was some photos of my new room (or not so new anymore). I was thinking then that I would write about it and put couple of photos too. I think about it now... here is nothing to see actually, so I'm not gonna write about my room or put lot of photos either.

Movies II

I have watched again lot of movies and haven't done almost nothing. So that's why I haven't written here lately, sorry about that. Anyway! I have drawn something (but I think that I write about it some other time) and trying to go work (but there is couple problems to solve first).

Last week (I think this happen last week :'D) I watched full version of the hobbit and it was so good! I need it to myself~ And I watched all the hobbit extras with my sis too~


Stephen reviews: Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex: 2nd GIG: Individual Eleven (2006)

Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex: 2nd GIG: Individual Eleven [. . .] (2006)



Starring Arsuko Tanaka, Akio Ohtsuka, Koichi Yamadera, Ooki Sugiyama, Osamu Saka, Rikiya Koyama, Sakiko Tamagawa, Taimei Suzuki, Ken Nishida, Takashi Onozuka, Taro Yamaguchi, Toru Ohkawa, Yuko Sumimoto, Yutaka Nakano

CONTEST: Win Passes to the Cineplex Great Digital Film Festival!

Hey film fans! Our good friends at Cineplex have once again decided to start the New Year off right with their annual GREAT DIGITAL FILM FESTIVAL, and we have a pair of passes for a lucky Canadian winner AND - to tie into this year's focus on superheroes, sci-fi, and genre fare - a really nice copy of THE ESSENTIAL BATMAN ENCYCLOPEDIA (courtesy of Random House Canada) to give away!



Kicking off at Cineplex locations across Canada on Friday, January 31st, this year's full lineup includes: AKIRA (1988), BATMAN (1989, celebrating its 25th anniversary this year), BATTLESTAR GALACTICA (1978), BRAZIL (1985), BILL AND TED'S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE (1989, also turning 25), FLASH GORDON (1980), GHOST IN THE SHELL (1995), IRON MAN (2008), LOCK, STOCK AND TWO SMOKING BARRELS (1998), LOGAN'S RUN (1976), MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL (1975), ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE (1969), PLANET OF THE APES (1968), SNATCH (2000), SPIDERMAN (2002), SUPERMAN (1978), THE AVENGERS (2012), THE DARK KNIGHT (2008), THE FISHER KING (1991), THUNDERBALL (1965), and TRON (1982).

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

The Cat Returns (2002)

The Cat Returns, like almost all Studio Ghibli animated productions, leaves you grinning from ear to ear. It fills you with warmth. It is one of these films that feels like a breath of fresh air, full of engaging characters, warm comedy and is an absolute delight from beginning to end. A shy, awkward high school student named Haru is walking home when she saves a cat from being hit by a truck. Much to her surprise, the cat stands on two legs, thanks her for saving it, and promises she will receive a reward. It isn't long before Haru is being showered from all sides by catnip, boxes of live mice and - most unexpectedly of all - an expectation and demand that she marry the cat she rescued, actually the Crown Prince of a magical Cat Kingdom.

The Cat Returns is very obliquely spun out from an earlier Ghibli production, 1995's Whisper of the Heart. Fans were clamouring to see more of that film's internal fantasy sequences. A desire to accommodate those demands, coupled with an abortive plan to create a cat-oriented 20 minute short film for a Japanese theme park, led to the development of this film. Whisper of the Heart creator Aoi Hiragi had been commissioned to develop a manga based on the short, and when The Cat Returns mutated from a short into a feature it was Hiragi's manga that was used as a starting point.


A Preview of Heroes of the Pacific

It's a strange world. People suck an endless stream of reality programming from their TV, yet call sports lovers dumb, Kim Kardashian is famous for nothing, yet thousands of hard-working writers, musicians, and filmmakers are forced to eek out their living. Stranger still is . Well, sort of.



The strangeness is self-inflicted. You see, I've always wanted to bring Lock 'n Load to the Pacific. In fact, the Pacific is my favorite World War II theater of operations. Nevertheless, it has taken me the better part of a decade to design Heroes of the Pacific. Strange stuff.

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

Monday, January 20, 2014

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

Rush Author Interview and Giveaway

Hi everyone! I thought it'd be a lot of fun to start doing more author interviews, and in January, I'm so happy to be interviewing Eve Silver, the author of one of my favorite books I read in 2013, Rush. Here's the interview:

WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO WRITE RUSH?

The short answer: games and anime.

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

Sunday, January 19, 2014

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

Unsung Games: Oni

Bungie's Destiny is one of the big video game titles that is scheduled for this year, and for good reason, Bungie has won many fans the world over with their extremely popular Halo series so a good amount of people are eager to see what the studio's next project will bring.Despite being known for these first-person shooter titles, my favorite title developed by Bungie was a 2001 action game named Oni. This anime-inspired game brought a good deal of innovation by blending third-person shooting with close-quarters combat.Oni was a released on the PC and PS2, and while it is fun on both platforms, Ibelieve that the PC version is superior. Indeed, Oni was my favorite PC game of that year and one of my favorite PC games in general.Why is this my favorite Bungie game? Let's dive-kick in and find out!



The storyline of Oni takes place after the year 2032, and much of planet Earth is uninhabitable. All the world's nations have combined into organization known as the World Collation Government. Peace is kept in the cities through the Technological Crimes Task Force (TCTF) and it is this task force that the main character Konoko works for.Muro, a terrorist who leads the Syndicate organization has plans to bring about a new age to the world, but doing so will lead to catastrophic results for humanity. Konoko fights the forces of the Syndicate and along the way discovers the truth about the world's governments as well as her past and true nature. The story is an engaging science-fiction tale that stars a strong female protagonist who you are rooting for the whole way through. Towards the end of the game you actually get to decide the way the game's final act unfolds and this control over the story was another thing that made Oni an excellent game for its time. The only downside to the story of this game is that it ends without a real resolution. The main conflict of the story is over, but the consequences of how the story ends leave you yearning for more. Despite this, I greatly enjoy Oni's storyline and it was a fantastic take on stories like the classic anime Ghost In The Shell.

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

Saturday, January 18, 2014

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

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The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

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The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

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The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

Friday, January 17, 2014

Fairy Tail, my new slightly guilty pleasure

Anime has never been a big fandom for me. I've watched, even enjoyed, my fair share (Cowboy Bebop, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, the Studio Gibli films) but by and large as an art form it passes me by. I blame Studio Gibli, to be honest, once you've seen Spirited Away there's really nowhere to go but down, is there?

Anyway, Fairy Tail and why I think of it as a bit of a guilty pleasure. You see, I'm as guilty as any non-fan of mocking long-form anime's tropes: fanservice episodes, filler, overblown magic attacks hyper-competent child protagonists... well, the whole series structure of Naruto, basically.

Yes, Naruto, which isn't as bad as a lot of non-fans make it sound but does have systemic flaws. Most of these can be put down to it being a long-form anime based on a long-form manga that's still running. Filler arcs, flashbacks and over-extended fight scenes are a necessary evil to stop the anime overtaking the manga. It makes the pacing of the series brutal, though.

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

Stephen reviews: Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex: The Laughing Man (2005)

Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex: The Laughing Man [] (2005)



Starring Atsuko Tanaka, Osamu Saka, Akio Ohtsuka, Kohichi Yamadera, Yutaka Nakano, Toru Okawa, Takashi Onozuka, Taro Yamaguchi, Sakiko Tamagawa

Kokuga One Smooth Tank Ride

G. Rev's 3DS shoot 'em up Kokuga hits an immediate tactile sweet spot. If you wait to press the start button, some brief words describe a conflict between two countries, but simply jumping into the Kokuga tank at the heart of this game offers a portable title that hooks the fingers over any concern your brain might have toward the reasons behind the action.



From a bird's eye view, players can use the circle pad or directional keys to glide their Kokuga over the environment with something akin to the smooth moves of a Tachikoma from Ghost in the Shell. While gliding around the screen, the shoulder buttons allow players to rotate the single shot turret, able to move in any direction whilst firing at any angle they please. I suppose Kokuga is a twin stick shooter making due on a single stick device.

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Finding An Anime Review Show

People often have certain misconceptions about this particular style of animation. What they may not know is that this style of animation covers a wide array of genres and can appeal to a very broad range of people. One way to make it easier to find a title you will like is to look for an anime review show online.



The types of review shows can vary. Sometimes they will be presented by one person. They look at a television series or movie and give you their opinion. It is relatively simple and straightforward and this is ideal if you want to know what a show or movie is and whether or not you should invest time or money in it.

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

Robot carnival

You all know that I'm a big fan of robots. (If you didn't know that, then you do now.) Growing up as an introverted science fiction fan, robots were naturally all over the place, and there's something both inspiring and terrifiying about often-humanoid machines who may or may not improve upon our lowly human species.



When I was very young, cartoons were my primary exposure to robots. (That, and of course the Star Wars droids.) Transformers led the pack, but of course I also watched shows like Mighty Orbots, Voltron, and Robotech. I think I saw bits of Tranzor Z and Gigantor back then, too. Yes, I know those aren't the original names or formats of those series, but like everyone else, I didn't discover that until much later in life. When we were kids, everything was just "cartoons" regardless of its point of origin.

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

Monday, January 13, 2014

Anime Review: Ghost in the Shell Stand-Alone Complex (Dual Review)

GENRE: Cyberpunk



STUDIO/CREATOR: Production IG/Masamune Shirow

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

Ghost in the Shell : S.A.C : White Maze (2006)

AUTHOR: Junichi Fujisaku | PAGE COUNT: 220

' Kusanagi experienced an uncomfortable sensation, as if insects were swarming over the surface of her consciousness.'

The last in a trilogy of Stand Alone Complex tie-in novels.It's based on the TV series but there's some interesting info about cyberbrains that's reminiscent of Shirow's original, meaning it manages to be referential and respectful to both.
Some more Anime:



Familar of Zero

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

Sunday, January 12, 2014

Defending Disney: Sleeping Beauty

For the most part, Sleeping Beauty rectifies the artistic wrongs of Cinderella. The animation is better. The story is better. The script is better. The characters are better. The music, well, it's Tchaikovsky, so, yeah, it's better. While not perfect, Sleeping Beauty marks a big step in maturity and grandness for the Disney company. The film is huge, on an artistic scale, with a vastness to its art history roots and lush ballet music accompanied by operatic vocals, and even huge on a film level, considering the wide frame it was shot in. Where Cinderella feels a little sparse and simplistic, Sleeping Beauty is lush, dynamic, and something wholly unusual, pushing the envelope. Snow White was cutting-edge for its time, a groundbreaking piece, and the films that followed directly after simply worked on polishing up the kinks from the original, but didn't do very much in terms of artistic progression. Not so here. This is cutting-edge animation art, technologically brilliant, time-consuming, labor intensive, a work of both love and enormous financial risk on the part of the studio. And it pays off! This film is not only one of the very best works from the Disney company, in terms of technique and cinema art, but it is also one of the most visually impressive animated films of all time, ranking neatly alongside works like Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, and Ghost In the Shell as a stunning and rich visual masterpiece.



Like Snow White, this is a film I would suggest showing to children simply for the art aspect. Now, some people might disagree and think that kids would be bored by talking about movie tech details and where the art design came from. I don't buy that. I don't buy that because not only did I adore this film as a child, but we had the collectors' edition VHS with the "making of" documentary at the end. I watched that documentary more times than I watched the actual film, and I watched the film more times than I can even remember. The work that went into the movie isn't boring. It's exciting! I would highly recommend watching the making of the film with a child because it really is pure, old-fashioned Disney magic to see the animators paint a rock or a tree with so many layers of detail that you almost think it's real. And this is just the background scenery. The film is crammed with brilliant artistry and technological genius, fluid moving characters, and brilliant designs.

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

History Of Science Fiction Comic Book Authors

The first sci-fi comic strip was a comedy called Mr Skygack from Mars by A. D. Condo, which appeared in the 1900s. The first sci-fi comic strip of a serious nature was Buck Rodgers in 1928, which was quickly followed by Flash Gordon, Brick Bradford, and Dan Dare from Britain. Since then Sci-fi comic books have spread throughout the world and there are many science fiction comic book authors creating more imaginative storylines making the genre incredibly popular to this day.



A high proportion of the first comics contained elements of sci-fi. Planet comic's "Superman" series brought in the super hero sci-fi sub-genre. EC Comics published sci-fi comics to great success in the 1950s and the storylines and concepts became more and more sophisticated. US sci-fi comics continued into the 1960s with comics aimed at both children and adolescents. Young adults became interested in the genre in the late 1960s with the wave of hippy underground comics.

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

Friday, January 10, 2014

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

Space Dandy: Part Star Wars, Part Cowboy Bebop, All Excellent

Space Dandy is a little bit like Cowboy Bebop's Spike Spiegel but more disco oriented than jazz. Both cite Jeet Kune Do as their philosophy. They both have non-traditional haircuts. Spike's a bounty hunter; Space Dandy's an alien hunter. Both first names begin with S.



Space Dandy also looks a bit like Lupin III, with a little bit of an ape face, explaining why he flirts with woman, which I will get into a little bit. On with the review!

Viz Media acquires rights to Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit

Publisher announced on Wednesday via Facebook that it has acquired the rights to the television anime seriesMoribito: Guardian of the Spirit . Media Blasters previously licensed the series, released it on DVD and Blu-ray in North America between 2009-2011. Scholastic has released the first two books of Uehashi's novel series in English. Viz Media will release the series this year on DVD and Blu-ray as well as air the series on its Neon Alley service starting on January 17th.



Kenji Kamiyama (009: Re: Cyborg, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex) and Production I.G's 26-episode anime series originally aired in 2007. The series adapts the first book in Nahoko Uehashi's novel series about a traveling spear-wielding bodyguard named Balsa, who has sworn to save the lives of eight people to atone for a past sin.She is a strong female figure similar to that of Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex's Major Motoko Kusanagi, militant and amidst a political conspiracy, but this time switching a cyberpunk story into a fantasy one. Balsa meets the second prince of the New Yogo Empire, Chagum, whose life is in danger due to a sacred spirit that possesses him, supposedly posing a danger to the country, again bringing about the theme in Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex of what is an individual amidst rising technology/magic. The two journey to find out how to rid Chagum of the spirit possessing him.

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

Thursday, January 9, 2014

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

COMEBACK CALL: Six Past Hit Image Comics, Good For Go In 2014

Image Comics. They are the publisher that is akin to a space shuttle on the launch pad, engines roaring with plumes of fiery potential racing and swirling for the skies, as the craft readies itself for yet another unforgettable take off in 2014.



With Pretty Deadly, Saga and Fatale, soon to be joined by the likes of Mark Millar's own universe of creator-owned titles, a quick look back shows there's a few hooks in the past of Image Comics, where creators could still hang their hat. Let's take a look.

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Stephen reviews: Ghost in the Shell (1995)

Ghost in the Shell [K kaku Kid tai] (1995)

AKA Armored Riot Police


Ranking all of the past Winter Seasons till 2000

Over the years, even when I just started blogging, I've seen enough people get tired of anime, claiming that anime in the past used to be so much better. I remember that I kindof saw their point, however there were plenty of awesome series to keep me watching. However, after the current state of the season so far, I really do long for the anime of the past, and they seemed so much more diverse.



However, the big trap with these statements is to over-glorify the past. "Yeah, the past used to be so much better, in my days blah blah", so you need to be careful with these kinds of statements: you forget the boring parts and only remember the things that stood out. So because of that I decided to take a good look back at the past winter seasons. I'll rank all of them, but I'll talk about them in chronological order. For each picture, I'll use a picture of the series that turned out to be the best, by the standards I hold today.

Stephen reviews: Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence (2004)

Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence [GHOST IN THE SHELL] (2004)



Starring Akio Ohtsuka, K ichi Yamadera, Atsuko Tanaka, Tamio Ohki, Yutaka Nakano, Naoto Takenaka, Yoshiko Sakakibara

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

Can Cowboy Bebop's Creator Make More People Take Anime Seriously?

A NEW SERIES FROM SHINICHIRO WATANABE COULD HELP BRING JAPAN'S ANIMATED TV SHOWS, OFTEN DISMISSED AS LOW-BROW OR KIDDIE ENTERTAINMENT, SOME WELL-DESERVED CRITICAL CONSIDERATION.



from , 3 January 2014

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

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The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

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The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Anime Admirers 2013: The Eccentric Family (Uchoten Kazoku)

When I consider the livelihoods and perspectives of tanuki, tengu, and humanity, I do not usually do so all at the same time.



(This article is part five of an eventual six part series featuring my favorite anime productions of 2013; consider )

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

Monday, January 6, 2014

Anime of the Year 2013

At long last I've reached the final part of my series for 2013 s anime of the year.Keep in mind that this is not a ranking of which anime I think other people would enjoy or which anime I thought was the most popular amongst the anime community as a whole.This is solely my conclusion based not only on how much I enjoyed these series, but also on a wide range of technical accomplishments I observed-from musical composition, art style, plot development / writing and many other important details. But first, a quick summary of the titles I've covered so far.Click the section headers to read each part of my countdown in greater detail.



25. Daybreak Illusion

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

Sunday, January 5, 2014

A Handful of Anime Movies With Wide Appeal

Many, many anime articles have been written about gateway anime or the best anime movies.This post is of a similar vein, but looks at the subject from the perspective of general appeal.I have chosen these movies because I believe they are just good storytelling and they have been released with English dubs in most cases.These movies would also be a good introduction to animated Japanese pop culture without digging into tropes like moe, mecha, magical girls, fan service, etc.If you wonder why animation plays a big role in contemporary Japanese culture, these films would give some appreciation of it, especially before your first trip there.Of course, don't miss out on the classic black and white films, and especially the Samurai films like the Seven Samurai too!



Six Anime Movies

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

No, Space Dandy is NOT Cowboy Bebop. Get over it.

Last night, Cartoon Network's late-night action cartoon block Toonami aired the world-premiere episode of Space Dandy, a sci-fi comedy action series produced by Studio Bones and overseen by acclaimed anime director Shinichiro Watanabe of Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo fame. Can Space Dandy really be as great as fans expect? Potentially, yes. But is it the anime you REALLY hoped for? Nope, and that's okay.



Toonami's been making some serious strides forward these past couple of months. The block kicked off the end of the year with an entire month dedicated to high-profile anime movies, among them Katsuhiro Otomo's landmark film AKIRA and Mamoru Hosoda's Summer Wars. Just before this, Toonami announced that they had secured the rights to premiere the english dub of Shinichiro Watanabe's latest anime series Space Dandy at the start of 2014, one day before the Japanese premiere no less.

The Winter 2014 Anime Season: What Seems Good and Not-So-Good

I'm actually kind of excited about this season. I'm seeing more shows that I am interested in than last season, and two shows with significant yuri content that I expect to enjoy. Here's hoping it lives up to expectations!



01/04

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

Saturday, January 4, 2014

JGSDF Future Armored Fighting Vehicles

While the tanks of the "Ghost in the Shell" universe include some incredible ambulatory tracked tanks like this one that I'd still love to see in 15mm, you also see some contemporary tanks or futurized versions of them.



This scene from Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd Gig shows two small vehicles on the left which are very similar to the Komatsu LAV. In between them is a 6 wheeled APC that bears a strong resemblance to the current JGSDF Type 82 Command and Communication vehicle. The mechanical designers of GiTS seemed to have a lot of fun taking some current designs in vehicles and then futurizing them a bit. They have done the same with the personal firearms in the series. Take a look at the Internet Movie Firearms Database for the various Ghost in the Shell series and you'll see what I mean.

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

30 DAY ANIME CHALLENGE DAY 2, 3, 4

I've been gone a few days but I've made a 3 in 1 post.



Day 2- Favourite long running anime?

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

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The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

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The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

Media Month in Review

Well, I'm resurrecting my old "Media Consumption" posts. Turns out it might be hard to remember what I watched when otherwise, and it's also an opportunity to write 2-3 sentences about something, when I might not have more to say (or don't have the time for it). I did watch more anime than usual this month, for the sake of the .



MOVIES:

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

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The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

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The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

Thursday, January 2, 2014

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

2013: A Prisoner Of The Past (Retrospective)

As you know, I've been in something of a reflective mood of late and the end of the year does that and it is certainly apropos.Gosh, 2013 is over and I'm another year older and, hopefully, at the very least wiser.



We look forward to a new year in 2014 - a fresh start, a new beginning, as much as I do love embracing the past.I'm looking forward to its challenges.I think.And hopefully they will be of of the healthy variety for everyone.

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Second movie trailer Giovanni Island of Production IG

From Production IG have posted the second trailer for his upcoming film 2D animation, Giovanni 's Island ( Giovanni no Shima ).



The cast will consist Masachika Ichimura, Yukie Nakama, Kanako Yanagihara, Yusuke Santamaria, Hiroshi Inuzuka, Kaoru Yachigusa, Tatsuya Nakadai and Saburo Kitajima.

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

New Years Resolutions 2014

I let time get away from me again, oops.



I wanted this up (and written) a lot earlier today, but preparing food, getting ready to eat food, actually eating food and then watching Sherlock with my sister suddenly ate up a bigger portion of the day than expected. Only about half of those things were actually enjoyable and they were the ones that involved lots of sitting.

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!

Japanese Ground Self Defense Forces in 15mm

Despite the fact that the Japanese Self Defense Force has almost all the same capabilities of other nations armed forces, members of the JSDF are technically civil servants. Ask the Japanese about their Army and they'll tell you they don't have one. They will politely remind you they have a Self Defense Force. No Japanese soldier has fired a gun in combat since 1945 and efforts to change their pacifism have met with fist fights in the Diet (Japan's Parliament).



This stance has changed somewhat in recent history with the use of Japanese Peacekeepers in Iraq in 2004 and an increased hard line response to Chinese expansionist intent in the South China Sea. In spite of all this the Japanese Constitution is still very clear on the Japanese Military being only for defense.

PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!

2014.4.5



The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!