#i think that would have been such a fun premise for a third re-animator movie

[cat-d3ad-details-later]

Thinking about that part of the lead actors' commentary of the bride of re-animator in which Jeffrey and Bruce are talking about just how insane Dan is in this movie and they joke about the third re-animator movie being Herbert versus the insanity of Dan

#i think that would have been such a fun premise for a third re-animator movie #dan just going full unhinged #and herbert being the one to deal with the consequences of that #giving their dynamic a 180 degrees spin #do you get my vision #anyways if anyone knows about a fic like this pls recommend me I'd love to read it #re animator #reanimator #re-animator #bride of the reanimator

[kman1902]

Bits and things about movies and TV shows in 2018

It is a rather similar post to what I have done back in 2016, and I thought it would be a great way how to re-start /for at least a fifth time/ to write and share some stories of life, movies and some other things as well.  Movies and TV series have always been something that I enjoy watching. I love it for many reasons, starting with the fact that you can see a form of art displayed on the screen. Imagine how many people it took to put the whole thing together. Actors, directors, designers (costume and set), producers, editors, sound engineers and way more. Movies and TV shows in a way also provide a great escape for those who need it. You can let your imagination flow with the movie and explore something above your own life. Movies and TV shows can also change our perception of life. I am not saying it alters your life completely, but I do believe that a great idea caught in a movie can be taken home with you and it shifts your understanding at least a little bit.

This is not a list of the TOP 10 movies, created by the academy or a scientifically proven list, this is just me as a friend and a lover of the arts sharing my own favourite movies and TV shows of 2018. A fair warning ahead, these are not just movies and TV shows released in 2018, but I have included older ones, which I have seen and enjoyed in the past year. I have been nice and I linked all the titles with the IMDb pages as well. /Enough blah, blah and lets start!/

The Voices (2014) - /Told you that I ain't sharing just 2018 love affairs/ This one definitely has flown under the radar by many. Ryan Reynolds is in it, so do you need any other reason, why not to watch it? It is a very psychedelic thriller comedy. It definitely made me a bit sad the next day /and slightly relieved/ that I can not understand what my animals are trying to say. 

Black Panther (2018) - Of course this is on my list, not just because I am a huge fan of the Marvel cinematic universe, but also because this raised a new bar for superhero story telling. I know that a lot of people did not like the movie, it was not their taste. That is totally fine, cause we are so different, with so many opinions. But for me the movie felt great because it was engaging both on the action, I loved the story how Black Panther came to be and it was filled with color. Also in my opinion the African style was very nicely added within the clothes and each tribes specific culture. Additional reason why it is one of my 2018 favourites is also due to what it did on a social level. If you have no idea, what I am talking about, check this article. Wakanda forever!

The Office (2005–2013) - As I had no job for a month and a half, between writing job applications and sleeping /officially we stick with this story/, this was what I devoted my whole attention to. For sure this is not everyones cup of tea, but as a person who quit working in a big corporation I could relate to a lot of things within the show. Also I started daydreaming of having a similar love story as Jim Halpert and Pam, but more in reality I was driving towards being Stanley or even Creed. Not sure what I am talking about, again? Just check out the show. The jokes are still very relevant and the corporate environment is still the same. 

Avengers: Infinity War (2018) - /Give them all the Oscars/ A second of many entries from the Marvel universe. Not everyone likes superhero movies, but for those who do, I think this one is one of the top ones. The sheer pressure throughout the movie and the rather dark ending of it brought many people to shed a tear. /Me included/ What in general I love about superhero movies lately is the fact, that it is not all fun and games, and being the best. It is portrayed as a challenge that actually in the end destroys you. Speaking in philosophical terms, it is the same as being nice and open to everyone in these days. Sooner or later you will burn out for the sake of others. Back to the movie, it is also amazing that they managed to connect so many characters together and bring a good story with them all. Marvel has definitely worked this out, and the result of Captain America: Civil War already showed it. 

Lady Bird (2017) - Yes, standing next to superheroes there is also this film. The simple question - do you remember how you felt when you were seventeen? When I look back at things now, sometimes I would give everything to be seventeen again. Take away the responsibilities and everything, but then I also remember that even back then the world felt a bit too big to handle. Most of us have managed to step away from the idea that we need to please everyone, but still we do like the idea that people like us. Remember how it was back then?

The End of the F***ing World - There are many opinions about this TV show, from people saying that it is awesome, to people saying that they don't get why others waste time on it. I loved it. It is best if you check out the trailer and give it a try. Maybe it connects to people on a personal level and it drives them to watch it, maybe that is also the reason for such divided opinions. 

The Magicians - I have not seen Harry Potter /for shame... I know... how can I even exist/ but I think this would be something a HP fan would love as well as anyone else. The premise is simple - what would you do if you would find out that magic is real? I watched the first season with a buddy in 2017 and then I binged watched the second and third once I moved back home. It is a crazy story that can also drive the question in your mind - what would do if you would find out magic exists? Watch the first trailer here and do the goddamn magic! P.S. Hurry up season 4 is just around the corner. 

The Orville - I owe a lot to my buddy Marian for sharing this with me. This show definitely receives a gold medal from my side. It is funny, engaging and it talks about so many social questions and issues all at once. In our society I would expect we would be more advance and wiser, but there are still so many instances of racism and homophobia around us. This show tackles these serious notions and others perfectly. Of course in reality most probably if we would meet alien species at first it would be bombarding them and asking questions later, but just think how our belief and general acceptance would change if we would live and work side by side with aliens from many different planets. There is more to life than just black and white, and it is my belief that we should be advancing to a more open, understanding and diverse society. Second season is out now and so far it is as amazing as the first one. 

Papillon (2017) - The story plot I think is not heard for the first time. A wrongly accused man gets imprisoned and forms a friendship with someone. But the story develops and takes you along with it. The sad reality is that quite a lot of people have faced it back in the day and in some countries they face it still. 

A Prayer Before Dawn (2017) - The plot of the movie is based on a real life story of an English fighter who is imprisoned in Thailand. It is not an easy afternoon movie to watch, it is actually rather hard to digest, because of the simple notion that it is true. I can only be surprised how in reality the main character has survived it all and how he now works with prisoners and tries to help them. 

Origin - This was such a damn surprise. Started it at the end of the year and binged watched it until the end, after coming back home from a New Years party on the 1st of January. It is a thriller horror mashup. The idea of moving away from direct jump scare and gory horror is something that I love, and this show delivered on it. Being a suspense play between hunting an alien on a spaceship, surviving and dealing with their own pasts, the survivors on the ship portray brilliantly how people in stressful situations change. The horror genre is not for everyone, but seeing that this is not the standard horror flick with gore added, I can only recommend it. 

A Quiet Place (2018) - I started 2019 by really jumping into scary (or I would much rather call them thriller) movies. In a way, I blame Origin for that, because it filled me with adrenaline and I needed more suspense, and boy o boy, did A Quiet Place deliver on it. John Krasinski has directed a great movie, playing in it with sounds and sign language, adding suspense as the movie develops. It is called one of the best movies of 2018 and there is a good reason for that. I did not like the ending of the movie, but that is something you can check out and share your opinion about.

Aquaman (2018) - Yes, I am ending the list with a superhero movie. I just will come out and say it - I loved Aquaman! I am still so hyped about it, that I am even going to take my sisters kids to see it. The DC universe has been in the shadows ever since Batman v Superman (I am on of the few people who loved it), better let's stay away from Suicide Squad because it was a pure disappointment. Justice League was ok, but in all honesty I forgot I have seen it. But Aquaman... oh Jason Momoa, hats off for bringing the character that has been a bit of a joke between the comic fans on the first spot. The visual effects, the action, the story. It was all really well combined. I do hope that Warner Brothers and DC take this into account and they maybe find their vibe in creating good movies. I still don't get it, why did they get so afraid when people said that Batman v Superman was so dark.  

Honorable mentions:

Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018) - Perfectly stands next to Avengers: Infinity War and tries not to compete with it. 

Venom (2018) - Not sure why people did not like this one. 

Deadpool 2 (2018) - It is Deadpool... how can you not love Deadpool? 

The Terror (2018) - Literally a chilling TV show thriller. 

Bird Box (2018) - The hype is very real and deserved. 

Outlaw King (2018) - Netflix definitely has the power to create great movies (most of the time)

Darkest Hour (2018) - As it turns out Mr. Churchill in real life was not such a nice guy, but Gary Oldmans performance of the character was amazing. 

Altered Carbon (2018) - I like Sci-Fi and in particular I liked Blade Runner 2049, and this gave me a similar feeling to it. 

Brawl in Cell Block 99 (2017) - I did not know Vince Vaughn could play such a strong and steady character. This movie reminded me Shot Caller which in a similar way undeservedly flew by people. 

I did not get it:

The Predator (2018) - They had such an amazing material (first two movies in particular) to work with, but they created such a dud. 

Bright (2017) - I miss the days when Will Smith was in good movies. 

Skyscraper (2018) - I know that The Rock can do way better movies. Just look at The Rundown (2003). 

Daddys Home 2 (2017), Tag (2018) and Night School (2018) - Comedy movies in general are facing a hard time, it could be because most of the jokes have already been said and also because it is hard to connect with a slightly older audience. /Yes, yes 27 is not that old, but it is not that young as well either/ I think comedy movies should stop dumbing it down and maybe trying to find more intelligent and maybe sarcastic approach to jokes. Not saying that the movies are bad per say, but they are not impressive enough in a genre that deserves and needs impressive, good comedy movies. 

Murder on the Orient Express (2017) - Tried to watch it at least three times and could not finish it.

This is for sure a view point of my own and I am not expecting that everyone would have the same opinion about the movies selected. Movies and TV shows are something to enjoy and entertain ourselves with. It is not just the story plot, the acting, it is also camera work and playing with words and in some cases even sounds. Spending their free time in front of the screen is not for everyone, but for me, I love a good movie and TV show, the same as I love reading a good book in the morning whilst going to work. 2019 will be an interesting year for movies and TV shows, as Marvel is releasing Captain Marvel, Avengers: End Game, there will be also many great shows returning like The Magicians, The Punisher, Vikings is now running as well, and of course Game of Thrones comes to an end. 

Have I missed something watch worthy? 

Let us hope for a headbanging and awesome 2019 inside and outside of the big screen!

[warlordgab]

One Piece shipping fuel: Manga Vs. Anime

This was made by One Piece fans from the Orojackson forum.

It seems that a considerable amount of people, non-shippers included, can acknowledge the remarkable strength and the impact of LuNa as a potent relationship. Still the fact people are able to grasp it is a great accomplishment for the manga, because the anime adaptation is not always on point when it comes to adapting the source material

Sometimes this happens because the staff at the time merely provide with their own interpretation of characters and story. And this interpretation is what defines the way they adapt the manga into the anime. So they ignored, changed, and altered scenes; and their take on characters and story affected the way anime-only watchers percieved characterization in One Piece

However, we should also recognize that sometimes they did something that could highlight the premise of LuNa. Something fans appreciated. One example would be the first anime episode, although their choice at that time was more likely a nod to Oda's original intent of having Nami as Luffy's first companion.

Other times the changes they made were justified because of censorship, such as this scene in the Kuro arc...

...or Whitebeard getting half of his face instantly melted away.

Both changed in the anime to something less "intense" (ultimately a good call on this 2nd panel)

But there are many times when they arbitrary overlook scenes, change them, and even add to them. And this trend heavily impacts the position people take regarding the relationships set in the story

This post will showcase how the anime adaptation downplayed one premise to overplay another. Most of the times it's subtle, sometimes it's not...

1) During the Buggy arc:

In the manga, we see Nami feeding Luffy and saying she basicaly has nothing against him, so she'll let him out later, which showcases Nami's morals aren't entirelly Lost and rotten. She is a kind person inside and can even overlook the fact that Luffy is a pirate, because he wasn't "bad" to her

In the anime... this scene doesn't exist. It was adapted out of the anime. What reason could they had to make such a call? We'll see it soon enough

2) Ending of the Kuro arc: In the manga, Nami's reaction to Luffy's odd mix of stubbornness and carefreeness is merely a sweatdrop...

In the anime Nami reacts more violently towards Luffy's attitude at that moment

It doesn't seem like much, but it's the start of a pattern that would be upheld by the TOEI for years to come. They started subtle but little by little they gained confidence in their very own way of portraying characterization 3) Sanji meets the SHs In the manga, Nami manipulates Sanji and warns the others to be careful. Next thing she sees is Sanji letching around...

In the anime, this moment is conspicuously missing. Sanji just flirts with Nami and gets interrupted by Zeff. What reason could have TOEI to remove that scene? Were they trying to show Sanji only focusing on certain girl? 4) Arlong Park... The arc that provided with, what many readers considered, he third most impactful pre-timeskip One Piece moment. What did TOEI changed?

In the manga we a simple yet beautiful and meaningful way during the conclusion of this arc: After Luffy provided with hope, comfort, strength, and emotional support, all through a highly significant gesture. Nami returns said gesture to Luffy in a silent scene...

In the anime, this was downgraded to a mere high-five (granted some shippers enjoyed this anyway, but others found it kinda upsetting)

What reason could TOEI have to water down what the arc stablished as a meaningful gesture between two characters? Well, if you lived in Japan by that time you probably got the answer

But, to be fair. They later corrected this in the OVA: Episode of Nami

Still, that doesn’t mean TOEI animation stopped the trend that started during these earlier days.

5) 98.72%

During the final closure of the Arlong Park arc, there was a scene that, at first glance, seemed like a bit of comedy, but it’s actual ship-tease...

Some people take this 98.72% scene seriously without realizing, the pervy cook never made such a calc in the manga

6) Before they arrived to Jaya In the manga, Nami angrily refuses Sanji's shell and walks away...

In the anime, we had another not so obvious change: while they kept her “funnily” aggressive reaction toward Luffy. They toned down Nami's reaction to Sanji:

So in the anime adaption Nami gave Sanji more of a preferential treatment when compared to the manga

Some of you might think this sounds like an exaggeration. But keeping in mind that TOEI offers their own take on charactes and story, take a look at the movies animated by Eisaku Inoue: "The Giant Mechanical Soldier of Karakuri Castle" and "Episode of Alabasta", Luffy recieves the full force of Nami's overplayed wrath while Sanji gets, once again, a preferential treatment: either toned-down reactions or no anger at all

7) Skypiea (note: this one is a little bit tricky...)

I guess some people remember this AP scene:

When the AP building collapsed upon Luffy...

Well, during the Skypiea arc we had the Sanji/Usopp team helping Nami to scape Enel. Sanji stays back to buy some time, which leads to this...

And then they immediately jump off

But the Anime extended the scene in a way that could properly mirror that AP moment:

While the manga had a move or be toasted situation. The anime added scenes and dialogue where Nami questioned Usopp's quick call, adding an impact the manga version didn't have. It might not seem as much but as soon as we get to the latest ones, the pattern will be easier to notice

What makes this change impressive is that while they tried to both "improve" and "re-create" the impact of another scene, they also downplayed other scene involving a different character setup, which we’re going to see right now...

8) Skypiea: Luffy & Nami exchange... In the manga we get a lot about Nami prioritizing Luffy over the fate of Angel Island; Nami seems to make the point across that her priority in that moment was Luffy's life

While in the anime the conversation about Luffy's life ends here:

9) Skypiea: Luffy & Nami, again...

The manga gives us this little jewel, mutual trust/faith in action:

The anime once again downplays this scence. They even altered the dialogue and conveyed something quite different from the manga...

Why would they ingore and/or alter dialogue of such scenes? Yet try to add more impact to others involving a different character setup... 

10) Convo during the Fishman Island arc I was going to add the fact they adapted out Nami's first flashback after hearing about Luffy's hardship in MF. But by that time TOEI was a little bit more tamed, after all SW (written by Oda) was released. Also this post is already long enough.

As noted by some fans, old habits die hard, so TOEI started once again: In the manga, we had Nami recieving tea from Sanji but letting Luffy drink it instead...

In the anime, this scene doesn't exist. Luffy gets the tea off-screen 

11) Zou arc: Most obvious pander ever Manga: Nami and the rest watches hopelessly as Sanji is taken away by Capone

The Anime: Toeiland!Nami, in a very emotional manner, runs after Sanji...

By this point, subtlety is obviously out of the window. With this little bit we put into context most of the arbitrary changes and additions made by the anime adaption. If you still skeptical, the next one will be even more obvious...

12) Stealing moments (again), TOEI style Recall how number 6 didn't seem like much? Well, let's highlight another manga scene concerning Nami and a speech she gave about Luffy...

Nami's weatheria speech is acknowledged by some readers as a moment that highlights the dynamic and the chemistry between both characters from Nami's perspective

What did TOEI do during WCI? While Toeiland!Nami is facing Cracker to buy time for Luffy to recover, the anime adaptation gives us a "WCI speech":

Nowhere to be found in the manga

Fun thing is, I've seen shippers stealing moments from rival relationships and re-creating them in their preferred ship. But that’s to be expected from shippers, not from the staff in charge of adaptaing a best-selling manga into an anime

13) Carry me?

Now, a reader of the One Piece manga was watching the moment when Nami used Zeus against BM in the anime, on top of it looking bad (low quality animation), Toei can't help themselves:

Toeiland Nami turns her head to face Sanji and ask him to carry her and run, then tell else everyone else to run as far possible. In the the manga she was too focused on Zeus “transformation” to the point of forgetting to move (lol) and was clearly taken aback by Sanji’s sudden action, went with it and told sanji and everyone to run as far as possible eyes still glued on Zeus. 

They also didn't have Luffy  busy stopping Carrot  the page just before. Adding scenes is one thing, but they even changed actual scenes that happened on-screen in the manga.

They're not even in-character, It would have been more consistent for Nami to ask Jinbe to carry her since we have actual instances of her using him as a mean of transport (lol)

It may seem like a minor change, but an anime-only watcher can easily interpret it as Nami wanting (at least subconsciously) to be carried by Sanji when there are others options available (in the anime they’re all standing close to each other).  In the manga they’re hasty so she just let it be, having all her focus on something else.

It looks like some animators don’t even bother to hide their bias even if that conflicts with the source material

14) Pandering Wano-style

I didn’t expect this at all, but TOEI’s adaptation of One Piece shows they’re getting bolder when it comes to shoving their favorite premise into the anime. Case in point, this scene… 

…while the first panel doesn’t give us anything shippy, the anime gave us Toeiland!Sanji tenderly grabbing Toeiland!Nami, who responded saying his name and holding onto him all in a very sweet manner, before calling Carrot in a neutral tone.

TOEI is now blatantly trying to sell their favorite pairing to every anime-only watcher. And they’re not showing signs of stopping any time soon. In fact, the alterations made afterwards show how their bias is focused on specific characters.

Before Luffy reunited with Zoro, we had a little joke about Sanji’s thirst for women...

...this joke at the expense of Sanji’s character didn’t make it to Toeiland. When a hardcore fan doesn’t like how the story mocks one of their favorite characters they’re prone to dismissing such scenes.

But, once again, that’s not the behavior one would expect from the people in charge of adapting the One Piece manga into an anime.

The prelude to Luffy Vs. Kaido also featured ship fuel. While, Sanji nearly holds Nami’s hand to take her with him...

...such thing never happens in the manga

Due to this large history of wanking and pandering, we could expect that as soon as we get to the point Sanji scapes with Shinobu, Robin, and Nami of course, they’ll likely add shojo bubbles, flowers, and maybe a little blush to spice things up. At that moment, we’ll likely update this post once again

After all, “Toeiland is a magical place”

While it’s true Toeiland had several LuNa scenes. More often than not, they do them justice because the source material doesn’t let them do anything different... of course, as of now, they seem more than willing to fill their version with their favorite premises regardless of what happens in the manga

In spite of the anime adaptation providing with a not so reliable take on the author’s work in this particular regard, we still can draw three positive things from their animation… 1) Thanks to TOEI’s anime adaptation many people were introduced to One Piece and became fans of Oda’s work 2) The fact there were a least two groups of animators who tried to emulate the impact of LuNa and re-created in another premise, reminds us of the saying: “Imitation is the highest form of flattery”. The need to imitate LuNa to make another premise look believable is a proof that LuNa is far more solid and impactful than any other alternative 3) Despite all of TOEI’s changes, alterations and additions, many people acknowledge the strenght of the LuNa bond as one of the most potent, compelling and believable relationships in manga/anime. That’s quite an accomplishment for as we saw, their moments and interactions are diluted many times by the desires of the anime staff

Hopefully this post helps some people to think before they use an argument if they’re basing their premise on TOEI’s adaptation, or the author’s work

#One Piece #comparison #manga #anime #shipping fuel #Luffy #Nami #monkey d. luffy #luffy x nami #straw hat luffy #cat burglar nami #LuNa #Sanji #sanji vinsmoke #adaptation #accuracy #TOEI #eiichiro oda #ルナミ

[terselylove]

30 Escapist Reads To Distract You From Your Real Problems

1. Circe and The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller.

I am a fan of any Greek Myth interpretation or re-telling, but the way that Miller portrays and gets inside the heads of characters that have existed for thousands of years is incredibly unique and powerful. These books do not have to be read together as they just share a world, but would highly recommend both! Though just a side character in both, her Odysseus might be my favorite.

2. Contact by Carl Sagan, about a radio astronomer named Ellie Arroway who discovers extraterrestrial life. (There was a movie too which is also good, but different enough that I think the book is worth reading.)

3. Thud! by Terry Pratchett. Really all of the Discworld books, particularly the City Watch series.

But for me, Thud!- particularly the crescendo of the action in the last act of the book- it hit me in a way that’s hard to describe. I was crying from laughter, frustration, nervousness, and release. It was a truly great book.

4. The Martian. Hard (reality based) science fiction with a smartass protagonist in a desperate struggle for survival. Watney displays constant problem solving that shows real resilience of character, punctuated with moments of stupidity like anyone would have and humor that anyone would need to live through a disaster.

5. Hyperion by Dan Simmons. Fabulous scifi imagination, filled with characters, worlds, technology, politics, and innocence which invoke the most vivid movie reel of a story in my mind each time I read it and the others in the trilogy.

6. The Road by Cormac McCarthy. The first time I read it I thought it was the best post-apocalyptic book I’d ever read.

The second time I read it I realized it was the best love story I’d ever read.

The third time I read it is when I knew it was the best book I’d ever read.

7. All The Light We Cannot See. It was beautifully written and I could not put it down.

8. The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K Le Guin. Really shows how much possibilities there can be in scifi genre, it’s not always just spaceships and lasers. It talks about a completely separate alien culture where the concept of genders do not exist, and the different societal norms that come with it, it goes into some more stuff too, the premise of the story is very intriguing and it’s very well written.

9. American Gods from Neil Gaiman. It has lots of surprises.

10. The Percy Jackson series is my favorite series of all time. I’ve always been really interested in Greek mythology and right around the time I learned enough about it to get a grasp I got handed The Lightning Thief. Fantastic story to read as a kid and still a good nostalgia read nowadays.

11. The Series of Unfortunate Events series. I remember in 5th grade someone else was reading it and started where he left off last year which was at book 8 and I started at book 1. I ended up finishing the series before him. It’s a really fun series of books.

12. Hatchet by Gary Paulsen. I love the story of survival and perseverance. I have read this book many times in my life and have referenced it throughout my lifetime. I am now a social worker and I work in a psychiatric hospital and when I do my groups I will ask an ice breaker and have the patients tell me their favorite book. After that I’ll give them this book, tell them what it’s about, and use it as an example to continue on in life, to push through adversity and never quit.

13. Jurassic Park is the only novel I’ve sat down with and consumed within twenty-four hours. I love the movie, but the book is so much more detailed, and the characters so much deeper, and in some cases totally different.

14. The Time Traveller’s Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger. I’m a sucker for time travel stories at the best of times, but it’s also comfortably my favorite fictional romance, as well as having some of the most beautifully lyrical prose. Henry and Clare are such a sweet couple dealing with what are truly exceptional circumstances, and the ending… yeah, it’s a tough one, but the fact that it hits me every read through (and I’ve read it at least ten times) is proof to me that it’s a classic in the making.

(There’s also a HBO series in the works with Steven Moffat as the showrunner, which I could not physically be more excited for.)

15. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. I can’t even put into words how magical and enchanting this book really is. Absolutely mesmerizing.

16. Snow Crash. Real dystopian and Matrix. I love it. The Babylonian stuff is pretty interesting.

17. The Life of Pi. I read it in two goes, the first 10 or so chapters, and then the other 90 the next day, completely gripping.

18. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. I remember enjoying reading it but when I finished it I didn’t think it would become my favorite book. However I found myself thinking about it pretty much every day for the next year. I then stopped and thought if a book has made me stop and think about it so frequently for such a long period of time and so much more than any other book then how can it not be my favorite book.

I found the story so warm but so painfully sad and the ending just absolutely destroyed me. It was a crazy ending which was worded so beautifully and was set in a beautiful place. I live in England and I do this weird thing where if I’m driving down a country lane and I see a beautiful field I will stop the car and go out and look at it for a while. That is exactly what the main character was doing when she remembered her friends and considered her fate. Seriously… it utterly destroyed me.

19. Stephen King’s The Stand. It’s big and intimidating but the story is so good and written so well I found myself wanting to savor it. The story and world change throughout the book. I’m excited to leave it a few more years so I can read it again without knowing quite what is going to happen.

20. Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami. Fuck, I don’t even know how to explain it. This is some real stuff that’ll make you hurt in places you never knew you could hurt. If you’re a sucker for a sad/melancholic, but real and honest novel this is what you need.

21. The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha by Miguel de Cervantes. Absolutely fabulous novel that is a greatly entertaining read. It’s hilarious, relatable, and enthralling. It shows that we are connected to each other across centuries. Written in the early 1600s, but it still holds up!

22. The Book Thief. It’s equally heartbreaking as it is wondrous in showing the strong bonds we can make with one another.

23. Slaughterhouse-Five. It reads like silk poetry. So it goes.

24. I, Robot by Isaac Asimov. If you actually enjoy troubleshooting as a hobby, it’s a wonderful book.

25. Walk Two Moons. I feel like I lost my innocence with the main character.

26. Dune by Frank Herbert. If there ever was a book that could guide my life choices, this is it. It teaches me resilience, and that there is a big wide universe out there. There’s a lot of philosophical and spiritual guidance out there, and I’ve been exposed to a fair bit. But the Dune series is one of enduring wisdom. And the layer upon layer of world building! Herbert was a linguistic genius.

27. Catch 22 because I love satire and no other book I’ve read captures the absurdity of things quite like Heller did.

28. Flowers for Algernon. That book was a roller coaster of emotions at the end.

29. The Redwall series by Brian Jacques. I love the adventure and questing and figuring out riddles. The way he described the feasts… god I always wished I could experience a feast like that. The way he would write the different dialects for the different animals was so much fun. They are young adult books, but I’m nearing 4 decades and still love them. Been reading them since I was just a wee lad.

30. The Phantom Tollbooth. It was fun to read as a kid and then I picked it up again as I got older and noticed so many little details that kept it fun and interesting.

[vernanonix]

So I enjoyed the Netflix Death Note Movie

I know. Unpopular opinion. I decided to look up the general consensus on it and reviews are mixed. The most vocal users loathe it for not being, more or less, an exact replica of the original. Ok, that’s cool. I super enjoyed the original as well. Was a big fan. But watching/reading it again is a chore since the majority of dialogue is internal monologue and the grab hinges on not knowing what will happen next. But I digress. The recent Power Rangers movie did the same thing in not exactly replicating the original work and it went pretty well. And I honestly don’t understand the hate this thing is getting other than the fact that people cannot get over the fact that this wasn’t intended to be the same as the original but, in fact, a re-imagining. I went in with those expectations and came out enjoying the thing, even getting so into it, I stood up and moved closer to the TV in anticipation of one part. So plot stuff with spoiler after the cut. And I’m going to be a bit tongue and cheek with a lot of the major complaints I've seen since the freakin’ thing was announced.

Just be aware that this movie is only meant to be the same in premise. If you can’t accept that, this you’ll automatically hate the movie.

Ok, so first of all, the big changes. The movie is set in America. Seattle, WA to be exact. Considering this is a Western adaption, there should be zero qualms about that. (And yet, somehow, that’s the biggest mistake for a lot of people.) Light Yagami is now Light Turner. Misa Amane is now Mia Sutton. 

“But why did they have to change the names? That’s just dumb!”

Set in America should be reason enough. We’re working with Americans here. Yagami, Misa, and Amane are all Japanese names. To be fair, the naming convention in America makes the name Light a rather weird name. But the word itself is English and the name needs to relate back strongly to the main character of the source material so it gets a bye from me.

“But this is whitewashing!”

Again, set in America. Doing a quick search, I find that 76.9% of the US population considers themselves White as of July 1, 2016 according to census.gov. I mean, my research might be shoddy here, but statistically speaking, you’re going to have a white person get this notebook. Race shouldn’t even play a part in this anyway since the story is really what should matter. Yeah, they could have sent it to one of the 1.3% of the population of Seattle that is Japanese because they have that control. But what I’m saying is the race card does not matter and people were and still are grasping for any reason they can to say the movie is bad, even before giving it a watch.

Also, let’s take a look at L and Watari. In the original, Watari was definitely European, which is where Wammy’s House was located, iirc. L’s race is also not completely Asian in the original. The author has gone on record to say he thinks of him as a quarter each of Japanese, Russian, English, and French or Italian. Here, Watari looks full Japanese and L is African in descent. It kind of makes the whitewashing argument silly when the only two white guys in the original are the only two non-white mains in the movie. So again, race should not be considered an issue here.

Now, as far as the whole thing plays out, the movie itself is self-contained, though, in my opinion, open to a sequel should they decide to. Light is no longer the stand-up shining beacon of perfection as a student he was in the anime. Instead, he’s this somewhat socially awkward teen who sells homework to those willing to pay. His mother was killed in a drunk driving accident as well, which feeds into his desire to kill those who deserve it later in the movie. As far as setup goes, I’m cool with this. This adaption makes Light feel more human. Shoot, when he meets Ryuk for the first time, the boy is screaming his head off as he tries to get away - a perfectly natural reaction.

Mia, on the other hand, doesn’t have a ton of evidence towards her social status, but she’s definitely not an idol like Misa in the original. She’s just one of Light’s classmates. The relationship between the two has a different dynamic as well, with Light seen watching her in the early moments of the movie and stepping in to protect her during a confrontation with some bullies. It’s obvious that Light has had a crush on her for a while. When Light proves the power of the Death Note to her, Mia becomes enamored with the idea and the two essentially become Kira as the movie goes on. And the girl really gets off on using the Death Note. Literally.

The other big player is L. As opposed to the original, where he stayed locked up in a room 99% of the time, this version of L actively visits crime scenes and works around those in his team. He keeps his face hidden and even is willing to make public broadcasts in person to call out Kira. And yes, he has an affinity for sweets still. Later in the movie, when Watari becomes a pawn of Kira and L realizes this, L starts becoming emotionally unhinged. I find myself liking this version of L more than the original given he plays a more active role in his plans and, again, feels more human than the original.

So the biggest change, to me, is Light’s reluctance to use the Death Note. His first act is killing a bully, with Ryuk pushing him to do it. The second is the man who killed his mother, again with Ryuk pushing him along. Third is when he starts latching onto the idea when he proves the power of the Death Note to Mia by killing a man taking his family hostage. But again, this is a thought pushed onto Light by Mia. Light allows himself to be manipulated by Mia as they both become Kira, using the Note as a sort of foreplay. It’s weird. Definitely unnecessary. 

However, even when Light becomes aware of being tailed by FBI agents, he refuses to use the Note on them, even as Mia pushes him to do so. He refuses to cross the line of killing innocents, even at a level self-preservation. Instead, Mia steals a page form the Note, attacks the FBI agent following Light, and has him write down the whole team’s names. Later in the movie, Light uses the Note on Watari to control him. The Death Note has a lot of new rules introduced in the movie, including one Light wishes to use on Watari: If a person whose name is in the Death Note is still alive, the page with their name can be burned to spare them. Ryuk makes it clear, however, that only one person can be saved like this. 

Light has Watari hunt down L’s real name through use of the Note. However, Mia steals this page without Light’s knowledge, allowing Watari to die. Mia also left a message in the Note for Light at this point as well. “Light Turner’s heart stops beating at midnight.” She uses this as leverage to get Light to pass ownership of the Note to her as she would have to be the one to burn the page.

Light manages to double-cross her in a final play that allows him to kill Mia, save himself, and get the Note back into his possession all while throwing investigators off his trail. That is, except for L who manages to find the page Mia stole in her room.

The movie ends with L debating on putting Light’s name on the page.

The movie is a huge over-simplification of the original series. But I don’t see this as a bad thing. I found the movie enjoyable, though a little hammy at parts. Mia subtly pulling Light’s strings under the pretense of romance definitely isn’t true to the original and could have been handled a little better at the very least. Light being unwilling to kill innocents makes me side with him more than the Light in the anime. (I always thought Light’s biggest mistake was letting his god-complex kill Lind L. Taylor.) The way L was presented made him a more likable and relatable character. Overall, the story itself was good and I came away pleased with the adaption. Was it perfect? No, not by a long shot. Was it better than the majority of anime fans said it was going to be? Definitely. It’s nowhere near as bad as, say, Dragonball Evolution. I had fun with it and really, that’s what matters with a movie.

And as far as a sequel goes, there’s leeway for L to stop himself from taking revenge on Light with the Note still. And with Mia dead, Light can now function as Kira in his own way. I’d be very interested in seeing a sequel with this setup.

Anyway, that’s my take on the new Death Note movie. I know my opinion is unpopular. But hey, that’s just my opinion.

#Death Note #netflix #anime #manga #review #death note spoilers

[mst3kproject]

Monster on the Campus

This movie has one of the best MST3K pedigrees I’ve seen.  The cast includes Whit Bissell, the mad scientist from I Was a Teenage Werewolf, and director Jack Arnold also brought us Revenge of the Creature and The Space Children (and four episodes of Love, American Style).  That alone would qualify it as an Episode that Never Was, but wait... there’s more!  Monster on the Campus boasts a veritable menagerie of background weirdnesses that the Brains could have gone to town on, including an inexplicable bust of Genghis Khan, a woman who appears to have her dress on backwards, and a door in constant use despite being marked USE OTHER DOOR.  Add a werecreature plot even more bizarre than Track of the Moon Beast and I am at an utter loss for how they managed to miss this one.

Professor Donald Blake (no, not that Donald Blake) is a paleontologist who has just received an exciting new specimen: a preserved coelacanth, all the way from Madagascar!  He hopes this will take him down roads of science few have ever trod, and oh, boy, will it ever.  When Blake cuts himself on the prehistoric fish’ teeth, he transforms into an ape-man and sets out on a rampage.  The police investigate his trail of murder and vandalism, while the coelacanth (which Blake pronounces 'silla-canth') continues to infect anything it touches with a sort of de-evolution, like the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode Genesis except much, much sillier.

I didn't think coelacanths actually had teeth, but I googled it and it turns out they do.  This is possibly the most scientifically accurate part of the movie.  The rest of Monster on the Campus' science is on a par with things like the carbon-dated metal statue in Terror from the Year 5000 or Glenn Manning's single-celled heart in The Amazing Colossal Man.  As a major part of its premise, this film proposes that somehow, coelacanth blood actually resists evolution.

This is really, really not how evolution works.  If you could sequence the genes of a modern coelacanth and compare them with those of its ancestors eighty million years ago, you'd find that genetically it's about as closely related to them as we are to whatever little possum-like creatures were around back then. Coelacanths might look like they haven't changed, but that's simply because, like sharks or cockroaches, they have happened upon a body plan that works so well for what they do that there's been no reason to change it.  Instead, the tweaking happens on the inside – mutations accumulate whether they cause physical changes or not, and modern coelacanths must deal with completely different environmental conditions than prehistoric ones.  Factors like predators, prey, temperature, ocean and atmospheric chemistry, and diseases are changing constantly and means that coelacanths must evolve, even if they do so where we can't see it.

Another thing this movie apparently believes about evolution is that creatures in the past were innately angrier and more violent than modern ones.  We see several 'primitive' life forms over the course of this story: a saber-toothed German Shepherd that apparently represents the ancestor of modern dogs (and makes about as much evolutionary sense as the saber-toothed squirrel in the Ice Age movies), a giant dragonfly, and the caveman Dr. Blake becomes.  All three are shown attacking anything that moves, and sometimes things that don't.  There is some implication that the caveman has access to Blake's memories even it can't make sense of them, but its reaction to the things it thus 'recognizes' is still violence.  The idea that the past was 'brutal' and modern man must overcome his instincts to progress is a constant running thread in the movie.

This is taken so far, however, that it leaves the viewer wondering – if we evolved from such violent creatures, how did we ever get to where we are?  An argument might be made that the prehistoric dog was vicious because it had not yet been domesticated.  Fine, but how were humans domesticated?  How did the ape-man we see ever stop smashing, raping, and killing long enough to settle down and invent civilization?  Its behaviour shows very little evidence of what we'd recognize as intelligence.  Maybe the female was a civilizing influence.  We never see a prehistoric woman in the movie, and Dr. Blake's display of 'the faces of man' inadvertently implies that woman is the highest form of human evolution.  If, as the stereotypes tell us, men are intrinsically domineering and violent while women are supposed to be kind and nurturing, maybe the more feminine humanity becomes, the better.

Oh, wait, there's one more thing the movie's science gets right: the idea of preserving tissues through irradiation.  This works exactly the way Blake explains: by killing off all the bacteria in the target material.  It's actually a very safe and effective way to prevent food from spoiling – it never really caught on, however, probably mostly because of movies like this one spreading the idea that radiation = oh god, oh god, we're all gonna die.

If we can accept all that, however, the movie is actually very entertaining.  The music is pretty good and the effects are not convincing, but they're fun to look at.  The caveman doesn't appear on screen until nearly the end, but this is done in such a way that it is suspenseful rather than annoying.  We know that something strange has happened to Dr. Blake, and that it's equivalent to what became of Samson the dog and the dragonfly – but the characters don't, at least not at first, and their conclusion that Blake is being stalked by an unknown enemy is an entirely reasonable one given the facts they have.  The theory becomes harder to fit to the facts as more facts appear, and the police struggle to keep it plausible.  The dog and the dragonfly give us some monster action to keep us interested while we wait for the big reveal.

The reveal itself is not as satisfying as it ought to be, because the caveman makeup is pretty damned bad.  The mask almost looks more like a werewolf than an ape-man.  The way Blake gets his doses of coelacanth blood is also pretty contrived.  The first time, when he cuts his hand on the fish' teeth, kind of works, but the second time, he allows blood to drip into his pipe and them smokes it.  This is hilarious in both concept and execution, and even Blake, discussing his theory with his superiors, dismisses a second accident as unlikely.

Donald Blake himself is a reasonably sympathetic character, both the hero and the villain of his own story.  We never entirely like him, but that's mainly a product of the movie's age. The first line we hear him say is as he makes a mold of his girlfriend's face to add to his 'faces of man' exhibit - “the female in the perfect state – helpless and silent!”  This probably seemed harmlessly funny in the 50's – in the 21st century it makes him seem like a pig and it's kind of an uphill struggle to regain any respect for him. The slow burn of him figuring out who the monster is, and the confusion and terror that accompany it, help a lot – as does the behaviour of his colleagues, who understandably think he's going nuts.

At the end of the movie, Blake decides to perform an experiment – he will inject himself with the coelacanth blood a third time and see what happens.  He records a last message, saying “I pray only for the courage to destroy the monster within me.”  Sure enough, the caveman re-emerges and threatens Blake's girlfriend Madeline.  Upon seeing the photographic evidence, he convinces his colleagues to shoot him, so that the monster will die with him.

I think we're supposed to consider this a tragedy: like Oedipus, Blake could not stop pursuing the truth, and the truth in the end destroyed him.  The problem with this is that his suicide seems, quite honestly, totally unnecessary.  To keep from committing any more violent crimes, all Blake would have to do is not come into contact with radioactive coelacanth blood, and it doesn't seem like this ought to be a difficult substance to avoid.  In fact, he probably has the world's entire supply right there in his lab – burn the damn fish, and you're done!  Committing suicide over a problem that easy to solve is the act of a drama queen, Dr. Blake.

It's especially ridiculous when this movie's entire point is that the capacity for brutal violence is latent within all of us, just waiting for an excuse to bubble to the surface.  Is the movie trying to say that we should all kill ourselves to avoid the crimes we might commit?  I could probably kill somebody if I felt it was necessary – do I deserve to be pre-emptively locked up for that?  Blake seems to know that he's not responsible for what his prehistoric alter-ego does, even if the irrational part of him feels guilty regardless. Certainly he doesn't blame Sampson the dog for nearly attacking Madeline while under the influence of the coelacanth blood, so why blame himself?  The point made earlier in the movie was that we must resist our urge to violence, to choose to evolve away from it – but rather than rejecting his animal nature, Blake seems to lose all hope of ever doing so.

Confused as the movie is, this is one of the good ones.  It had me on its side from the moment it included a Meganeura, one of my favourite under-used prehistoric animals – but even outside of that it's a fun story that keeps the audience engaged.  It's definitely not perfect, but the annoying parts don't annoy me enough to detract from the fun ones.  Any lover of silly 50's sci-fi should definitely check out Monster on the Campus.

#mst3k #reviews #monster on the campus #episodes that never were #tw: suicide #50s #we're running out of plots #curiously caucasian cavepeople

[caselottiscastle]

4. The Reluctant Dragon (1941)

Original Theatrical Poster

Walt Disney’s fourth feature was another live-action and animation mashup, The Reluctant Dragon. Its predecessor Fantasia shows off the studio’s animation skills, but Reluctant Dragon shows off the studio itself. The original theatrical poster dramatically promises “a thousand surprises” in the one hour and fourteen minute running time. Although the film has aged significantly, it still provides an interesting look into classic Disney’s animation process.

An average-seeming man, Mr. Benchley, wants to propose a story idea to Walt Disney himself but is unsure of his success. His wife talks him into doing it and drives him to the Disney studios in Burbank, California, where he is stuck with a lousy tour guide who only doles out boring facts about the facility. Mr. Benchley, played by the radio comedian Robert Benchley, decides to take a few detours. Each one teaches him something about the Disney animation process.

Mr. Benchley first stumbles into the drawing room, where the artists draw from life– the subject right in front of them. He overhears the drawing professor discussing the curves and figure of the model. The model is not a 1940s Sofia Vergara, but an elephant. Benchley observes the artists’ different renditions of the elephant. 

The theme is no coincidence! This film came out right before Dumbo, which was also released in 1941.

That stickler tour guide is still on Mr. Benchley’s trail, so Benchley rushes into the recording studio where an orchestra plays. After hearing some conventional music, Benchley is surprised to hear two singers making odd vocalizations. He learns that they are singing in the voices of Daffy and Donald Duck, and is taught how to imitate them.

Next Mr. Benchley stumbles into the sound engineer’s room. Here, Mr. Benchley learns that the staff members can alter their voices using a “talk box”, as well as create sound effects by practical means (such as dropping a massive load of equipment from a tall height). There is another Dumbo Easter Egg in this scene.

Let there be Technicolor! Mr. Benchley is taken to the camera room and the film goes from black and white to Technicolor, very much like the Wizard of Oz. Benchley learns how individual frames are photographed and sped up to play at a rate which makes it appear as if the pictures are moving. The demonstration? Sassy Donald Duck, who helps explain such process.

And thank god that technicolor did arrive, because next Mr. Benchley goes to the paint room, nicknamed the Rainbow Room. This is where colors are made (by women), stored, and used for creating characters. Benchley observes an artist complete a painting of Bambi (another Easter Egg!). This scene is like a delightful Willy Wonka montage.

Mr. Benchley is taken to the maquette room next. A maquette is a small sculpture/statue that is made to scale. As a staff member explains, every artist needs to reference a sculpture so that they know what their character is supposed to look like from every angle. That way, each character is made the same way.

Forever evading the boring tour guide, who is hell-bent on finding him, Mr. Benchley steals into the story room next, where the writers surround a crying baby. The baby is actually the inspiration for their animated short, “Baby Weems”. The writers take Mr. Benchley to their storyboard and begin explaining, and then the whole short actually plays.

Side tangent: This short is pretty cute and funny until it goes south. It’s about a baby who speaks as soon as he’s born and goes onto be idolized by the entire world. But I would never recommend it to a friend or stranger, because it includes some shockingly racist portrayals. They come up quickly without any prior notice, and they are so blatant and demeaning; the shock is like being doused with a bucket of cold water. After the Rainbow Room, the funny bits with Donald Duck, and the general sense of good humor, it reminds you that people’s idea of fun could come from the distaste of other humans. Disney’s artists were people growing up in the Jim Crow Era, some of whom were undoubtedly prejudiced and chose to immortalize those prejudices in their art. Given that this film The Reluctant Dragon is something of a hidden historic gem, I think the reason that Disney hasn’t “re-entered” this film into the contemporary consciousness is because of this short. Although the moments in question are ten seconds or less, they are so blatantly hateful that I don’t think Disney could stand the press. Dumbo has the same issue, and Disney has tried to resolve this by cutting the “Jim Crow” scene from the film on Disney+.

So….why is this movie called The Reluctant Dragon, you might be asking. The Reluctant Dragon is the story idea that Mr. Benchley wants to pitch to Walt himself (the story is actually based on the book by Kenneth Grahame). After his many detours, Mr. Benchley finally meets Walt Disney in the theater. Walt and his associates are about to review a film. Before Benchley can tell Walt his story, the Reluctant Dragon plays. It is the third and final short of the film, and lends its name to the title.

It’s wonderful. Here’s the premise: a young boy in medieval Europe likes to read tales about knights and dragons, and so when he’s given incentive to go and find one, he stumbles upon the reluctant dragon: a dragon who doesn’t like to fight because “it doesn’t agree” with him and prefers poetry and tea instead. The boy’s village wants their beloved knight, Sir Giles, to slay the dragon. As it turns out, Sir Giles and the Reluctant Dragon have quite a bit in common, and comedy ensues.

So why did the theater play the Reluctant Dragon before Mr. Benchley could pitch the idea to Walt? In the time that Benchley toured the facility, the studios had conjured up the idea themselves. Ha-ha.

Concluding thoughts

The title screen for the film says that it was “made in answer to the many requests to show the backstage life of animated cartoons.” As far as the film giving an intimate tour of the animation studios, I don’t think it does quite that. It’s too quaint, too smiley, too “everything just falls into place like ducks in a row”. Obviously the studios had to have been highly efficient, so I’m not saying that the work ethic or passion is forced. It’s the atmosphere that, looking on it from an adult perspective, seems concocted with a very specific branding in mind.

The film gives a sense of perpetual happiness among all of the creativity that doesn’t really exist anywhere on earth. It’s kind of like the idea being sold at Walt Disney parks, “the happiest place on Earth.” I don’t want to go as far as to say the film is like corporate propaganda, but it definitely fills an agenda as far as advertising what Disney stands for (creativity, happiness, fun, excitement, and maybe most significantly: unlimited possibilities.) There’s also the painful the reminders, as in the “Baby Weems”, that Disney stood for racism at times.

But I don’t want to be all boo-hoo on the entire movie. I’m not for cancel culture, and I don’t think this whole film should be “cancelled” or forgotten. It’s a really interesting tour of 1940s animation, and it’s littered with humor. The short “The Reluctant Dragon” is so delightful, and I can see why it was chosen for the title of the film. If you’d like to watch it, or the entire film, it’s available for free on an online archive here.

Thanks for reading! Next up to review: Dumbo!

#disney #the reluctant dragon #animation #art of animation #shorts #classic disney

[meowsaidmayaanime]

What I'm Watching June 2016

Here I will post the anime's that I am currently watching or re-watching, of course this does not include simulcasts as they are in a separate category all together. No, this is a list of the (some partially completed) anime that I binge watch. This post is constantly updated, as I tend to go through a single anime in its entirety within a couple of days, so keep your eye out!

6/25 Blood Blockade Battlefront

Let me get this down now. This anime is visually beautiful, sooooooo much time went into the art and details. Its movie quality beautiful, which is very unusual in a series. So onto the series itself it's about a boy who began living in a post apocalyptic New York after the gates between the human world and the 'monster' world opened. The characters are great, the premise was great, the episodes were great, everything was going wonderfully. Until the anime took an arrow to the knee... Metaphorically of course. So much was left unresolved, and in the last few episodes an obstacle was haphazardly thrown at us. I didn't check the episode count before watching the anime so I was shocked when I found out that there were only 13 (well 12 really) episodes. I get the impression that the studio was initially expecting to do a full 24 ep season considering the pacing of the anime up until episode 10. Evidently this is where the anime diverges quite a bit from the manga itself (my guess is that its unfinished. SOOOOO many anime are left in disappointment because the anime company decides to start a series before the manga has a chance to complete itself leaving the anime with a weird and out of place ending. sigh)

It really is a huge shame that Blood Blockade Battlefront ended the way it did. And its a shame that this recent trend of only creating 'half seasons' has once again resulted in a poor ending. I really liked this anime too, like I said earlier it was amazing. Seriously here's a quote from Toshi Nakamura who wrote a review of the anime itself.

"All in all, Blood Blockade Battlefront was a beautiful jewelry box filled with glittering stones that are individually beautiful, but when you put them on a string to make a necklace, on a whole, they lose a lot of their shine. Plus it feels like some of the most precious gems were left in the box."

My thoughts exactly. Those loose gems left in the box being the other 12 episodes this anime deserved in order to make one complete 24 ep season. I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS.

Its so hard trying to recommend an anime when the end is a let down. I want people to see it because the first 9 episodes are fabulous, but I don't want to subject an unsatisfactory anime to anyone. Its not like the ending was bad, for how last minute it was, it was pretty well done, and it did make sense. It just wasn't the ending this anime deserved. If your willing to take this on I highly recommend it to anyone who loves the paranormal genre. Maybe it would just be best to read the manga. Its definitely on my list to read.

6/21 Sankarea Undying Love re-watch

Last time I watched this anime it was in high school after a friend recommended it to me. So I figured why not watch it again? Its a short 12 episode zombie love story. Haha, yup a zombie slice of life love story. In the world of American media, its a really unusual combination of genres, but in anime its no real surprise. I suppose the only real surprise about the anime is the fact that its relatively good, and not at all a harem like High School of the Dead. Its very cute and I think well done. The main female characters father is a total creep and wack-job but that is one of the reasons why he is the main antagonist. For being a zombie anime, its very laid back and you'll find out why as you watch it. Sankarea is an anime that I would recommend to people if I was aware of what kind of anime they liked. If you like the zombie scene but want to watch something not totally gruesome and hyped up, or if you like unusual/ supernatural/ paranormal/ ect. romances I think this is worth a shot.

6/17 Barakamon

WOW, this was really good. I initially started watching this because Funimation's YouTube channel posts trailers and promo videos for its anime. I watched the promo trailer for the English dub, recognized a lot of the voice actors in it and decided to give it a try. I'm gonna say this now, it's probably the best slice of life anime I have seen. and I mean full on slice of life, no paranormal or fantasy or anything else, it's pure slice of life. Its well written, the episodes flow, and its got a great story and great characters. The premise is that a young 20-something artist calligrapher Seishu punches a man who criticized his work as being unimaginative. As a result Seishu's father sends him to live on a rural island to 'cool his head'. The anime then follows the life of Seishu as he makes unexpected friendships and discovers who he is as an artist.

I just loved this anime, If you like slice of life, yes DEFINITELY watch this. Same if you like watching characters grow and their struggle to discover themselves, or if you like comedy, or if you like realism, or if you want a well made anime to calm down with after watching an emotionally draining one. Even if your not into the genre I recommend you give the first episode a try at least. I was immensely impressed with it.

Oh, and the full series won't be released in English until August 9, 2016, but Funimation is releasing the first two episodes in English on June 28th. I know I will definitely be re-watching this when the full English dub release comes out!!

6/16 Charlotte (re-watch)

I LOVED this anime when it came out last year. I remember getting to the last few episodes and going to the public library to finish watching it because the power went out in my house. I just finished re-watching it with one of my friends who had never seen it before. Haha, she was mad at me cause she got so invested in it. It is a doozy. But anyway, it follows high school boy Yuu Otosaka who recently became aware of a supernatural ability of his to be able to control a persons body for 5 seconds at a time. After abusing this power to cheat his way into a good high school, a girl named Tomoe catches him and makes him transfer to a school for people with other abilities. It goes on from there showing their lives, introducing characters and fortifying relationships until the REAL plot reveals itself~

If you like supernatural anime this is a really one, full story in only 13 episodes. It also touches up on quite a few 'heavy' topics, which it actually handles really well. I do recommend this to anyone actually, it was my third favourite 2015 anime of the one I watched that year.

(Bonus: I don't know who wrote this or how far into the anime hey were in, but I agree.)

6/14 50% Off (re-watch)

Oh man, I love this show. I just watched their two A-kon panels from a few weeks ago, and it's great. Just watch this show, make sure you watch it. Here's a link to my post on my favourite parody/abridge series where I talk about this show more. You don't have to know the original anime to enjoy it (I didn't watch Free until recently), so get on YouTube type it in and get going!

6/13 Princess Jellyfish (re-watch)

Alright, So now you guys are up to speed on the anime I watched during my vacation, I just started re-watching Princess Jellyfish. Oh man, I completely forgot about this little gem. I first watched it my freshman year of college (two years ago), and LOVED it. It's basically about a household of otaku young women, and one in particular who is in love with jellyfish, who make friends with their arch enemy, a stylish person! Haha, it is hilarious and a great commentary on stereotypes/social norms in Japanese culture (and really many other first world cultures for that matter.) I am having so much fun re-watching this series, it is slice of life so there is not much of an overarching plot so much as it is just following the exploits of the group after becoming friends with said stylish person I mentioned earlier. Each episode flows naturally into the next creating a constant story with each episode having to do with the next. So despite it being a slice of life, there are no filler episodes that forgotten or have nothing to do with anything. it also consistently references pop-culture and media not just from Japan, but from America too. Really, I can't express how great it is. Watch it, you won't regret it.

6/9 & 6/12

HEY! Sorry for the inactivity, I was on vacation out of state. While I was not able to do anything on this site for the past week, I was able to watch a few anime! AND hey are new ones!

So during my summer vay-cay (haha, thats such a terrible word) I watched:

Dusk Maiden of Amnesia

and Amnesia

Dusk Maiden of Amnesia was good. It's about a high school boy who makes a friend out of a ghost, Yuuko, who doesn't remember anything from when she was alive. In terms of content, while they do try to figure out how she died and who she is, a good portion is about tellig the story of the two main characters. Doing high school activities, developing relationships, ect. While the anime does frequently talk about the mystery and paranormal throughout these episodes, its not until the end of the series that the mystery of Yuuko ACTUALLY begins being solved, and they find out REAL information of her past. In hindsight, her past and the climax of the series is thrust upon you towards the end. It would have been better in my opinion if the events and info were more evenly dispersed throughout each episode from the beginning. I still really liked this anime, though I'm not sure as to how good it is. If your into the sort of subdued paranormal scene, then you may want to give this a shot. Its short, its sweet, I really liked learning about Yuuko's past when it finally got around to it, and I personally really liked it. But again, if you like the paranormal, you may like this. If your not into paranormal stuff, then I wouldn't recommend it.

Now Amnesia was a whole different box of pillows. By that I mean body pillows, and by that I mean I am sure that there area tons available. Why? Because this short anime was adapted from a dating sim called Amnesia: Memories. I wish I had known that before I started watching it, but no matter. In terms of dating sim adaptations, it's pretty good. In terms of an anime, not so much. The premise for both the anime and the game is that you are a girl who just woke up and knows absolutely nothing about herself, where she is, or who anyone else is. She has, you guessed it, amnesia. Amnesia caused by a fairy 'bumping' into her? which doesn't make too much sense. (but hey at least it wasn't because she performed horrific acts of manslaughter, created a patchwork monster, and played a huge part in nearly destroying humanity all so Alexander could become godlike, am I right?) Anyway, she wakes up and begins jumping alternate worlds in which she is dating different guys, thus the dating sim part comes in. In therms of the anime itself, the plot is a little wobbly waiting until the last 2 or 3 episodes to actually explain her true past and give a substantial story line. Because in the game, the female character and her name/personality is you, the anime version of her is left 'blank' for self insertion. Making a poor main character being pushed to and fro. But I will tell you this the music was REALLY good, the opening, closing and background music were absolutely fantastic. SO, if you have played this game and enjoyed it then I would definitely recommend it. If you have not, and have absolutely no interest in self-insertion romance, then its not worth the watch for the plot. Although I did like it myself. It's a good addition to my, quote-unquote, "trash anime" (watch out for a post in the maybe near future). Basically a list of guilty pleasure anime which are terrible when it comes to plot and characters, but I just can't resist. Its like reading trashy romance novels, but better and worse at the same time.

6/5 Red Data Girl (re-watch)

Another re-watch, maybe June will be a month of oldies~ (at least for me). RDG is an adorable anime, its a short 12 ep, one season series based off the Japanese novels of the same title. 6 novels (no official translation, but this person on tumblr has been translating them in their spare time), 4 manga novel adaptations, and one anime as mentioned. I'm not familiar with the novels or manga, but I do know that the anime covers most but not all of the novels. One person said it covers the first 5 novels but that's it. Anyway, the anime is super cute, and I really like the premise. My only issue is that the end felt like the completion of a smaller story arch within a larger one. Leaving no REAL ending, you can't even argue that the end is open to interpretation because they didn't leave you wondering what happened, they leave you without ever continuing the main story arch. Without explaining the endless questions that rose with the intention of it being resolved later. Hopefully the manga will give me some solace but with 4 books, i'm not sure if it will... I really like it, and I really wish it would continue.

oh btw, as of right now it's available on netflix, the English voice acting is ok, its not bad, but its also not great. The voice actors are able to but the right voice out, but not give the voice the emotion that the words give. I greatly prefer the Japanese voice acting, but I'm able to live with the English if I'm multi-tasking. (random note: the ending theme is super pretty. Actually, a lot about this anime is pretty)

6/2 Blue Exorcist Movie TOP PICK FOR THIS MONTH (new)

The movie has nothing to do with the plot of the anime at all, and takes place after the events in the series. Atleast I'm fairly certain it does? There's an important (and spoiler-y) thing that happens at the end of the series, that is never addressed or acknowledged in the movie which I think is really weird..... Either way, the movie itself is simply a completely stand alone story from the series. And it was absolutely stunning! Sooooo much detail went into all of the backgrounds and items. On top of that its very well scripted, and the plot flowed incredibly well together without being convoluted, which is surprising since a number of movie sequels to tv series's tend to go overboard by stuffing too much information into an hour and a half.

It was amazing. Its possible that someone could watch the movie without watching the single season anime, just because of how it was written. However you would not know the relationships or the back story of the main character, which helps to explain a lot of the terminology and setting. Especially the part about demons ect ect.

Either way, I LOVED this movie. I didn't even know that there was a movie at all until just now. I'm going to re-watch it with a friend when she gets back into town and I am soooooo excited because I KNOW she will love it too. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT. I RECOMMEND THIS SO HARD.

6/1 Blue Exorcist (re-watch)

Well I can't sleep, so what better opportunity than this to re-watch Ao no Exorcist in the English dub~ Ah, I love this anime. Its funny, has great main characters, a good story and writing, and I seem to have a week spot for exorcist anime's, haha. Man, I remember watching this when it first came out in high school, I have a distinct memory of watching one of the later episodes before going to one of my friends concerts. There was a movie made about a year later, AAAAAND a series of specials. Oh, man the movie was so amazing. It has nothing to do with the plot of the anime at all, in fact the anime wrapped up everything rather nicely. The Movie itself is simply another story in cinematic format. It was absolutely beautiful, well made, well scripted, and the plot flowed incredibly well together without being convoluted. Would 100% recommend.

Oh, right! The dub isn't that bad, I mean I wish they had a different voice actor for Rin, I just don't feel like this one really lives up to the character. The other voice actors are great though, really fit the characters. The dub is well done, but I think I preferred the Japanese voice actors (they have a better pick than we do.) I just think that someone with a slightly lower, more thug-ish voice would have been better. The English actors voice is a little too high for me, it's even higher than Yukio's voice ._.

6/1 Black Butler (re-watch)

I decided to re-watch the show (minus the second season) after writing up my post from yesterday about anime whose second season could just go and disappear from existence. I love Sebastian, he is a saint, well a saint among devils. Not only is he one hell of a butler, but one hell of a contractor too, he REALLY get into his jobs, and it is amazing. Even I would enter into a contract if I could have him as a butler~ It's a goon anime, not sure if its recommendation worthy though. I mean yes it's good but it's not something that you HAVE to see, or something you would be missing out on. It's surprisingly fun and while it can and does get intense in certain areas, its not so intense that its going to mess you up.  As long as you never touch the second season, NEVER.

Bonus image, cause why not:

[furederiko]

A Random-News-Digest to cap off September! Yes, the last one for the last day of the month...

Akira

A few days ago, the anime community was sent into a polarizing frenzy, when a live action Hollywood remake for Makoto Shinkai's masterpiece "Kimi no Na wa." was announced. Following "Ghost in the Shell", and "Death Note", it's a vindicative sign that Hollywood is actively turning towards Japanese titles to make their own versions. One that would usually come in one package with whitewashing controversy.

I'm not here to talk about "Your name." though, but about Katsuhiro Otomo's "Akira". Because yes, "Akira" is also one of that classic anime title that Hollywood has been itching to adapt... for soooo many years. Guess what, the title has resurfaced into the spotlight once again. After several directors have come in to develop this project, and then walked out to do other things instead, now Warner Bros is said to be in talks with the one and only... Taika Waititi. The upcoming Thor sequel has certainly put Waititi's name into every studio's attention, so it's not even surprising that WB is trying to hire him as well. After all, WB has been actively snatching Marvel Studios' directors and actors, right?

Of course, Waititi is still 'in talks', so things can always go sideway. He already has a project with Fox Searchlight that's about to enter production early next year, as well as that stop-motion animated movie about Michael Jackson's chimpanzee. If WB really wants to rush this movie into creation, I doubt Waititi will be the man to do the job. I personally would have preferred to see Hollywood simply forgeting about "Akira" all together, but that's just me and my selfish desire of not wanting another anime gets 'ruined' by American hands. Hold on, Waititi is not from US, eh! Oh well...

Tomb Raider

Having been an avid fan of this game franchise, of course I'm curious about its movie adaptations. The Angelina Jolie movies were... likeable (oh, how I was still sooo innocent when the first one came out), but they've also failed in capturing the charm of the series. Will a new version with recently crowned Oscar Winner Alicia Vikander work better?

Go ahead and check out the first official trailer (as well as its... odd accompaniment poster, both released 10 days ago LOL) to get your answer. My spontaneous response? "HUH?". Which was then followed by a frown and a "Meh...". Look, I know this one is more inspired by the 2013 game reboot, yet somehow... I don't think it gets it either. In the end, it feels like it's circling back into an Angeline Jolie's version redux. Particularly through Walton Goggins' character, who just had to be there as the evil super-villain stereotype. Had the movie followed the 2013 game's storyline more... faithfully, perhaps I would've seen it in a better light.

Much like "Assassin's Creed" that couldn't flesh out the game premise into a movie event, I seriously doubt this will do better. The video game adaptation curse is still looming large, and is already clouding this movie. But that's just me. Probably it'll work better for you? Roar Uthaug's "Tomb Raider" arrives on March 16th, 2018. So please stop expecting WB to release "The Flash" on that date...

Charlie's Angels

I did NOT see this coming. According to Deadline, Kristen Stewart is said to be one of two actresses being eyed for the "Charlie's Angels" reboot movie. The other one? Lupita Nyong'o. Before you complaint about Stewart, do remember that she's no longer the expressionless actress we saw in the "Twilight" series. She has made a better name of herself through the indie root lately. And Nyong'o is obviously that famous Oscar Winner, who's been involved with the "Star Wars" franchise and soon to hit the action genre with her upcoming Marvel Studios movie.

The fact that these two names are even attracted to the Elizabeth Banks' project is what intrigued me. I actually enjoyed those two Angels movies in the 90s, when everyone else was crying foul. It was campy and over-the-top, but it was fun and well... sexy. LOL. Hearing Stewart and Nyong'o names totally took this reboot to another level. I mean, could we be seeing a... darker and grittier (as much as I despised on using that word) version of the 70s TV show? I'd be down for that. Perhaps they can add more color with... I don't know, Asian actress Pom Klementieff, Elodie Yung, or Claudia Kim to the fray? I hope we'll be hearing more about the casting real soon, because this movie has officially gotten my attention. "Charlie's Angels" will arrive on June 7th, 2019.

Disney Animation

Disney Pixar released the latest trailer for "COCO" and accompanying poster around two weeks ago. The company also released short previews for three songs from the movie: "Remember Me", "Un Poco Loco", and "The World Es Mi Familia". Admittedly, due to my internet fiasco last week, I haven't been able to check out any of these clips. "Coco" arrives just in time for Thanksgiving, so I'm sure by then I would have seen these trailers. LOL. Of course, if you don't want any part of the movie to be spoiled in advance, then you might want to refrain from these new footages and just wait for the movie to arrive. It's your choice!

Star Wars

Despite various reports suggesting/speculating that Rian Johnson would take over Colin Trevorrow's directorial seat for "Star Wars: Episode IX", Lucasfilm hired a far more reasonable and 'safer' choice instead. Yep, I'm sure you have heard by now that J. J. Abrams is back for his second "Star Wars" movie. He's set to write, and direct the third and final movie in the modern era's trilogy. Sure, Abrams doesn't have a great reputation in dealing with sequels, but he's also responsible for the success of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens". Problem is, the official announcement also revealed that Chris Terrio has also been hired to write. In case the name doesn't right a bell, that's the guy who wrote Academy Award's Best Picture Winner "Argo". That's good, right? Hold on... he's also the writer to WB's infamous "Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice", and the early draft of "Justice League" back when it had those unpleasant behind the scene reports. YIKES!!!

Speaking of WB, it's also another game of chicken with that company. This much-anticipated movie has been delayed to December 20th, 2019, meaning it will open just a week after WB's recently announced "Wonder Woman 2". Oh NO!!! After re-hiring the director with an exceptionally huge raise, I have a feeling WB will be forced to move their sequel away to ensure a big box office turnout. Because seriously, confronting the final entry of a "Star Wars" trilogy, one with a female lead protagonist as well, would be nothing short of a massive risk.

Hellboy

Two first looks of David Harbour's version of Hellboy has been released via the movie's official Twitter account, and also the actor's very own social media. And well... it looks, Hellboy-ish enough, I guess? I'm curious though, since this reboot will apply more conventional prothetics instead of CG, does that mean, we're looking at Harbour's very own physique here? I could've sworn his beer-belly he did NOT look like that in "Stranger Things". LOL.

The bigger news of this movie however, was the song of praises to Daniel Dae Kim taking on the whitewashed role that was supposed to go to Ed Skrein. Kim even took a photo with Skrein to make this announcement credible. Ain't this the way it should've been, casting a Korean-American actor for a Japanese-American charact... wait, hold on? Seriously?! Feel free to call me a naysayer, but while I'm grateful for Kim, didn't this simply mean that Hollywood still do NOT have a clue about the whole whitewashing issue? It's a nice gesture and all to cast an Asian actor for an Asian character. But I beg to question... why not hire someone who is not just Asian, but also ethnically approriate? Do we even have a shortage of Japanese-American actor they could hire? Names like Brian Tee (who is both Japanese and Korean), Tadanobu Asano, Hiroyuki Sanada, Paul Nakauchi (who recently appeared in Netflix's "Death Note"), and even Masi Oka (who is Kim's very own fellow cast member in "Hawai Five-O" TV Series)... all easily come to mind.

I can't help but wonder now, is Hollywood still thinking that all Asians look the same? That's STILL a problem, if you ask me. Oh well, let's just scoff this off by saying that... "It's progress". Just for the record, I don't have ANY beef with Kim, and sincerely think that he deserves a big role in the movies. But seriously though, this situation COULD have been solved in a much better way...

DC Films

WB has recruited another writer to work on "Wonder Woman 2". Dave Callaham was brought on board by director Patty Jenkins, to work on the script with DC Comics Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns. His portofolio includes the 2014 "Godzilla", "The Expendables", and also Universal's "The Wolfman" (assuming the Dark Universe project is still on-the-go despite the result of "The Mummy"). Details about the script is still kept under wraps, but it is expected to take place several decades from the first movie. Jenkins has already teased a Cold War setting for the sequel, along with the debut of Gal Gadot's Diana Prince's invisible jet. As I've stated above, it's currently unclear whether WB will keep this movie on the December 2019 schedule or not. If past moves by the studio is any indication (like how WB sped up BvS' release to avoid the third "Captain America" movie), then highly likely we could be seeing a shift of release date sooner or later. How the sequel will change James Cameron's very-public (and annoying, albeit logical, I should add) criticism about the first movie, is a different challenge on its own.

On a side note, DC Entertainment's President Diane Nelson has confirmed that there WILL INDEED be movies outside of DCEU continuity. It seems the initial plan is changing at WB, as Nelson is now singing a somewhat different tune. "Our intention, certainly, moving forward is using the continuity to help make sure nothing is diverging in a way that doesn’t make sense, but there’s no insistence upon an overall story line or interconnectivity in that universe", she stated. I certainly smell 'Plan B' here, in that if ever the DCEU (which already refers to DC Films and the various TV series, right?) gets out of control again, they could use "The Flash: Flashpoint" to basically erase it and create a whole new one. You know, "New-52" and/or "Rebirth"-style. Movies like "The Joker" origin movie, and probably "Justice League: Dark" and "Shazam" will definitely exist in their very own 'LABEL', which will be named and announced in the near future. Will this approach be better or worse for WB and DC? As I said before, this is basically another one of WB's attempt to copy Marvel (that already had multiple Universes on their own, see the next FIVE categories for direct proof), but for now, let's not judge anything too soon and see how this pans out...

X-Men Universe

Wow, it seems FOX has been infected by the braggish fever of WB. Thanks to a recent success with "Logan", the studio can now talk BIG about their next project. Someone's clearly forgetting how the studio ALMOST dropped "Deadpool", had Ryan Reynolds wasn't persistent enough to create it in R-rated format. Not just that, had the studio forced that movie to be toned down to PG-13, it wouldn't have inspired James Mangold to make "Logan" the way it is now. Thus we would only be getting another round of "The Wolverine".

Anyways, FOX Chief Stacey Snider had a really interesting comment to Dark Horizons regarding Josh Boone's "The New Mutants". She stated, "When you look at films like Deadpool or Logan or the upcoming New Mutants, you’ll see they have their own personality. Great effort has been put into making sure they’re differentiated". A peculiar statement, because one, is she trying to throw a shade towards Marvel Studios? And two, is FOX forgetting about the ultra-mediocre "X-Men: Apocalypse" ALREADY?

She then continued with a more 'shocking' remarks, "New Mutants is about these teenagers who are just coming into their powers. It’s like watching mutants go through adolescence and they have no impulse control, so they’re dangerous. The only solution is to put them in a Breakfast Club detention/Cuckoo’s Nest institutional setting. It protects the people on the outside, but it’s strange and combustible inside. The genre is like a haunted-house movie with a bunch of hormonal teenagers. We haven’t seen it as a superhero movie whose genre is more like The Shining than ‘we’re teenagers let’s save the world". Yikes!!! Okay, not only the recent Spider-Man movie was ALREADY a "Breakfast Club"-inspired movie (so... differentiated how?), comparing the movie to Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining" is a really ballsy and gutsy if not downright over-confident move. I personally shook my head upon reading this news, because the studio is setting the bar VERY high eventhough the movie is still in production. Meaning none of the bigwigs have even seen a finished product! One thing for sure, I'm going to bookmark her comment and actually judge the movie against it when it arrives. Can it actually hold up? I doubt, but we'll see...

SONY Marvel Universe

Another studio, another Marvel movie. This one's VERY interesting though, because no matter how confused people has been about Ruben Fleischer's "Venom", the fact that it's attracting big names to the project, might suggest something big. We know that Oscar Nominee Tom Hardy is onboard to play Eddie Brock, but care to guess who else is being eyed and/or in talks? The super talented Riz Ahmed who might (offensively tbh) and might not become the serial killer Carnage, and another Oscar Nominee in... Michelle Williams. Yes, Williams is currently in talks to play the female-lead and potential love interest to Hardy's Brock. It's still unclear if she will take the job or not, but if it ends up becoming real, then it gives me another good reason to actually check it out when it arrives on October 5th, 2018.

Marvel Studios

Let's start with the upcoming "Thor: Ragnarok"! As the release date of November 3rd, 2017 is rapidly approaching (with some international markets set to open in just a few weeks from now), marketing is also ramping up. We got a special Behind the Scene featurette, neat-looking IMAX poster, and also a Chinese one that came alongside an exclusive Chinese trailer containing new footages. Marvel Studios Visual Development Supervisor Andy Park also debuted the cover for "Art of Thor: Ragnarok" online, to encourage fans to pre-order their copy. This artbook will no doubt contains visual spoilers (like that particular creature from Muspelheim), so do consider that before you purchase one.

The movie also hit a somewhat negative hurdle recently. The issue however, wasn't caused by Marvel Studios, but surprisingly by the Writers Guild of America. Turns out, writer Stephany Folsom's name has been denied by the WGA to be attached to the film, eventhough Marvel Studios already gave her a "Story by" credit. A curious case to be honest, because it's usually the studio who refused to give a writer credit, not the other way around. Folsom openly expressed her dissatisfaction to the Guild that was supposed to be the one protecting her rights. On the other hand, does this mean Folsom's work was so minimum, that WGA thought it's unnecessary to add her name? Let's just hope this won't affect the movie's reception.

***The following could be considered spoilers for movies releasing in 2018 and 2019. If you're avoiding one, please skip the next paragraphs and jump over to the next category instead***

From the set of "Ant-Man and the Wasp", we got a new look for Evangeline Lilly's Wasp, Walton Goggins' Sonny Burch, as well as Hannah John-Kamen's Ghost. Burch looks pretty much like a normal human being, while Ghost has the signature white-suit design as can be seen in the comics.

Meanwhile, more and more cast members are confirmed for the UNTITLED "Avengers 4", which as I've said before, somehow serves as massive spoilers for "Avengers: Infinity War". Paul Bettany was pretty much confirmed to be in the movie thanks to a photo of him as Vision, while Mark Ruffalo was spotted alongside Robert Downey Jr. and Scarlett Johansson. Sebastian Stan and Don Cheadle have also been confirmed through interviews with several outlets. Aside from possibly hinting the possible plot of the movie, Atlanta Filming also spotted two actors on set with Johansson. The first was Captain America's Chris Evans, and the second one was... surprise, surprise... "Captain Marvel"'s Brie Larson. I know it has been common sense among fans, that from the time she was cast, she would take part in this movie. But it's always good to know that it's now confirmed.

The movie also has other intriguing parts of production that might hint further at the storyline. A recent casting call notice for extras, revealed that there will be a 1960s setting in the movie. This was inline with a photo by actress Hayley Atwell, who's dressed up as Peggy Carter with a mo-cap makeup on her face. Bearing in mind her quick cameo in the intro of "Ant-Man", could we be seeing a particular flashback to Peggy and John Slattery's Howard Stark in their early years at S.H.I.E.L.D.? A new actor has also been confirmed to become part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Japanese actor Hiroyuki Sanada, has joined the movie in an unknown role. This was strongly coincidental to that Japanese-esque setting we've seen before, so clearly the two facts are probably related somehow.

As for "Infinity War", actor Benedict Cumberbatch teased to Digital Spy that the movie will be huge, considering it's a massive storyline of ten years in the making, involving various sides of the MCU. He's also excited for the project to finally be seen by the world. Now about that, a recent rumor claimed that the D23 and San Diego Comic Con' trailer would be officially released on September 29th, along with the premiere of "Inhumans". It's a little unlikely, considering the growing gap between Marvel Studios and Marvel TV. Moreso, it's more possible that Marvel Studios will release this alongside "Thor: Ragnarok" sometime around October. That will certainly boost attention to the third "Thor" movie. Let's just wait and see.

"Captain Marvel" won't start filming until early next year, but pre-production has already begun. Andy Nicholson has joined the movie as its production designer. Nicholson was involved in "Captain America: The First Avenger" which, similar to this movie, took place in an 'earlier' era. Considering he also earned an Oscar nomination for "Gravity", his inclusion only signaled/confirmed a more interstellar aspect of the story. Here's hoping Nicholson will imbue his Academy Award charm to this movie as well!

Last but not least, That Hashtag Show reported that Marvel Studios is developing a movie for "Power Pack" as part of their next 'Phase'. Jonathan Schwartz is said to be overseeing the project, like he has done with "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2". To be honest, this source isn't particularly credible for this type of news, as their scoops VERY rarely panned out. Still, this is a somewhat plausible thing, considering "Runaways" (that have had a script since the early Phases), have since been converted into a TV series at Hulu. I won't be surprised if the Power siblings became one of the contenders to replace that now-obsolete project. Of course, do take this news with a HUUUGE grain of salt for now. It's best to just wait for an official announcement before getting too excited over something unconfirmed. Am I right?

Marvel TV

When this post goes up, Marvel's "Inhumans" should have debuted ON TV. If you're still unconvinced to see this mini-series, then perhaps the recent trailer would be able to sway you to the dark-si... er, I mean, to see and follow it. Showrunner Scott Buck Almighty apparently has envisioned this show to be at least 3 SEASONS, so you might want to put that into considerations before making one of the biggest life choices in your life. The general consensus however (including a pessimistic-sounding James Gunn), thinks that it won't even get a 2nd season. Then again, his "Iron Fist" somehow miraculously gets one, while a critically-received Marvel's "Agent Carter" did NOT. And don't forget about Marvel's "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." that apparently was ALMOST cancelled by ABC, had Disney not interfe... er, I mean stepped in as savior and paved way for the upcoming Season 5. Nothing is really certain anymore when it comes to Marvel TV, huh?

There's good on the other side though. To be precise, the Hulu side. Marvel's "Runaways" has only been getting positive responses until now, and comics creator Brian K. Vaughn has added even more excitement with his recent statement. During a book signing in New York, Vaughn revealed that not only Old Lace the Deinonychus is part of the show, showrunners Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage actually did her justice. Of course, him being an official consultant to the series can mean two things: one, his words is NOT objective; and two, the show will indeed be as faithful as possible to the source materials... which he wrote. Duh? Then again, the official images that debuted via Entertainment Weekly earlier this week, already felt and looked LEAGUES BETTER than "Inhumans". So I'm inclined to believe the good buzz might be true after all...

Netflix

Marvel's "The Defenders" burnt me out sooo bad, that I've pretty much lost any interest to see more Marvel Netflix series. Not just me though, because as it turns out, the crossover mini-series is also the lowest rating and/or least viewed of the entire Netflix Universe so far. GREAT GOODNESS!!! Regardless of the reason behind this result, a clear fatigue for a cookie-cutter Marvel TV show can easily be felt.

That's where Jon Bernthal's Marvel's "The Punisher" turned the table and broke the wall instead. Literally. The brutal and violent Rambo-esque official teaser, which was followed by a full trailer later on, seemed to be changing people's negative perception about the Netflix Universe. But is it a good indication that the series itself will be as good? Not really. If there's one positive thing I could openly praise about all Marvel Netflix series, is that they all have GREAT trailers. However, a great trailer doesn't immediately assure a great show, as proven by Marvel's "Luke Cage", Marvel's "Iron Fist", and Marvel's "The Defenders".

I admit, this was indeed a good trailer for Frank Castle's solo story. But did I like it as much as every other people? NOPE. I think it looked okay, and well... I'm still giving this show a pass. I have an odd tinkling feeling that it's going to end up as another carbon-copy of the previous shows. That it will also be a few episodes too long... but with amped-up violence to compensate. Of course, don't let this get you down, because what might not work for me, could very well be your treasure. One thing for sure, the series will be arriving pretty soon (if not November, probably earlier). So we'll definitely be reading the first reactions to it in the coming weeks.

Meanwhile, the 4th season of "Voltron Legendary Defenders" is set for October 13th debut. You can even already watch the official trailer, that teases more action for both Prince Lotor and Princess Allura. It's unclear how many episodes we'll be getting though. If I had to guess, we'll probably get around 6 to 7, just like what happened to Season 3. After all, there's a possibility that both Seasons were initially intended to be one.

DC Television

I actually don't know where to put this, but since "Watchmen" is part of DC's property, I'll put it here instead. Forget about that Zack Snyder movie! Damon Lindelof is set to produce a new TV series adaptation for HBO. The network has ordered a pilot script from him (who announced it himself), so things are definitely moving forward. I'm personally not looking forward to this, as much as I disliked the Snyder's movie. But I can already sense the divide between the avid fans who are rejoicing, and the other side who thinks this is a bad idea. I have no right to give an opinion here, so let's just see how this pans out, okay!

Super Sentai

Trademark for the 2018 Super Sentai series has been registered on September 25th, and suffice to say, it brought its own twist to the fanbase. Contrary to previous rumor about fairy-tale time traveler, TOEI submitted not one, but TWO titles at the same time: "Keisatsu Sentai Patoranger", and "Kaitou Sentai Lupinranger". Nope, this wasn't April's Fool prank or a baseless rumor, because these copyrights are REAL.

There aren't any details about the two titles yet, so many fans and Tokusatsu enthusiasts have been talking and speculating about what this means. Does this mean, we will have two separate shows on the same year, perhaps separated as 25 episodes each? Could it be, one of them is the full yearly show, while the other one is a Web-Series or some sort, much like how "Kamen Rider Amazons" worked for Amazon Japan? There's also another possibility, in that both of them are part of one show. Which makes super sense, because the obvious titles alone pretty much work to 'rival' each other: Police Taskforce and Phantom Thief Squad. Get it? It's the game of cat and mouse between cops and thieves. Something like what would happen if "Persona 4" and "Persona 5" has a crossover.

Recent rumor claimed, that the two teams will indeed be regarded as the 42nd Sentai teams. Patoranger is rumored to consist of Red, Black, and White members, while Lupinranger will be Gold, Silver, and Bronze. They will start out as separate shows that will supposedly air alternately week after week, but when both shows reach episode 20, they will eventually become one solidified story. Not only that, one Lupinranger member is said to be a Patoranger spy (with Red being the most possible candidate), thus serving as the catalyst to combine both teams into one. This means the two shows will exist/intersect in the same world, so crossovers between both titles should be expected to happen more often than later on the 4th quarter.

Again, this idea makes good sense, that it's not even a surprise for me. TOEI has been doing the Versus Movies on a yearly basis ever since "Chouriki Sentai Ohranger vs Ninja Sentai Kakuranger", so this would only be their way to turn that concept into a full-blown series. This year's "Uchu Sentai Kyuranger" has even implemented this twist, by breaking its 12-members team into two units in its latest parallel arcs. Besides, don't forget one thing! TOEI seems to show high interest with what's happening in US entertainment business. And what's the current rage in Hollywood? Cinematic Universe, like the one famously built by Marvel Studios. Think of it this way, Patoranger and Lupinranger would be their own separate thing, similar to the Marvel Netflix series, or the CW "Arrow"-verse shows. But somewhere along the line, they team up into one crossover, as proven by Marvel's "The Defenders". It's highly likely, TOEI is intent on trying out this route as well, which could be a good or bad thing. Ignoring the fact that "Kaizoku Sentai Go-kaiger" have already, and very successfully I might add, served as a giant crossover show on its own.

To be honest, I've never been a fan of a Police-themed Sentai series. But this report definitely intrigued me to the core. If it is indeed valid, then I would totally check it out. It's an arguably brave and risky albeit not entirely new (remember the Versus Movies!) concept, so I'm dying to see if TOEI can pull it off. I think if TOEI is able to give both shows their own different tone, it would be even much better. I'm sure we'll be hearing more information about these shows pretty soon, so let's just wait and see...

ARIKA

It's a little baffling to think that ARIKA still hasn't made up their mind about their "Mysterious Fighting" game. Why? Because they showed up in Tokyo Game Show 2017, and actually released a new trailer for the event. Hmmmmm. Not long after, the company also expanded the game's roster with a returning fighter, in Doctrine Dark. At this point, I'm pretty sure EVERY original character from "Street Fighter EX" would be included... so why not just call the game, "EX Fighters" or some sort? *sigh*

Pocket Monsters

The Pokemon Company released a new trailer for "Pokemon Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon" last week, and well... it offered some of its new content. Aside from confirming that the cover Pokemon is none other than 'Ultra Beast' Necrozma in his Dusk Mane/Dusk Wings forms (it's unclear how it will possess the powers to resemble Solgaleo or Lunala), several mini games like "Mantine Surf" and "Alola Photo Club" have been added to the game. Characters like Hau, Lillie, and the Trial Captains are confirmed to be returning. In the case of the last, some will even be bringing new Island Challenges. You can read the details on Gematsu. Both games will be launched worldwide on November 17th, 2017.

Dynasty Warriors

KOEI Tecmo was present at the Tokyo Game Show 2017, and of course they delivered a new trailer for "Dynasty Warriors 9" while confirming that it will be released in early 2018. So far, this new iteration has been creating conflicting reactions from the franchise's fanbase. Many, including yours truly, is feeling rather mixed about the game in general. Mainly due to the redesign and additional changes (weapons, costumes) given to the returning characters. While it's commendable that the game is trying to be more realistic and historically accurate, unfortunately, it comes at the expense of some of the title's bizarre but fun elements. On the bright side, the open world concept is still an intriguing aspect that I would totally love to try out. Even if to see whether KOEI Tecmo can pull it off or not. LOL.

#Random-News-Digest #random thoughts #news #movie #anime #tomb raider #coco #star wars #hellboy #dc #Wonder Woman #new mutants #venom #Marvel Studios #Avengers #thor: ragnarok #TV show #The Inhumans #runaways #netflix #the punisher #voltron legendary defenders #SuperSentai #game #pokemon ultra sun #pokemon ultra moon #dynasty warriors

[fucking-nachos]

From Farm To Fork

Disney has by no means been one to restrict its ambitions, and there's no higher proof of this than Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee's Frozen - the studio's newest fairytale characteristic. And it is third time another charm as Frozen confirms his expertise for creating likeable characters and placing them - and the viewers - through the wringer, generating the kind of suspense his inspirations John Landis and John Carpenter can now solely dream of. Actually, essentially the most disappointing aspect of the entire affair is the Oscar-nominated Mickey Mouse brief, Get a Horse” which is available on the release and accompanied the film in theaters. In order for you a great movie for the entire household, please move on to Khumba or Balto or Rio. For the horror fan boys and girls, you will enjoy the cameos by Adam Inexperienced, Joe Lynch, and Kane Hodder. When Kristoff protests that Anna is fortunately engaged, the Trolls blank him so arduous the animators don't have to draw any surroundings for the remainder of the film. SPOILER Whereas not an ideal allegory, Elsa strikes Anna in the head within the opening sequences of this movie. Frozen Fever already launched a new look for Elsa and Anna, so count on another one completely for Frozen 2. I've written and re-written this review several times now, each time attempting to precisely convey my ideas on Disney's ice-certain flick, though these ideas aren't all that clear and my muddled mind appears intent on making this task more durable than it ought. FROZEN is a somewhat tedious thriller about three college buddies who find themselves trapped on a ski chair elevate with the resort shutting down, leaving them to frostbite and wolves. In case your a horror or psychological thriller fan then this a film which must be on your want listing. I jumped straight to the rating as I don't need anything spoilt because I will in all probability watch it quickly.

It is not an awesome start to a evaluate however I honestly think Frozen is a hugely artistic horror thriller, when director Adam Inexperienced was shooting it I bet there wasn't a single angle shot within the compressed surroundings through which the story is set that he didn't capture on digicam. Positively the most effective YouTube videos to return out of 2014, a genius dog proprietor determined to decorate his devoted hound up as a mutant spider and unleash it on the unsuspecting residents of… wherever it's he lives. I loved the film and while I wouldn't name it the finest Disney animated movie, I would nonetheless say it deserves the love and attention it will get, mainly because of it is awesome soundtrack. Disney has already mapped out its schedules for 2017 and 2018 (initiatives including life-action versions of Magnificence and the Beast and Mulan, animated originals Coco and Gigantic, and sequels to Wreck-It Ralph, Cars and The Incredibles), and Frozen 2 ain't on 'em. My dissatisfaction with the movie revolves on its reasonably meager sisterhood story. Sugar acts like a natural antifreeze of their our bodies, allowing them to spend the winter frozen after which resume function in the spring. Overall, it is a one note premise, where the characters, caught up on a elevate, have nowhere to go and quite fittingly the movie in turn, goes nowhere. Epcot guests can add a cease in Arendelle as of June 21.

That's the day the Frozen Ever After journey will open, Walt Disney World announced. On the one hand, the movie shares many typical story parts with other Disney movies. The movie showed off Disney's would possibly as an animation maestro, and sales of Frozen merchandise will clearly fill Disney's coffers. This took some time, but it surely appears I've lastly discovered the weird trigger: The issue apparently happens solely when watching 1080p and / or 60FPS movies. Frozen is the perfect vacation film for all the family and is launched at the excellent time of the yr to coincide with winter within the Northern Hemisphere and give the Southern Hemisphere a style of winter over the holiday break. What a merciless joke if you happen to ask your child in the event that they need to watch Frozen and this performs. For me, it is still a reasonably good film for little girls, and adults who just want just a little bit of fun.