#this was inspired by the fact that the Death Note Light and L original japanese voice actors are Saguru's second voice actor

[kaitoukye]

Kaito finds a Death Note.

Its dropped outside his school as if its waiting for him, and he picks it up thinking its a silly joke. Maybe he can use it as a prank later? He doesn't use it, doesn't even test it. Its a joke so why should he? He has a KID heist to attend. When he faces off Snake that night his mind briefly flashes to the notebook in his desk. He brushes it off but the thought lingers. If anyone deserves to die its the man who killed his father. (His father is alive but he doesn't know that) That night, tired and exhausted from the heist, he pulls out the notebook and studies the rules more. It still seems ridiculous. With just someone's name and face he could kill them? Was he even that sort of guy? Very elaborate for a prank. He puts it away for the night, but the rules trace the edges of his dreams.

The very next day there's a hostage situation at a daycare, and the notebook is in Kaito's hands even on just a small hope he can do more then gape at the television.

It will just be the one time, he swears. (Later on he'll think Hakuba has caught on that he's killing more and more people, cornering him after school. He expects the bastard to try to arrest him. Instead Saguru shoves a second notebook into his hands with an awkward smile) (Even later, Shinichi will think that the death rate in the area is just a bit too high even for the exaggerated world they live in, and begin an investigation)

#death note #dcmk #magic kaito #kaito kuroba #hakuba saguru #kudo shinichi #I'm not writing this out as a full story because this fandom has slighted me #but I needed it out of my head #mini fiction #this was inspired by the fact that the Death Note Light and L original japanese voice actors are Saguru's second voice actor #and Kaito and Shinichi's voice actor #Saguru is more second kira material though despite sharing a voice actor with Light #sagukai #they would create a new world together if they can stop getting into fist fights #Ka*shin fans don't touch

[yeahfoxesforever-blog]

American Death Note

It’s. So. Bad.

It’s worse than the American Dragon Ball.

Let me list for you, all the ways that it is bad. Spoilers, obviously.

Characters

By the way, I know these original/american screenshots I’m doing already exist, but I’m using screenshots from the actual movie - not of the actors from other non-movie sources.

Light

In the original, Light’s primary characteristic, the pillar of his character, is JUSTICE. He wants a world filled with only kind, honest people. He is inspired by his father, and they have a mutual respect for each other. He genuinely has no interest in money or romance at all - making the world a better place, before and after the Death Note, is the pillar of his character.

In this new one, Light is a CHEATER, a horn dog, and is drama-time with his dad. The very first scene of him is doing someone else’s math homework for money. Simultaneously, he’s watching girl’s cheerleading practice because he’s in love with one of the cheer leaders. He is basically the opposite of himself in that very first scene. He has a terrible home life - he has no sister, his mother was killed in a car wreck, and he and his dad constantly fight. Oh, and he has blond highlights. WTF?

Mi(s)a

Much like Light, Mi(s)a is basically the opposite of herself. In the original, Misa is absolutely in love with Light and she’ll do anything for him. She cut her life in half for him - twice. She cares about Light’s mission because her family was killed by an un-punished criminal, until Light punished him. She’s adorable, a model, and gothic lolita.

Mia, however, is a cheerleader (?!), dark hair instead of blond, has NO backstory at all, and doesn’t appear to genuinely love Light at all. She writes Lights name in the Death Note to make HIM give it to HER. Misa would never do that! In fact, Mia is more like Light, and Light is more like Misa in this version!

L

In the original, L (and also Watari) are English. He is always collected and he doesn’t FIGHT people, he outsmarts them. Traps them by their own actions. Many people rooted for him over the main character, Light. Although I was a Light supporter, I really enjoyed the Japanese live-action movies where L was the winner. I also read L: Change the World and enjoyed it. He is genuinely an awesome character.

In this one, we’re lead to believe he’s smart, but we don’t see that many smart actions from him. He has deductions that, in this story, make no sense. More than anything, the scene where he learns Watari is dead and snaps, steals a gun and a police car, and goes running to kill Light, is completely ridiculous. L would not do that. Also what’s with their clothes? The original L is always dressed in jeans and a white long-sleeved shirt. But American L looks like he’s going as a Ninja for Halloween and couldn’t get his mom to buy him a costume.

Others

Ryuk isn’t a big player in this movie, but he wasn’t done well, either. Like pretty much all the others, his motivations are wrong. In the original, he drops it in the human world randomly because he’s bored. That’s it. In this one, he deliberately drops it for Light, although I don’t think it’s ever explained why, and later he says Light could give it to someone else “or better yet, give it back to me.” If you wanted it back, why did you give it to Light in the first place...? Also, he’s flying around spreading the Death Note all over the human world. Light is NOT the first (human) owner of the Note.

I basically already complained about Soichiro (/James) - we’re lead to believe that he and Light fight constantly, which is not their character. I appreciate that they tried to include his weakness of adhering to the law 100%, where Light disagrees with that. Maybe they were trying too hard to make you notice that characteristic, that it completely took over everything else? Soichiro’s wife was killed in a car wreck, but the law couldn’t bring the killer to justice. He’s sad, but it doesn’t eat him up because the law is the law. But Light won’t stand for that.

I liked that Watari was Japanese, but why wasn’t L? In the original, L and Watari were both English, while Light and Misa were Japanese. So in this one, Light and Misa are American, so Watari was made Japanese. That’s fun, but if we’re doing that, then why isn’t L also made Japanese?

Death Note

I’m including the Note as a character because it is also very different. The original only had a few rules - 12, I think? But this one has ninety-six. In the original, anyone that touched the Note could see Ryuk. Not this time. The name written with no cause of death is a heart attack. This time it’s “dealer’s choice” (being Ryuk for some reason??). This one’s from out of left field: a person’s name can be written, be controlled for 2 days, then the page can be burned and the person will live. But you can only burn a page once! Oh, and names written in the Death Note don’t necessarily die. There are two idiotic scenes, where Light is reading what was already written in the Note (because it came with stuff written in it from other humans....), and he notices a line “Don’t trust Ryuk”. Layer, Ryuk says anyone that’s tried to write his name in the book has only gotten as far as two letters. Well, no, your name is in there. You should be dead. From what I recall in the original, a Shinigami can’t be killed by having his name written, anyway. But here, Ryuk leads us to believe that he can. But his name is in it. So he’s not. But he should be based on this movie’s rules.

Wrong

I’m basically going to just do bullet points here of all of the that-wouldn’t-happens or contradictions from this movie. They’re roughly in order.

Light Cheats

As stated earlier, Light wants a world free from dishonest people and has no care at all for money. So he would never sell others homework. This is purely ridiculous.

Light loves Mia

No. As I mentioned above, Light’s motivation is Justice, not romance. Originally, Misa came to him because she was given her own note by Rem, she took the Shinigami eyes, and was able to find him. He kept her around because she was useful. This Light has the notebook, and TELLS MIA ABOUT IT. Just because he likes her and thinks it’ll make her like him. NO. That’s too risky. Light would never do that.

Mia is a Cheerleader

Misa is an honest, adorable gothic lolita model. Not a cheerleader. I wonder if this was done to American-ize it. Cheerleaders are the ideal female in American high schools and in American movies/tv shows, so we won’t be able to identify unless she’s a cheerleader. But she wasn’t even blond, which is the stereotype. So why are they half-stereotyping here?

Mia smokes during cheerleading practice

This one is more of a hit on movies that portray american schools, but in what school can a teenager smoke in the middle of practice and a teacher isn’t going to immediately run out and expel her?!

Mia is boring

Misa is supposed to be so fun, and cute, and dressed adorably, and have energy, and everyone loves her (eh, except Light). She stands out. Mia is generi-american-high-schooler. She’s nobody.

Light gets in a fight for Mia

Mia tries to stop some students from bullying another student, so they push her. Then Light interferes and gets punched. There was even a scene like this in the first episode of the anime where a student is being bullied for money and Light doesn’t care to interfere.

Light gets Detention

I mean, WTF. In the original, he’s the smartest student in Japan. He’s not getting detention!

Light panics when Ryuk appears

Ryuk starts coming at him like a freaking ghost, knocking over shelves and tables and blowing paper all over the classroom. Meanwhile, Light is hidden under the teacher’s desk and screaming. Originally, Ryuk just appears, Light screams, and then says “oh hey, I was expecting something like this” and is calm as a cucumber.

Ryuk makes Light use the Note

No. Light is supposed to find the Note, and gives it a test just to see. Then he goes on the crusade - solo. But here, Ryuk has to explain that it’s real, even tells him to specifically kill Kenny (I think that was the name?), and seriously has to pressure him into using it.

Light and his dad fight

I think this phenomenon has two motivations: 1) Americanize. All teenagers fight with their parents, duh. We can’t identify with Light unless he thinks his dad is soo stupid. 2) To highlight what Light perceives as a weakness in his dad’s version of Justice. His wife’s killer got away, and there’s nothing he can do about it. Light wants to do something about it. Still, ridiculous.

Light kills someone on the local news

Because Light is so in love with Mia, he wants to prove to her that the Note works. So he goes to the computer, searches live crime scene, pulls up a newsfeed ON THE INTERNET of a hostage situation, and kills the suspect. In the original, this scene took place in Light’s bedroom, and he was watching the news on his T.V., which was only broadcast locally. This is how L is able to suspect Kira is located within that district. In this one, he’s watching this ON THE INTERNET. WHERE ALL THE OTHER PEOPLE ON THE INTERNET CAN ALSO WATCH IT. Yet L still claims he must be local to Seattle because of it. That makes no sense in this context and is a ridiculous deduction.

Light comes up with the name Kira

Originally, the people came up with the name Kira, which is the Japanese pronunciation of the English word, Killer. But in this one, Light comes up with it himself in a method so ridiculous, I have to post the screen caps

BECAUSE NO ONE KNOWS LANGUAGES FROM OTHER CONTINENTS SO SNEAKY.

L makes the deduction that he needs a name and a face

I don’t remember specifically how he came up with this in the original. But I do remember he had the press conference with a criminal, pretending to be L, with the criminal’s name and face visible. He dared Kira to kill him, which he did. This confirmed Kira could kill from afar and was watching. Then the real L came on voice-over and dared Kira to kill him. But he couldn’t. This confirmed Kira needed a name and face. Oh, and it was only broadcast to a local region in Japan, so it also confirmed the region in which he lived. Triple-wammy, you’re amazing L!

But in this one... it isn’t clear how he comes up with the name/face theory. HE goes onto television, with his face partially covered (the screenshot of L above), and dares Kira to kill him. But he doesn’t. So ha ha - you need a name and face! But....that proves NOTHING. He hasn’t proved that Kira can kill from afar. He hasn’t proved that Kira is even watching. He also didn’t prove that Kira was local because everything is broadcast on the internet, anyway. So this deduction makes no sense in this context.

Light won’t kill his dad

You may recall from the original, that Light actually did kill Soichiro. James goes on T.V., with his name and face visible. MIA wants to kill James because he’s taunting Kira. But LIGHT won’t let her. This is backwards.

Light must be Kira because he didn’t kill his dad

L has not proved that Kira can kill from afar, or what the rules are, or that he’s even watching, so this isn’t a valid deduction.

Death of the FBI Agents

This was an amazingly clever set up in the original. In this one, Light doesn’t want to kill them. So Mia walks up behind one of them in a parking garage, tazers him, and tells him to write the other agent’s names. And he does. So clever.

Writing Watari works

No, it freaking doesn’t. First, Watari wouldn’t have shown his face on T.V. like he did. So that alone wouldn’t happen. Second, you need a name. A nickname doesn’t work. Even if Watari WAS his real name, Light doesn’t have his last name. So he still couldn’t write him in the Note and have it take effect.

Light has Watari call him using their own cell phones

Okay, seriously, you guys? Light is supposed to be a genius. L is also a genius. You’re telling me, that Light would have Watari, who is about to go missing, use his own cell phone, to call Light, on his own cell phone? And he wouldn’t think that MAYBE that’s traceable? You’re also going to tell me that when Watari goes missing, L wouldn’t have thought to trace his cell phone? That is absolutely insane. This might be the most idiotic thing in the whole movie.

Light confirms he’s Kira to L

There’s a scene where L finds Light in a cafe and accuses him of being Kira. Light’s response is basically “No, I’m not - okay, yeah I am. You can’t prove it, though”. Again, would. not. happen.

Here’s a series of quotes from the conversation from Light. He suggests to L that maybe “they” (Kira) is as ready to see the killing end as L is.

The suggests L should start helping Kira instead of hunting him.

L says criminals will beg when they’re caught for a deal. Light replies he isn’t begging, but telling L that he doesn’t understand his motivation.

Then L says “you flew too close to the sun, I’m just here to make sure you burn” and Light replies “Well, if that’s how it has to be”. Basically saying “okay, you’re on.” You don’t do that if you aren’t the one he’s trying to catch!! The whole conversation is just ridiculous.

L races off to murder Light

When L is told that Watari was killed, he steals a gun and a police car, and goes on a rampage to murder Light. This goes against what L stands for - he needs proof and makes people reveal themselves. Which he even says in the conversation I mention above. But no, he goes off on a rampage. Maybe this is American-ized again. You can’t have a climax without action. And action means someone with a gun chasing someone without a gun!

Mia and Light go to a dance

THEY ARE NOT INTERESTED IN ATTENDING A DANCE. I think this is an American-ized thing again. Americans can’t understand a story that takes place in high school unless they go to the dance that everyone cares about!

Look at us being sassy teenagers - tee hee we’re so cool!

Mia screws up Light’s plan

Light wrote Watari’s name, intending to burn the page if he didn’t provide him with L’s real name before his death time came up. But Mia wanted to make Light give her the notebook with the same threat, and since you can only burn one page (which the rules on this aren’t explained - is it one page per writer or one per Note? Because it seems to be neither), then Watari’s can’t be burned, so she steals it. Misa loves Light, and does everything he tells her, to the letter.

What is with that Burn rule?

We’re told that you can write a person’s name to control him using the Note, then burn the page. The person still will have done those actions, but he won’t die. But you can only burn one page. So here’s where my problem is. If it’s that one page per book can be burned, and we KNOW that Light isn’t the first owner, then why would he bank on this? That one page may have already been used. So that implies that it’s one page per owner. But that contradicts the plot above. If Light writes Watari’s name, then burns the page, Watari lives. Then if Mia writes Light’s name, then burns the page, Light will also live because it was not only written by two different people, but would also be owned by two different people when the burning takes place. So I feel like that wasn’t thoroughly thought-out

Light freaks out and gives up his plan

When L is chasing down Light, he corners him, and Light shouts out this ramble:

Light would never shout out such an obvious clue. Especially given what we know about his plan. Namely that he has no plan to kill L, and the calculus book with the page in it still exists and he won’t be there to protect it.

So, I think this comes from the final scene in the original where Light thinks he’s won, confirms that he’s Kira, and then finds out he didn’t win. The problem is that in this version, Light doesn’t think he’s won yet. He could very well be shot right then and there by L. Additionally, he’s just babbling from panic - he’s not being taken down by his own hubris. So if this is supposed to be a translation of that scene, it’s a poor one.

Light kills Mia

This one is more confusing than anything. In the beginning, Light loves Mia. He eventually discovers that she just wants the Note, so he decides to kill her and comes up with this clever-ish plan, which mostly works. I guess the confusing part is the final conversation between them where Mia takes the Note, which we already know she wants to do, but she knows that means he wrote her name in it. But he says he didn’t think it would work because he thought she loved him. But he already knows that writing the name down in the Note will mean that person dies and will do things he wouldn’t ordinarily do (as already proved with Watari trying to oust L’s identity). With the flashback explanation later, we’re lead to believe this part was totally planned out. Maybe this is meant to make him more cold-hearted, basically Mia’s killing takes the place of Soichiro’s.

A newspaper clipping proves Light is Kira

James finds a newspaper clipping about his wife’s killer in Light’s room. That newspaper clipping was supposed to be in HIS room! And the wife’s killer died. Therefore, Light is Kira. Makes. No. Sense. He’s telling me that there’s no way Light could possibly keep newspaper articles on a subject he’s interested in? Or that he could have pulled it out to read after he heard the killer had died? You’re telling me that if someone in my community dies, and my computer shows I recently read an article about that person, that I must be the killer? There is literally no connection there.

I think the big downfall, for me, is that they tried to Americanize it. And American media about high school is complete garbage. Not everyone is in love with the cheerleader. Not all parents and teenagers fight. Not all teenagers like thinking they’re bad and flipping off the camera. Not all boys just want the girl. Not all teenagers are obsessed with dances. We don’t constantly need popular songs playing to be reminded to pay attention. I don’t know if I’m being harsh because I generally don’t like American media about high school or if it’s because I’ve seen the original and was so drastically disappointed by it. I actually thought the American DragonBall was kind of fun. It was different, but clearly did have some influence from Toriyama. But in the American Death Note, the characters are completely wrong, the style is completely wrong, and the plot genuinely makes no sense. The original is about the two being so clever and constantly trying to out-smart the other. But this one has huge plot holes such that they BROKE how it used to make sense.

If you’re a big Death Note fan and really want to watch this, here’s my suggestion: get a group of other Death Note fans together, get some vodka and shot glasses, and make it a drinking game. Have the video easily pausible to take a drink and shout at the T.V. and be mad together. If you can’t watch it this way, don’t watch it at all.

#american death note #whyislightmisa #whyismisalight

[bronsonthurman]

Review: Netflix’s Death Note

Recently Netflix released its version of Death Note, one of several anime adaptations in the works by major American studio. While it credits the Weekly Shonen Jump manga series as its source, it likely benefits far more from awareness of the 2006 anime adaptation. American viewers of that series surely featured prominently in the calculus of producing this movie, providing a ready made market. Unfortunately this movie is a vapid attempt to exploit the premise as American teen horror and just looks that much worse for its comparison to the unique psychological thriller that was the anime.

Aside from the requisite spoiler alert, I would advise readers who haven’t seen either of these productions to immediately watch the anime. The Netflix adaptation will spoil its surprises without delivering any rewards. The anime is only 37 episodes in self-contained entirely and though it occasionally detours into the ridiculous and convoluted, as anime is wont to do, its characters and plot are fresh, engaging, and thought provoking..

If it were not for the superior source material the movie might have seemed like just more mediocre teen targeted commercialism instead of an outright dumpster fire. Protagonist Light Turner (Nat Wolff) is a troubled, brilliant teen making extra cash by selling homework and creepily staring--oops, I mean longing for--beautiful cheerleader Mia Sutton (Margaret Qualley). We are supposed to believe he is good at heart because he tries to defend her against a generic male bully, but the audience can’t help but notice he only gets involved after she has the courage to intervene; Light butts in with an outburst of machismo he tries to back up by being a ineffectual smart ass. All in all the introduction brings to mind school shooting tragedies in a manner that only adds ick, not substance. It preps the viewer to feel wary of what they’ve gotten into, and rightfully so.

Into the hands of this unfortunate protagonist falls the titular premise, the Death Note, really a Death Notebook wherein owners can write names, dates, and manners of death for people they wish to kill. Hot on its heels Light is visited by the prickly, hunched demon Ryuk, who is served well by darkly lit computer animation and proves that Willem Dafoe is enjoyable even when he’s taking it easy, if not exactly just phoning it in. Ryuk serves as an unpersuasive argument that the devil made Light do it. Luckily for the viewer there is only one bully ready to be a target of Light’s wrath, who is decapitated gruesomely. The two-dimensional cruelty presented as justification does nothing to avoid the disturbing appearance of a shitty person in desperate need of psychological help getting bloodily murdered instead.

In better hands Death Note could have been a shocking and significant co-option of the property to explore a decent-at-heart kid pushed to the edge of good and evil by youthful callousness and falling into an abyss of high school violence. Director Adam Windgard, perhaps recognizing his own limitations, giving us instead exactly what we should expect from a director of mediocre horror like the Blair Witch reboot, V/H/S, and You’re Next: more flimsy, forgettable horror. Windgard tries to make Death Note into Final Destination with a few improbable and modestly gory set pieces, strung together with music videos with terrible soundtracks, in between trying to establish conflict between mysterious FBI consultant L and a cringe inducing loser-gets-the-girl teen romance. Sad to say this sub-plot’s only redeeming quality is being perfunctory and it only gets worse when Mia’s motives take a sinister turn.

There is a meaningful discussion overdue on female capacity for vengeful judgmentalness, violence by proxy, and vileness typically relegated to men. These subjects are hinted at, but this film is no place for something so nuanced, so the betrayals and come uppance we are subjected to feel like the cinematic equivalent of a basic bro screaming “that’s what you get bitch!” Whether coming from the screenplay by Charley and Vlas Parlapanides or from director Wingard one of them should have realized how it would reflect on the men behind the film. It just feels gross.

Efforts to weave plots around the endless rules included in the Death Note may appeal to some devoted hobbyist geeks, but even a casual hobbyist geek like me was underwhelmed. The only respite comes from the fact that Dafoe has a great voice and Lakeith Stanfield gives a competent performance as L that seems aware of what made the anime equivalent of his character interesting. Mentioning the acting in this movie feels spiteful--the actors are hardly to blame, going through motions as they were surely expected and giving basically the appropriate emotional cues to support the dialog, such as it is. That Qualley’s flat performance as Mia seemed fitting is not so much a complement to her, but rather another strike for the subtle stink of chauvinism exuded by her role and plots.

Eventually there are confrontations, a chase action sequence that doesn’t contribute anything or know when to quit, something like a climax, and an attempt at a twist ending. Attempts to redeem Light Turner ring hollow and false. None of it matters or convinces, none of it draws the viewer in. Even the guilty pleasure of really tearing apart something awful wouldn’t have kept the movie on for its full running time if I weren’t penning an article--I walked away only minutes in before deciding I couldn’t suitably insult it if I hadn’t sat through it all.

The degree of animosity here is not entirely due to the film in isolation. Alone it wouldn’t merit a full viewing and I would have left feeling mildly resentful that I had wasted 15 minutes on a teen horror movie that really was intended for teens. It speaks to its target audience in a cynical, exploitative way, not in a Buffy-the-Vampire-Slayer-will-appeal-to-your-inner-adolescent way. Sometimes that’s still passable, pressing the intended viewer’s buttons just how they want them to be pressed by a particular genre. But this movie takes deeply interesting source material and uses it to compel me and countless others to sit through it for 101 minutes. That it was free with my subscription makes it worse, not better, because if I had to pay for a theater ticket to see it, I wouldn’t have, just as I didn’t see Ghost in the Shell, an adaptation of a franchise I am much more personally attached to. This pops up on Netflix as if to say “you liked Death Note, right? We have more Death Note for you,” only to insult me by abusing its source so badly.

This is the cause of angry reddits, comment section tirades, bad user reviews, and poor returns. Hollywood doesn’t understand the genre. Whitewashing it a big part of it; stories are products of cultures, infused with those experiences and values. Its not just the race of the actor that matters, though racism under the guise as marketability is truly an ugly reality that deprives many fine actors of work and us of their performances. In the case of anime adaptations the whole story is being whitewashed to force it to fit Hollywood’s limited realm of cinematic experience. This robs of us of fine stories that are highly original, at least from our cultural norm.

This adaptation robs us of Light Yagami, a model Japanese youth with a bright future ahead of him, diligent, conscientious of his responsibilities in a distinctly Asian way. When this fine young man becomes convinced that he should use the Death Note to make the world better by eliminating criminals, we believe him, at least at first. He matches wits against his opposite, the misanthropic but just L, sacrificing his rationales of justness bit by bit along the way. The audience takes a gripping psychological trip to the realization that our protagonist is the villain. His crazy girlfriend isn’t just a bitch, she’s an outright obsessive who is perversely the subject of obsession herself as a teen idol. The police are bastions of mundanity, trying to bring sanity back to a world split by public knowledge that this grim god of vengeance exists. The chase alternates between methodical procedure and inspired drama. The series is anything but a formulaic rehash of a genre which American audiences already have in excess.

Ultimately that’s all Netflix’s Death Note is. It adds nothing, and it sacrifices much. It wastes the viewers time and insults fans drawn in by the licensed property. It subjects the viewer to some of the tackiest songs I’ve ever heard in a soundtrack. It’s sure to disappear from Netflix suggestions soon, in line with their strategy of producing as many things as possible by scatter shot and just being quiet about the failures. Don’t bother searching for it.

#film review #netflix #anime #critique

[imdrunkandreviewingshit-blog]

Drunk Rant: Death Note

(Disclaimer: This review was recorded verbally, then transcribed. Drunk Idiot Reviews felt the need to revise much of the review for clarity’s sake, but the spirit and much of the language is kept intact.)

SPOILERS ABOUND

On Sunday night, I sat down with my good buddies on the various couches in front of the television. We mixed lemonade, vodka, and limoncello, because we are broke young adults who need to find simple ways to get drunk. And once I was at least seven or eight drinks in, we decided to watch Death Note.

Death Note is the latest original Netflix film, directed by Adam Wingard and starring Nat Wolff, Lakeith Stanfield, Margaret Qualley, and Willem Dafoe. This movie was released in 2017 on what I assume the 28th of August. The movie is an adaptation of a Japanese light novel and focuses on a young man who controls the fate of anyone that he writes the name of into a notebook, leading to their death. This is Netflix’s latest attempt to break into the film market, which they have succeeded in at multiple attempts with Beasts of No Nation and Okja. However, this latest attempt at an an original film, a well-marketed film, is a failure.

Holy shit, what is this movie?

Before I get into this, let me tell you that I’m a big fan of the original Death Note series. I love…no, I won’t say I love the series. I very much enjoy the first half of the original Death Note. The dynamic between Light and L, both of whom seek their own form of justice, was very intriguing to me and made me really fall in love with it. Even if there were certain questionable elements that come along with the territory of anime. This movie really fails to adapt anything I feel is intriguing or interesting about the series. I don’t generally like to compare adaptations to the source material, as I feel directors should be encouraged to create their own work with the source as inspiration, but I feel it’s imperative to do when the movie is just this bad of a misfire.

Let’s start with Nat Wolff’s Light. In the original series, Light is your perfect student. He’s smart, charming, handsome; everyone loves him. And that’s kinda what makes him interesting, right? He has it all but he has that narcissism inside him that makes him sure he knows what is best for the world. And then he gets something that allows him to shape the world in his image. And for that reason, you really fall in love with him, though he’s a shitty person. Then L comes in with his strong moral code, he’s a genius detective who also wants to catch all criminals in his way. He just does it in a much more acceptable fashion. And that’s personally why L is one of my favorite anime characters, but I don’t indulge too much in anime because anime is fucking trash (Drunk Idiot Reviews would like to remind readers that this is not purely the opinion of the author but is indeed a verified fact, yet the writer does still watch anime). In this film, Nat Wolff imbues Light with a complete sense of unlikability. Light is a dork, Light is ugly, Light doesn’t really stand up for the common man outside of one time in the beginning.. He starts off with a vendetta against the person who kills his mother, but as soon as Light kills the murderer, this motivation is quickly forgotten and unjustified. It’s simply not enough to make you care about his mission statement or believe his convictions. It seems—no, it doesn’t even seem, he IS an edgy child who feels like he has a better sense of justice because he is a “high thinking individual” or something. And you know what? I don’t even blame Nat Wolff for this. I don’t think Nat Wolff is a  good actor, I’ll be real, but the writing is what fails him. Light is an edgy teen who shops at Hot Topic two out of the seven days of the week, and he should be treated as such. He should not be sympathetic in any way, shape, or form, and it’s kinda disturbing to me that this movie feels like we should somehow be rooting for him. So when one of the main forces in the Light vs. L conflict is this bad, how can the film even hope to live up to its source?

That said, one of the standouts is Lakeith Stanfield’s L. Stanfield imbues him with an honest feeling of what he was in the source, a detective with a righteous sense of justice, but the script fails him again. His sense of justice isn’t incorruptible; he leaks the names of low level criminals as bait for Light, and the film actually leads you to believe that L is going to kill Light in a very poor cliffhanger. Now, Lakeith Stanfield is a great actor, he’s wonderful in Atlanta, and he’s good here, but it just doesn’t work.

The biggest problem with this movie, over the script, over the acting, over the fucking sophomoric cinematography that makes you feel like you’re about to topple over with the amount of Dutch angles, is the pacing. The pacing in this movie is breakneck and is so herky-jerky that you might get whiplash. The transitions from-- I mean, in the first fifteen minutes, Light is going from a regular student to killing massive amounts of people. There’s no moment of hesitation, there’s no sense of guilt, he just fucking embraces it.

Part of the reason he is so receptive to it is because it’s foreplay. It’s the relationship between Light and Mia, it’s that he’s trying to impress her, and it’s working. Mia is a sociopath that seems to get off on seeing people die. He wins her over and makes her fall in love with him by killing some bully in front of her. It’s just really fucking gross. I won’t say I was disgusted but it made me pity Light. He’s a fucking loser with no problems, he has a halfway decent life, but whines and feels like he’s disadvantaged. And you know what, there was a chance for this script to make everyone more sympathetic, but they try to shove in almost a whole season of the anime plus their own original shit into one 90 minute movie, and it’s just laughable to me. The tone is really strange too. It really felt the need to amp up the horror elements, but this wasn’t a story that needed it or ever delivered on even one scare. As such, the gore, the music, the shots, they all feel just like useless toppings on a shit cake.

I like Adam Wingard. Until the release of this movie, I was defending Wingard, I wasn’t put off by Blair Witch, but this is even worse. And now it makes me question Wingard’s ability outside of satirical movies. Death Note almost feels like he wanted to satirize the original film by putting it in a modern western context, giving us a more typical troubled protagonist, and maybe kind of highlighting how enamored we are with our own judgments, but the only joke here is his own movie. 

I will say there were a few positives to the movie. Willem Dafoe IS Ryuk. Willem Dafoe is Satan to me purely on a looks and acting basis, and he works so well here. Ryuk is much more of a tempter in this than in the original, but I dig this interpretation of him. The mix of practical effects and CGI makes him such an incredible presence on the screen, and he is almost always clinging to the shadows. There are plenty of scenes where you won’t even notice him until you see the eyes or some spiky shit in the background.  Let me tell you, I think it’s pretty damn beautiful.

But unfortunately, one and a half characters don’t redeem an entire cast of terrible performances. I really don’t want to see Netflix try to do anything else with this.

You know what? Death Note wrote its own name in the Death Note. And the time for its perish was August 25th at about 8:00 pm or whenever it came out. This thing was DOA. See it if you’re drunk and like the series, it’s worth laughing at Nat Wolff’s weird ass screaming. Otherwise, don’t waste your time.

#death note #netflix #nat wolff #lakeith stanfield #willem dafoe #light #L #movies #film #movie review #bad movies #adam wingard #drunk idiot reviews #drunk idiot #film review #reviews #rant #sorry for the rant

[thanapo]

My thoughts on Netflix’s Death Note

If you want an opinion on whether you should watch the movie or not: I DEFINITELY THINK YOU SHOULD. It’s a rare opportunity to experience it without any previous bias, and I think when you watch the anime/read the manga later on you will only appreciate it more. 

That being said I didn’t like the movie too much, and I’m going to be honest it’s probably because I’m a huge weeb and I’m never going to like any adaptation of Death Note as much as the original.

My main issue with the movie is that it isn’t really.. a psychological thriller. It’s an action drama with inspiration from a psychological thriller. The anime focused on the theme of justice and was about two geniuses maneuvering around each other like a bunch of mind ninjas. This movie was about some kids who get involved with a bunch of stuff without really knowing what’s going on and making mistakes and having to deal with the emotional consequences as a result. 

And this is half because of what parts of the story the movie focuses on. I thought it was interesting how Misa and Light Yagami’s personalities were basically switched in the characters of Mia and Light Turner. I don’t see a problem in this change, but because we see their relationship from Light’s perspective we’re seeing it as a teen drama instead of what it really is: Mia using Light to achieve her own ideal of justice. If we ever had seen the situation from her point of view I think it would have actually felt a lot more like the series of mind games and manipulations that we all know and love in the original anime.

And because Light isn’t the one doing the two-steps-ahead tango it means that there is no true opponent for L. He never suspects Mia, so even she can’t be a foil for him. When he confronts Light in the cafe Light gives himself away laughably easily. After that all that’s left is for L to do is be mad when Light kills Watari and because the movie only ever shows him being sincere about how he feels there is no element of unpredictability that maybe he’s just pulling our tails and he’s got a trick up his sleeve. 

To be clear: Light being the one that’s infatuated doesn’t fuck things up as long as Mia can pick up the plot slack. L being black or less stoic doesn’t fuck things up as long as we still get to see his plans screwing up Kira’s in unpredictable ways. Unfortunately we never get to see that. My guess is that the creators still wanted a semblance of the “Light vs L” rivalry but personally I would have preferred a “Mia vs L” rivalry. Light cannot simultaneously be relatable as the audience surrogate and also embroiled in a mental battle because otherwise the movie is rooting for Light’s ideology which isn’t the point. Either he must be the cold-hearted killer or if Mia is taking that role, she must take his place as L’s rival. Otherwise there is no “game”, and without that “game” the movie veers off into a different genre. 

There is also Ryuk. My feelings about him are…. mixed. While I think it was a better decision to mostly leave him out of the movie, I don’t think it was a good idea to have his appearances always be so demonic. He felt less like a bored god just observing and more like a reincarnation of satan that actively tried to cause pain which doesn’t mesh well with Death Note’s core themes of humanity causing themselves more pain than any Death God would ever bother to. 

Now, I’m not saying everything was all terrible, and I don’t like to end on a sour note. For the movie that it was I really enjoyed the acting (it was hard to follow the logic sometimes but they made it believable haha!), and I liked the thought put into how enviromental factors changes what we see as the greatest evils in America as opposed to Japan. 

Mainly, that the anime dealt with very the bad people of its time such as thugs, gangs, and corrupt officials and in Netflix’s movie Light and Mia dealt with the Bad People of their time. Human rights violators and wanted warlords/generals with a smattering of pedophiles and rapists. Which brings up the point of Light Turner not wanting to kill people from the internet- a very good point. Light Yagami isn’t shown to take “kill requests” either, but it isn’t something he thinks about. The fact that this movie addresses how different people in America might see evil is really great.

Also, I didn’t really get Light’s “join me” exclamation to L during the cafe scene but I DID very much enjoy it when L points out that Light killed 400 people and he might think he’s “misunderstood” but if he was another person he wouldn’t listen to that kind of excuse. It puts Light’s actions in an objective sort of lens and makes you think about what this guy actually did. 

The way the creators went about the naming of “Kira” was very appropriate as well. Maybe even more appropriate than in the anime/manga. I always thought it was a bit weird that the public in the anime actually deduced that a person was behind the mysterious heart attacks (instead of just thinking it was a medical problem or something.) It was very in-character for teens to come up with a cool name as a result of simultaneously wanting recognition as well as anonymity. Plus, the fact that they used Kira’s etymology as the inspiration to throw the FBI off-trail using Japanese was a moment that Light’s cleverness was actually shown to us as well as being a nice way to mention the origins of the Death Note franchise.

#Death Note #Netflix #anime #adaptation #Death Note Movie spoilers

[kollapsar]

what is this death note bullshit to come home and read about

like.

past the fucking white boy ass protagonist.

past that.

i honest to god don’t even believe that the main components of what made death note so damn great translate to an american version. without the cultural contexts of the japanese society there are scores of subtlety and mind games that literally just won’t happen in a western setting.

part of what made light a realistic and compelling villain-protagonist was the fact that he was a clean, attractive, smart young man, and a valuable citizen to a culture that strongly prioritizes keeping the harmony. that was compelling- his underlying sinister sentiments were highly subtle and artfully concealed. if anything (in the beginning anyway) he sought to crush the criminals undermining the harmony of his society and preserve order in the highest- lawful evil etc etc.

was light wasn’t was a walking counterculture symbol- if you had to translate him to a western context he’d be a kindly, popular prep school kid.

not a messy ass hoodie motherfucker.

like, come on- past the white protagonist shit- the fields were ripe with conceptual translation to try to keep some of the fundamental qualities there and create a startling social commentary that translated into our culture effectively. this just feels like grabbing a single aspect of the concept and literally running away from everything else into michael bay land.

and i know L was supposed to symbolize a subversive yet ingenious counterelement to light’s sinister lawful evil philosophy but being black is not visual shorthand for being alternative

stop that

stop that shit right now. this shit better really fucking come through on the diversity past what i’m seeing or i’m going to flip my shit.

(lowkey though, on the other hand there’s a lot of potential for representation in an eccentric genius being portrayed as black and i’m glad the actor gets a role for this and showtime as a hero-antagonist- a very cool role to be in- but i’m leery of a lot of the context surrounding this and knowing hollywoody writing the hero-antagonist/villain-protagonist parallels and nuances will get thrown out the fucking window.)

and if this was directed by the guy who did the new blair witch, lol i can’t say i’m inspired. as much as i liked that movie for some things, i highly doubt the directing style will apply to something as goddamn involved as the mind games that made death note what it was. most if not all of the action movie shit of that manga/anime occurred toward the end, and even then sparingly. and especially because i know the kind of bullshit that happens to creative freedom with directors on bigger-budget projects so even if he did try to innovate his hands would be tied

the point is if you gotta steal something, why not at least be a thorough shit and take the good parts instead of, like, jacking a single beam off the foundation and then running like hell. it’s an insult to our intelligence and to the original product to think that just taking a shallow aspect of the plot and calling it an effective adaptation w/o regard for any thematic translation will ‘make money’.

also please kill me bc the misa/light dynamic was far more restrained than any of the ‘bad cheerleader chick making out with you’ shit. if anything death note was powered by restraint and keeping a quick head to do complex chessmastering on the spot- blowing us away with their minds.

not looking like the kid who’s got no sleep or friends at school fucking making out against walls with cheerleaders and hanging off breaking ferris wheels like could america even do subtle if it tried

#it's time #i'm finally yelling about whitewashing #it's happening #personal #mostly yelling about the new trailer looking like some ridiculous action shit #i literally came home at 4 in the morning #only to see this on my fb feed and promptly rant like hell #like guys #i've been spammed with gits ads literally everywhere all day #please stop this disheartening ass bullshit #give my people a fucking starring role if you must steal our plots #and respect what made the source material so great

[furederiko]

I wanted to post this on an earlier date, but my internet has been acting up as usual. Anyway... here's the first Random-News-Digest of April!

Disney Live Action

Following Eva Green, Danny DeVito, and Colin Farrell, another actor has been courted (in talks, not officially cast) by Tim Burton to join his "Dumbo" adaptation. And just like DeVito, this time it's another "Batman" reunion in form of the Batman himself, Michael Keaton. I guess now we only need Michelle Pfeiffer to turn it into a full on unofficial reunion, huh?

Keaton, who will soon be seen showcasing his antagonistic persona as Spider-Man's villain in July, is said to be offered yet another antagonistic role for "Dumbo". Namely, "an asshole circus owner with a taste for exploiting elephants". Looks like, he might the one who will be playing Vandemere after all, and not Farrell as I've previously speculated. For now, there isn't any official announcement surrounding the movie, so we'll have to wait and see whether any of these actors would sign up or not.

As for "Mulan", looks like it will contain songs after all. Niki Caro talked to Cinema Blend, and stated that "The live-action is based on that inspirational Chinese ballad and on the animated Disney classic. We're still exploring the role that music's going to play in it, but for sure there will be music.". Caro cautioned though, that the project is "very much a fluid project" for the time being, so we won't be hearing any specific details about it soon. Especially because she's currently busy promoting "The Zookeeper's Wife". Her desire is to make sure that the culture of the movie and character will be reflected appropriately. Let's just hope that it will end up becoming a musical like "Beauty and the Beast", because well, if it's not, then I'll probably go back and re-watch the animated original instead. It just wouldn't feel the same without the iconic songs, right? It would just another Mulan adaptation, like those many others that have come before this. After all, one doesn't need a "Reflection" to know that, the animated version was already "A Girl Worth Fighting For"... ;D

Disney Animation

"Wreck-It Ralph" was a special animated movie for me, because it combined the magic of Disney with the charm of classic 8-bit video games. After his adventure with Vanellope von Schweetz ended in the first movie, it seems Wreck-It Ralph was poised for a happy ending. But he will soon be taking on something bigger than just the arcade where he lives in. That's because during CinemaCon, the House of Mouse officially announced that the sequel is now titled "Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2". The movie has also been given an official release date of March 9th, 2018. Which is less than a year away!

The 'Internet' bit shouldn't sound that much surprising, since the already revealed concept art has shown the two lead characters walking through spoofed names or icons of various popular websites and/or apps. The synopsis offically said, that Ralph, and possibly Vanellope will be lost in the Internet Data Space when a WiFi router gets plugged in. I think it's very likely that Ralph's game might end up becoming an app or some sort at the ending of this sequel. Perhaps even becoming a worldwide popular one. If that actually happens, don't forget, you've heard it here first, okay! LOL. John C. Reilly and Sarah Silverman are returning to voice Ralph and Vanellope, alongside Jane Lynch and Jack McBrayer who will be reprising their roles as Sergeant Calhount and her legal husband Fix-It Felix, Jr. Other confirmed cast include Jodi Benson, James Corden, Ana Ortiz, and also Alan Tudyk, with roles unknown for the time being. Tudyk used to play the antagonist in the first movie, but might be voicing a totally different character this time. Since he has become a regular voice actor for Disney Animation, taking part in all recent releases so far (even in form of a dumb rooster). I'm crossing my fingers that the sequel will be as fun and heartfelt, if not even better than the first.

Death Note

Hollywood's adaptation of "Ghost in the Shell" had unfortunately underperformed at the box office. Thanks to that, Paramount shifts the blame towards the critics for being more concerned about the movie's whitewashing controversy, rather than other aspects of the movie. To be honest though, while I haven't seen the movie myself, I've heard what the primary issue is all about. Admittedly, the way this version's story chose to tell the origin of the Major, felt more than just giving finger to the particular issue. It somehow didn't learn to avoid it, and instead ATTRACTED the exact criticism instead. In doing so, I doubt even Mamoru Oshii's approval could rescue the movie now.

Problem is, the same whitewashing issue has begun to migrate towards another title. This time, it's about adaptation for another Japanese story. You already know what category this is being talk about, so yes, it's "Death Note". In this case, because the main character Light Yagami has been renamed into Light Turner, and is played with a white actor in Nat Wolff. An adjustment the creators made, having the setting relocated to Seattle, Washington in this version.

If you ask me, this kind of criticsm is a bit bullish and exaggerated. A totally different situation to "Ghost in the Shell". I mean, like several horror movies like 'The Ring" or "The Grudge", stories like "Death Note" has more flexible ability to be told in a universal way. So forcing Asian American for the role doesn't sound justified, and felt more like a political agenda. If you look at it from business point of view, would the american adaptation work better if they use Asian-American actor as the lead? I don't think that's the case. Beside, it's more than just about Wolff, because apparently there are criticism aimed towards African-American actor Keith Stanfield, who will be portraying Light's foe, the elusive L. Those who are already familiar with the source material should understand that Light is the true 'bad guy', while L is in fact the 'good guy'. Now I can't help but wonder why Stanfield is even criticised for playing a protagonist, then. I mean, imagine a louder criticism should a white American fill that part instead. Should an Asian-American plays L as well? That would be selfish if you ask me, because once again, the character L is not bound for a certain race. Oh well, here's hoping "Death Note" will have a better luck than "Ghost in the Shell". Or those other adaptations for Japanese stories that Hollywood has attempted in the past. As I said, the two movies are a whole different scenario, and it wouldn't be fair to judge one using a similar parameter...

DC Films

Joss Whedon is writing and directing "Batgirl" for Warner Bros? The same guy who was previously turned down when he submitted a draft for "Wonder Woman"? WOW! Yup, that's the news that has been taking the world by storm since last week. Look at how the mighty (talking about WB of course) has fallen. Also, look at all those so-called 'devoted DC' fans who bashed Whedon for his critically and financially acclaimed "The Avengers". Who are now speechless to read that WB is now asking the help of the guy they hated the most. This heavily proved that WB is definitely course-correcting their DCEU or whatever it is you want to call it. It's even better news to know that they are humble enough to start looking outside of their studio's regulars. Key to creating something amazing, is by trusting it to the right person, not just someone who's available on their camp. Moreso, taking someone who used to work for their competitor, is a huge humble step as well. A sign of change. A smart one at that, due to Whedon's style of storytelling.

Eventhough it's said to be in final stages, deal is not set just yet. So things can still turn for the worse. I do however wish that the two sides will come into agreement. In fact, I think WB should just hire Whedon to be the creative consultant for the whole DCEU, and kick Zack Snyder, David Goyer, and others alongside their dark gritty tone far far away to oblivion. Forget "The Justice League", "Batgirl" is the movie everyone should be waiting for! The one that might inspired hope, optimism, and heroics, instead of angst and darkness. Now if they can get another great director for "Nightwing", I might just be really excited for the DC Films. Something I've been waiting to say for suuuuch a long time.

But Whedon's not the only one making news last week. James Wan and his lead actor Jason Momoa, as well as other cast and directors like Patty Jenkins took part on WB's presentation at CinemaCon on March 30th. And well, they've made some news about their respective movies. Wan delivered a reel of production art for "Aquaman", and succeeded in getting positive response from attendees. According to reports, Atlantis looked promising, and surrounded itself with massive sea creatures that was inline with a 'swashbuckling adventure' Wan had promised. This catapulted the movie to sit among Variety's top 5 Buzzmeter of the event. While her movie only made it real close to the same Top 10, Jenkins delivered new footage for "Wonder Woman" that received positive reaction from the same crowd too. Response for "The Justice League" footage might be the least positive of them all, as Variety even noted that the movie still felt "like a joyless affair" despite being filled with humor. No news surrounding "The Batman", and even Christopher Nolan refused to talk about it. LOL.

Does this mean "Aquaman" might be the surprise hit that WB and DC is waiting for? Will the tepid response for "The Justice League" translate into similar mediocre box office projection? We all need to remember, that movies like "Man of Steel" to "Suicide Squad" did get positive word of mouth during its production phase, but ultimately ended up as divisive if not totally disappointing affairs. My point is, it's safe to say, that when it comes to DC Films, nothing can be 100% certain. So I guess we'll just have to wait and see how these movies perform...

SONY Marvel Universe

You must be thinking, didn't I used the term "Spider-Man Universe" for this same category before? That's true, but starting with this one, I've officially changed it into "SONY Marvel Universe". Why? Because highly likely it won't even have a Spider-Man in it. So it would be wrong to call it so. And it's not just because Tom Holland's Spider-Man would be existing in an entirely separate universe, or that this one will not take place in that particular Marvel universe. But because SONY's specific universe might get a different rating as well. At the very least, "Venom" will not be a PG-13 movie, but an R-rated one.

I wonder if SONY is inspired by FOX and their R-rated superhero movies for this decision? I just hope that they are not getting the wrong message about FOX's success, though. I mean, sure, Venom has the potential for a gruesome and violent R-rated movie. But I also feel that the character would also work nicely in a PG-13 setting, and will obviously appeal to much bigger audience. So why bother going R-rated with one, right? Anyway, right now, Dante Harper of "Alien: Covenant" is writing the movie, and Avi Arad and Matt Tolmach are producing. The real challenge, is working with the character's origin story in a Spider-Man-less universe. After all, Venom practically copied most of its appearance and powersets from a Spider-Man, so a universe without the friendly neighbourhood spider would be odd. If SONY can nail that issue, then perhaps the movie's going to work...

Universal Monster Shared Universe

Universal has released the 2nd official trailer for "The Mummy". This one was... okay, I'll be honest, I haven't seen it yet. And it's intentional, because I already have enough curiousity for this movie, that I would definitely check it anyway. Mainly because of Russell Crowe though, because I'm completely eager to see him becoming Mr Hyde. According to Birth.Movies.Death, this trailer was confusing to understand. Which can be a good thing, because it's meant to catch people off guard. Anyway, the movie will arrive very soon, as the start of many other Monster movies to come. I won't be checking them all, but if Tom Cruise can somehow convince me with this first movie, I might end up seeing the rest as well. Hollywood do need a good and working Cinematic Universe after Marvel's, right?

Conjuring Shared Universe

Wait... WHAT? I just realized that the Annabelle movie, has been branded as part of "Conjuring Shared Universe"! I didn't even know that a horror franchise can have its own Shared Universe, nor that the studio has been planning for one. I mean, does it even make sense? LOL.

Putting that issue aside, the first official trailer for "Annabelle: Creation" has hit the internet. And well, since I thought the first movie was rather weak and poorly written, I'm not too keen on this one too. As the title suggests, this movie will serve as a prequel or some sort to that first movie. One which unfortunately, is completely fictionized, as Birth.Movies.Death has pointed out with their research. Which is too bad, because turning it into fiction was what caused the first movie to be... well, disappointing. I honestly thought a prequel would adapt the true origin story of the real life cursed-doll, but I guess the director David F. Sandberg, and producers were too scared to even attempt such thing.

But you know what? The 'Shared Universe' thing is real. Because there's another spin-off movie in the works right now. "The Nun" (though that's just a title I made up tentatively for the sake of this essay), is the next in the "Conjuring" line. Focusing on the creepy nun character from "The Conjuring 2", this movie sounds like a prequel or some sort as well. Corin Hardy is set to direct the movie, and actor Demián Bichir has been cast to play a Priest. A priest who is sent from Rome to investigate the mysterious death of a nun. Probably the same nun who became a ghost, or another nun who has seen the ghost nun, and got... Okay that's confusing. We'll likely hear more about this project, because it has a Summer 2018 release date. Who knows, perhaps in 2019, it will team up with Annabelle to take on a powerful titan from space...

Hasbro Universe

Oookay, I've completely forgotten that we're getting this... uhm, Universe as well. You know, the one that will pit Hasbro's toylin... I mean franchises into one giant cohesive world. So we'll be seeing the gang of "M.A.S.K." meeting up with the "Transformers", or "ROM the Space Knight" bumping heads against the "G.I. Joe" members. And all kinds of those crossovers. So far, we've only seen "Transformers" being turned into its own universe though, with the upcoming "Transformer: The Last Knight" and that Bumblebee movie. So I'm not sure when this bigger idea, or dream will even come to fruition.

But it might happen soon. Why? Simon Waters, in charge of consumer product for Hasbro Studios, said to L.A. Times that there's going to be "a much more contemporary approach to the whole franchise, and that will allow us to develop different characters". What franchise was he talking about? "G.I. Joe"! You know, the one that starred Channing Tatum in its first movie, before he was seemingly killed off and replaced by Dwayne Johnson in the sequel. Does this mean we're getting a reboot soon? Hmmm... Waters' words sounded like shallow waters. I mean, why not go ahead with the existing one by revamping the next movie to fit a larger universe? That would be more convenient and effective. But let's give this a benefit of doubt, because a reboot might prove to be... better. Possibly...

Marvel Studios

And we've finally arrived on the last movie category, but also the first (or at least the first successful one) Cinematic Universe that inspired it all. And when I say all, I mean the 5 categories above this, without including other existing ones being openly/secretly planned out there! *sigh*. For now, nothing beats the Marvel Cinematic Universe. And that's probably why it has a loaded of fresh news almost every week!

Let's start with "Spider-Man: Homecoming"! Embargo for set visit reports have been lifted, and that's why we've got plenty of new and in some way rather spoilery information about the movie. But before we go there, go ahead and check out the 2nd official trailer that concluded those triple-posters release last week. Uhm... then again, perhaps abort that thought, because while it looked more fantastic and action-packed than the first, this particular trailer seemed to have shown a little TOO MUCH and might ruin your movie experience instead. This one felt similar to the case of "Beauty and the Beast", which included its entire (or mostly anyway) plot in one chronological sizzle reel! Unless the entire thing was a clever ruse, this wasn't something that Marvel Studios is known to do. So I can only assume SONY's pulling the strings on this one. But trust me, if you haven't seen it, it would be better if you don't. Because you might be startled to see Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man's major significance in it. As if he's the secondary lead character of the movie, and not just a random tech provider!

Sure, if we look at it optimistically, that means "Homecoming" is deeply rooted as important part of the MCU. But that might be a problem too, because we're not really sure how long the agreement between Marvel Studios and SONY will last. Particularly, when SONY seems intent to build their own separate universe using the Spider-Man characters. SONY's CinemaCon presentation only added more doubts and concerns about this fan-pleasing collaboration. After announcing that a sequel is already in the works, and will be part of the MCU, producer Amy Pascal mentioned that the future of the wall-crawler remains 'uncertain' afterwards. This statement had a negative impact, as many sites immediately began reporting that Tom Holland's Spider-Man will depart the MCU after "Homecoming". A certain gossip site even claimed SONY's new boss Tom Rothman is not pleased about this deal, due to the extra cost of having Gwyneth Paltrow's return as Pepper Potts. Truth is, Pascal did NOT state it that way. So it's just another classic case of quick assumption and misinterpretation, right? And rest assured, as noted and reasoned by Forbes, Holland WILL remain a part of the MCU for at least 3 more films in the future. At least until 2020. This include direct solo sequels to "Homecoming" (the next one is set to be out in 2019), as well as appearances in a Marvel Studios-produced movie. In fact, his involvement in the currently filming "Avengers: Infinity War", is already an extension of the initial contract between both Studios.

Now on to the set visit reports and random interviews with the cast and crew then! Holland talked to MTV (via Metro), and confirmed what Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige had mentioned before. That his new Spider-Man movies will be using the 'Harry Potter approach'. In case you forget, or doesn't understand what that's supposed to be, it means when we see his Peter Parker in the 2019 sequel, he'll be just one year older in age, and a 2nd/3rd year student (depending on whether he's currently a freshman or sophomore) in high school. So by the time we get into his third solo movie, he'll be a graduating senior who's about to enter University. The same interview also revealed that Holland can't keep his mouth shout, as if the perfect embodiment of the character Peter Parker in real life.

And not just Holland, even director Jon Watts felt that he too, identified himself as similar to both Parker and Holland. Not in the sense of age, but with the pressure of proving himself in the big world of Marvel Studios. Talking to Variety, Watts admitted that like Parker who's never done anything big and want to prove himself to Stark, that's how he felt while sitting at the directorial chair. Watts was unafraid to show his earnestness on his inexperienced approach, which somehow transferred a similar vibe to the movie. Watts also revealed that he went through a long process of meetings before the folks at Marvel Studios decided to hire him. Owing that to his small movie "Cop Car", that made people turned their heads towards him. It so happens that he was also eager to make a coming-of-age movie as well. So the stars were certainly aligned for him. As for whether he will direct the sequel, he refused to say anything because he wanted to focus on finishing this movie first. However, as proven by fellow directors like James Gunn, the Russo brothers, and Scott Derrickson, if Watts nails "Homecoming", I'm perfectly certain that Marvel Studios and SONY will entrust the next one onto his hand again.

Also, speaking to Fandango after CinemaCon, Watts stated that fans can expect easter eggs about the MCU and Marvel Universe in general in "Homecoming". The license plate of one of the cars in the Ferry scene, is one good example for the small ground-level references we can discover in the movie. Watts confirmed several things as well. Department of Damage Control / DDC, the organization that has been developed as a TV series for quite some time now, will be debuting in the movie. It will play a major role towards the evolution of Michael Keaton's Adrian Toomes into the wrong side of law. Intriguingly, the organization is said to have existed since the aftermath of 2012's "The Avengers". Yes, 'The Battle of New York', or as the Netflix series tend to subtly address it as 'The Incident'! This fact would be depicted in the first few scenes of the film (as reported by Coming Soon, though please exercise caution because the report might be meddling in spoiler territory). "Homecoming" will then address the event in "Captain America: Civil War", as we see Parker and Stark's relationship slowly evolve into a mentor/big-brother figure. And likewise, whatever will happen in "Homecoming" will also bring its own ripple effects towards "Infinity War". Last but not least, Watts confirmed that "Homecoming" will have a post-credit scene, that might possibly link itself towards upcoming Marvel Studios movies. "How disappointing would it be if there was just nothing?", he said.

Michael Keaton talked to Collider, and reiterated about the event that caused Adrian Toomes' building resentment towards Stark. In his opinion, Watts' approach is 'interesting', because in a way his character works as "somewhat of a victim. He takes things in that he feels like a victim, and some of it is justified actually. He believes that there’s an upper echelon of society of people who are getting away with a lot and have everything. And there’s a whole lot of folks who are working hard, and don’t have much". A fact that Keaton likened to the current political climate of America, as well as something personal for himself. He also confirmed Watts' previous statement that Vulture will be an average-joe antagonist, but also added one crucial fact: that Toomes is a father. Perhaps the few Marvel Studios' antagonist with a child on his own (it was hinted that Kaecillius of "Doctor Strange" also had a family), which adds a more sympathetic touch to him. But more than that, Toomes has a loyal crew, particularly Michael Chernus' The Tinkerer, who sounds like will have the potential to show up again in future installments. Who knows, perhaps Marvel Studios is slowly setting up a Sinister Six movie with Vulture, Shocker, and other possible future antagonists? That's certainly a possibility we can't simply dismiss.

Producer Eric Hauserman Carroll added more information about the movie. Speaking to Slash Film, Carroll revealed that the new suit that Stark created specifically for Parker, will have its own unique features. It would naturally contain more gadgets than any other version of Spider-Man suits that has appeared on the big screen, including an A.I. like JARVIS or FRIDAY. The suit will also enable different kind of webbings. Carroll said that there are spinning web, web ball, ricochet, and other stuffs that Stark built into Parker's arsenal, and most of it was done practically. To Coming Soon, Carroll said that Parker will be forced to adjust the glamour life of being part of the Avengers for a very limited time, to then return to a cold crowded daily life of being an outcast. It's a stark contrast of worlds that would help him grow as a singular hero, but also as part of a team, in regards to his connection with Stark. Last but not least, Carrol admitted to Screen Rant (via MCUExchange) that while he would've loved to see Spider-Man interacting with other New York heroes, namely the Netflix's Defenders, fans shouldn't expect them to be referenced in this movie.

For more information from the set visits, like the whereabout of Uncle Ben, Parker's love interest, or the movie's diversity among others (which might spoil the plot, mind you), B.M.D. has kindly put together a quick round-up for our convenience. The site has gathered bits from many sites like IGN, io9, Nerdist, Bustle, Screen Crush, and Slash Film. Go ahead and check out their page directly! You can also start looking for official merchandise for the movie that are starting to hit the market.

...Phewww... that ended up longer than expected!

Let's head on to other movies now. Disney held a presentation at CinemaCon, and among its lineup of information for upcoming movies, confirmed a rather old fan speculation that originated from Variety's report. At that time, actress Letitia Wright was only rumored to be playing T'Challa's half-sister Shuri in the upcoming "Black Panther". Turns out, that's indeed the case, as you can see from the official photo of the main cast.

As has been reported before, Actor Jeremy Renner and Elizabeth Olsen have officially joined the production for "Infinity War" starting this month. Olsen was seen arriving at Edinburgh, Scotland to join Paul Bettany and others. This confirmed that the previous candid scene that was thought to be Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow or her stunt double, might actually be Olsen's Wanda Maximoff after all. This scene got more interesting, because it's clear Scarlet Witch was fighting a staff-wielding mo-cap antagonist, which seemingly attacked Bettany's Vision before. Remember, the staff-wielding CG antagonist might very well be members of the Black Order, like Proxima Midnight or Corvus Glaive. This means that the two Avengers might be taking on the Black Order, instead of fighting one another like in "Civil War". Meanwhile, Renner has arrived in Atlanta, seemingly to join the production that's currently going on in the city as well. The production staff will then move to New York City starting in May.

Guess I better start changing how I write the title because it's officially "Ant-Man & The Wasp". Yes, with an ampersand logogram (check Wikipedia if you don't get what that is). The movie's logo could be seen through a release schedule that Disney presented during CinemaCon. It's the same presentation that revealed Letitia Wright's secret role, as well as title for "Wreck-It Ralph" sequel. Thanks to being absent on "Mission: Impossible 6", Jeremy Renner has now been rumored to be involved in this movie. Considering his Clint Barton's relationship with Paul Rudd's Scott Lang, and the fact that they are both everyday non-superpowered fathers, having him be the third wheel alongside Evangeline Lily's Hope van Dyne DOES make sense if not perfect match. However, it's worth noted that the source of this news, ShowBiz411 could have worded his report by mistake. I mean, perhaps what he meant was "Infinity War" and the UNTITLED 2019 Avengers movie, but wrote "Ant-Man and the Wasp" for the latter instead.

"Thor: Ragnarok"!!! Ah, yes, a quick footage from the movie was showcased during CinemaCon. It showed Chris Hemsworth's Thor Odinson battling together with Mark Rufallo's Hulk against Sakaar's gladiators. Oddly, it's not getting as much buzz as many have predicted. Possibly because Disney delivered a rather weak presentation in the event, to which I assume was intentional as they would likely opt to bring more firepower to its D23 event later this year. What did get bigger buzz however, was a rumor that the first trailer for the movie would be aired alongside the new episode for Marvel's "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." earlier this week. This, clearly did NOT happen (otherwise I'd be talking about it). Considering the date of the source, it's more likely to be an April Fools prank from the very beginning. Of course, April does work as a perfect timing to drop trailer for a November movie. Both "Doctor Strange" and "Thor: The Dark World" had their first trailers released in April. I'm guessing it will arrive alongside the worldwide premiere of "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" that will take place in the next weeks. International countries are premiering the movie this very month and not May like in North America!

And we've arrived on the last item of this category. As I said before, "Vol 2" is arriving very soon. But I rarely talk about it recently. What happened? Simple. I've been avoiding any news about it to keep my anticipation in tact. That's why. And you know what? That's probably the wisest move. The moment I stumbled into one of its report, I might have accidentally spoiled myself in advance. BUMMER! Since I've probably had been spoiled, let me spoil others too. So heed this warning, if you're avoiding spoilers, then just casually skip ahead to the next category. Last warning. Still here? Okay, let's continue then...

This time, it's regarding Sylvester Stallone's secret role in the movie. Yes, he walked out of "The Expendables 4", but that's not what I'm going to talk about. Director James Gunn has previously revealed, that Stallone and his friend, actor Michael Rosenbaum, are playing important characters in the MCU. A major Cosmic character, he said. Well, according to an Italian movie site MoviesBook.it (via MCUExchange), Stallone is in fact playing a character by the name Stakar. There's only one Stakar in the Marvel comics, and he goes by the name Stakar Ogord. If that name is still unfamiliar to you as well, then guess what name he is more popularly known as? StarHawk! StarHawk is a member of the original Guardians of the Galaxy comics that was set in the 31st century. His fellow team members are Vance Astro, Charlie-27, Nikki Gold, Martinex, and *drumrolls* Yondu Udonta! Gunn has never been shy from saying that StarHawk is his favorite character, and have always wanted to include him in the sequel. In fact, Kurt Russel was previously rumored to be playing StarHawk, though that has been proven wrong now. So the likelihood of him casting a big star like Stallone as his favorite character, makes perfect sense. As MCUExchange noted, there's a possibility of Rosenbaum portraying Gunn's version of Martinex T'Naga, and Sharon Stone playing Nikki Gold. With a working title suspiciously titled 'Guardians 3000', and that Quill will be needing assistance from 'fan-favorite characters from the classic comics, things suddenly makes sense and comes full circle. Beside, with Gunn already revealing Ego as Quill's father, surely there are other surprises he has installed in the movie, right? For now, this is still purely rumor and speculation, but if it does come true, then we might be seeing two sets of Guardians of the Galaxy in the movie. And that's going to be a blast...

Marvel TV

The first synopsis for Marvel's "The Inhumans" have been unveiled, and to many fans, it sounds rather concerning. Why? Go ahead and read it for yourself: "After the Royal Family of Inhumans is splintered by a military coup, they barely escape to Hawaii where their surprising interactions with the lush world and humanity around them may prove to not only save them, but Earth itself.".

What's the problem with that, you wonder? The core problem is, the show likely won't be taking place in Attilan, which was what many fans have anticipated. The concern also comes on the heels of the critical failure of one Marvel's "Iron Fist", a show that shares the exact same showrunner in Scott Buck. While it does resemble the plot of the first "Thor" movie, the same fish-out-of-water story was also used in "Iron Fist". As in, a show that chose to abandon K'un-L'un and its vast mystical lore, and instead focus on the corporate happenings in... New York. Change the setting into Hawaii, and have Black Bolt and the other Royal families in the run, and you've got yourself the exact same situation. I personally think it's disappointing to have a full-on Inhumans show taking place on Earth. The Royal Family belongs in Attilan, a fictional city that needs to be explored into details. Just like the Guardians in their far away cosmic adventure, or Thor in his Asgardian Nine-Realms, kicking the Inhumans Royal Family out of their native home already sounds like a HUGE mistake. We don't need that kind of plot, leave that to when a crossover is needed. We need a "Game of Thrones"-esque twist that takes place in Attilan, among the Inhumans. Take cue from "Emerald City" that spend only the first and last episode on Earth. I'll still give this show the benefit of doubt just to be fair, but to be completely honest, my interest level has fallen significantly low now. This already sounds like such a waste of potentials! Let's hope it won't vanish into thin air when the show eventually arrive.

Marvel's "Cloak and Dagger" is set to premiere in Winter 2018 on the Freeform network. We now have additional information about this series, that it's going to be a 10-episodes series. I think this is a good amount, considering the series will be required to have special effects in portraying Tandy and Tyrone's super powers. Cutting the episodes, means more budget can be allocated for VFX. "Legion" and "Emerald City" are good example of this, as they succeeded in delivering the exact visuals needed for their story. So fans can rest easier, because at the very least, the embarassing case of 'replace Shou-Lau the Undying with two red light bulbs, just because the studio don't have money for CG' (that brought a certain degree of anger among the fanbase), is highly unlikely to happen again. At least not in this show. Seriously, I hope Netflix starts to realize this critical and crucial flaw right away. As for the plot, it has also been confirmed that it will focus on character and emotion, because "It tells of a romance between Tandy and Tyrone in a way that we haven’t really seen before in a Marvel TV series". So that's what differentiate this Freeform show, from the other ones, right?

What other one? Yep, let me make it clear. 'This Freeform show' wasn't referring as singular. Because surprise, surprise, turns out "Cloak and Dagger" won't be the only new show debuting on Freeform. Marvel's "New Warriors" has been greenlit for the same network as well! Kevin Biegel is closing a deal to write and serve as showrunner for Marvel TV's first scripted sitcom. This 10-episodes 30-minutes show will serve as a vehicle to bring one famous Marvel comics character into her first live action adaptations. Doreen Green, or more familarly known as Squirrel Girl! Apparently, Freeform "had chased Squirrel Girl before Cloak and Dagger", because "We are a network for young adults but we're proud we're No. 1 with young women and we want to find characters who speak to them. There's a reason we chased Squirrel Girl: she embodies all of that". But apparently Marvel made them wait before giving the clearance. Looks like Marvel finally gave in.

And Doreen won't be alone. New Warriors consists of other young people with special abilities. As noted by The Hollywood Reporter, "New Warriors revolves around six young people with powers living and working together. With powers and abilities on the opposite end of the spectrum of The Avengers, the New Warriors want to make a difference in the world...even if the world isn't ready. With Freeform focused on a group dubbed 'becomers' — those experiencing a series of firsts in life, including first loves and first jobs — New Warriors explores the journey into adulthood, except in this world, they're not quite super and not yet heroes and the guys can be as terrifying as bad dates. The series will feature Marvel fan-favorite Squirrel Girl (aka Doreen Green) as a totally empowering fan girl who is described as tough, optimistic and a natural leader. Doreen is confident and has the powers of a squirrel: she's acrobatic, can fight and talk to other squirrels. Her most important trait is said to be her faith in people and ability to teach them to believe in themselves.". If you're clueless about them, fear not because neither do I. Thankfully, THR has kindly posted a quick article describing who these folks are. It's a convenient read to those who are too lazy/busy to skim through Wikipedia. For the time being however, Freeform is keeping a tight lip in regards of which characters comprising the New Warriors of this show. THR cautioned that the team might not be the same to the comic's version, especially considering Squirrel Girl herself has never been part of it! In fact, this could be an adaptation of the Great Lakes Avengers instead, particularly due to the similarity of the storyline.

I have to admit, I'm feeling a bit mixed about "New Warriors". Why? Because part of me expect Squirrel Girl to show up in a Marvel Studios movie instead. That way, she can be played by an A-list actress (like the loveable Anna Kendrick, for example?), and interact with the Avengers or Spider-Man characters. Not to mention the VFX needed to showcase her power... though it practically only required numerous trained squirrels, really. But the fact that it's a 30-minute of "balls-out comedy" might be the main, if not sole reason that I MIGHT actually see it. The reason? Only 5 episodes in, and I'm already tired of all those teenage angst and drama in "Riverdale". It's too cheesy and exhausting for my adult mind/heart. LOL. With both "Cloak and Dagger" and Marvel's "Runaways" already sounding like an incarnation of that CW series (particularly the latter), it's more than clear than I'll be skipping both no matter how much I've pledged allegiance to Marvel. Comedy on the other hand? That might be right up on my alley. Beside, getting older means you need more laughters to vent away all those extra stress and hardships... XD

One last thing before we move on to the next category. Aaron Sorkin, an Academy and Golden Globe Award winning writer, has apparently been meeting with Marvel and DC for a potential collaboration with either Studios. Sorkin revealed this during CinemaCon. He admitted however, that he's not familiar with comic books, but hopes that there's a comic book character that he's going to love and would want to work on. Since Sorkin's work spanned from TV like "The West Wing" to movies like "The Social Network", this talk could go anywhere, which is why I'm putting it on the TV category instead. I'm not personally familiar of his works, and also his style, but I would love to see a guy as prestigious as him tackling a movie among Marvel's Phase 4. Perhaps, a Moon Knight will be nice? But nothing is certain for now, because he clearly needs to spend some private time to do some personal research first. So I guess we'll just have to wait and find out sooner or later, right?

Netflix

This is not a drill, or an April Fools prank (time for that haD passed anyways)... but a new teaser for the highly anticipated Marvel's "The Defenders" has been released online. But don't be surprised, if it's... well, short and looking odd. After all, it's just a shot of Charlie Cox's Matt Murdock (who is back to wearing his Season 1 head cover again while hillariously donning a business suit), Krysten Ritter's Jessica Jones, Mike Colter's Luke Cage, and Finn Jones' Danny Rand riding down through an elevator together. That's it!

Of course, the main purpose for this quick teaser, was none other than to announce the mini series' official release date. Yes, Netflix has set the mini-series for an August 18th, 2017 premiere. Considering production has wrapped last month, this obviously make a lot of sense. Especially putting into account that the premiere date is more than 1 month after "Homecoming" hits the market. Not just that, an exclusive debut to be showcased during this year's San Diego Comic Con and Disney D23, now sounds highly likely too.

Cox was invited by Boogaloo Radio to talk about his projects just a day before this teaser hit the internet, and he opened up about many things, including details surrounding this mini-series. Turns out, the consequent production for the first two Seasons for Marvel's "Daredevil" sort of worn him out, but since "The Defenders" has four leads, he got more time off when the storyline does not require the presence of his character. Not to mention, stunt double can take over his place during action scenes because he's "the only one that has a mask". That's a statement that easily provoked further disappointment of fans who have been expecting to see Danny Rand following suit with his iconic costume. Is Netflix really embarassed about Iron Fist's costume? Cox revealed that a new stunt team was brought specifically for this show, and confirmed that Drew Goddard is indeed involved as a consultant, aside from writing 1 or 2 episodes. As for a crossover with the movie side's Avengers, Cox only said that the future is still very much open for it to happen.

One important tidbit that he revealed during the talk, was that he will begin filming the 3rd Season for "Daredevil" later this year! This shouldn't be a surprise, since the new season was already announced July last year. This practically confirmed that it will arrive next year. Possibly following the 2nd season of Marvel's "Jessica Jones", which had just started production earlier this week, and before the 2nd season of Marvel's "Luke Cage". Unless... Netflix decides to push Jon Bernthal's Marvel's "The Punisher" back from Fall 2017 to be the first title in 2018, which technically shifts everything else behind.

As for "Jessica Jones", it's still unclear what kind of storyline it will take on, nor what antagonist she will face since Kilgrave has been killed. Perhaps, the mysterious character that Janet McTeer will be playing? One thing for sure, actor Wil Traval has seemingly hinted his return as Will Simpson, a.k.a Rachael Taylor's Trish crazy boyfriend Nuke. So the mystery behind his super enhanced drugs will at least serve as one of the arc of the season. Meanwhile, production is still going deep for "The Punisher", as Bernthal was recently seen with a beaten up make up, alongside a mysterious man that might be Ebon Moss-Bachrach's Micro. As I said above, the initial plan was to have his series arriving as the third Marvel-Netflix show this year. But looking at the release window, the show only has an opening on October or December to avoid bumping into "Thor: Ragnarok". I won't be surprised if it gets pushed to 2018, possibly on January or February. As evidenced by "Voltron Legendary Defender", this practice does sound highly probable for a streaming site like Netflix.

And... speaking of Voltron, a 3rd season was announced during the WonderCon panel last Saturday. Showrunners and some of the voice cast were in attendance, and they revealed that a 3rd season will arrive later this year. The next antagonist is said to be Prince Lotor, as confirmed by Nerdist. I haven't personally finished the 2nd season, using 'savoring the series' as an easy excuse (though I simply didn't have time to bingewatch it, really). So reading that news on Nerdist had sort of spoiled its sad ending. Which was what I've been trying to avoid all these time *sigh*. Regardless of that, it's a great news nonetheless. We need more Voltron anyways, it's a great show...

The Telltale Series

After completing their take on DC's Batman, the Telltale Games' next project has been making a huge buzz ever since it was announced. Why? Because it's Marvel's freaking "Guardians of the Galaxy". Inline with the imminent release of the team's second live action movie, of course people are excited for this too. The company has released the game's first trailer last week, while announcing that the first episode, entitled "Episode One: Tangled Up in Blue" will be available on April 18. Which is just a week before "Vol 2" is released in international markets, and two weeks before it hits North America.

I don't know about you, but for some reason, I'm... NOT feeling this. And this is coming from someone who's actually looking forward to it. Perhaps it's the... weird character design that rubbed me the wrong way? Or the fact that the 'brand new' story will once again deal with "an artifact of unspeakable power"? All I can say is, if the first of five episode already made me doubt it, then it's saying much. But don't let that get you down, because who knows, this could end up becoming unexpectedly charming like the movie, instead of the TV series that sadly grew dull the more I see it.

The game will feature the voice cast of Scott Porter as Star-Lord, Emily O’Brien as Gamora, Nolan North as Rocket, Brandon Paul Eells as Drax, and Adam Harrington as Groot. First episode will arrive on PS4, Xbox One, PC, Mac, iOS and Android for $4.99, while a Season Pass Disc that will grant access for all episodes will be available on May 2 for $29.99. If you're both a Marvel and Telltale Series fan, this might be just what you're looking for.

Final Fantasy XV

First DLC episode for "Final Fantasy XV" that featured Gladiolus as the lead has been released. And well, turns out it wasn't as interesting as many has hoped. While it's fun to actually play Gladio and explore his own unique set of skill, the gameplay of the episode itself was said to be redundant and the story was practically non existent. The reward of the mini quest was not that worthwhile either, and would likely be more pleasing for those who are consider themselves 'devoted' to the character. Suffice to say, the five dollars DLC serve as a fan-service side mission, and nothing else. That might also be the reason why it arrived alongside the fix for that infamous Chapter 13.

Perhaps, the game will fare better with its mobile spin-off then? "Final Fantasy XV: A New Empire", which was developed by Machine Zone's Epic Action has been made available via the App Store. At least... in New Zealand. In this app, fans will be able to explore more of the lore of main game, but presumably in an alternate universe setting. After all, the premise is said to be "Journey through vast kingdoms, gather magical resources, and build the strongest Empire in Final Fantasy history! Build your own kingdom, discover powerful magic, and dominate the realm alongside all of your friends!". As far as I know, this does NOT happen in the main game. So unless it's taking place in the afterlife, it's nothing but a huge what-if scenario. Do go ahead and visit Epic Action's official site to check whether my deduction is correct or not. Will this app be more successful than the main game's DLC then? That remains to be seen. Let's just hope the best for the franchise, shall we...

Nintendo

"Super Mario Run" is Nintendo's first foray into the mobile gaming market. And although the app has attracted attention, apparently, it wasn't as well received as the company have hoped. They have even stated this openly, which was reported through Asia Nikkei. Interestingly, fans aren't surprised with this result, because the pricing and lack of gameplay are more than enough to justify such lack of interest. Problem is, they aren't changing their premium-priced approach any time soon. Turns out, the mobile market has always been a secondary field compared to their traditional console based sales. Especially with Nintendo Switch just celebrating its first month. These mobile games are present only to expand brand awareness, and it will continue that way for their next projects.

You know what? If they can find a way to integrate apps like "Super Mario Run", the financially better "Fire Emblem Heroes", and the not-so-hit-anymore but still-popular "Pokemon GO" into Switch, I'm certain the company will see a positive increase of interest for all those things. This shouldn't be a problem, since Switch is already serving as a portable gadget, akin to a Smartphone. Just think about it, the ability to play exclusive Nintendo apps for free on the Switch will undoubtedly boost the hybrid console's sale, while at the same time generating more users to their apps. Come on Nintendo, just do it. This here is wise strategy! Methinks... LOL.

The King of Fighters

That leak has been confirmed! Rock Howard, the son of Geese Howard and disciple of Terry Bogard has debuted in the "KOF" franchise. And if the official trailer is any indication, then he's going to be inhibiting strong traits from those two characters, which is obviously the major element that made him a standout.

Rock, as well as previously announced returning characters Vanessa, Ryuji Yamazaki, and Whip, have been made available through "The King of Fighters XIV" version 2.00 update that was launched several days ago. Said update will include free new stages ("Transcontinental Railroad" and "City Circuit", which you can check out through its own trailer), balance adjustments for existing characters, action record and playback feature in Training Mode, new BGM, bug fixes, and other improvements. In case you forget, the update is free, but the characters are paid DLCs. Each can be purchased for a $5.99 USD, or as a set for a price of $19.99. Head on to SNK-Corp for more details on this huge update.

Do you think SNK will continue to explore this game, and add even more returning characters in the coming months? Unless they will be moving along to "The King of Fighters XV", this certainly sounds like a possibility. After all, why would they release all 4 characters together when they can easily churn them out one by one every other month. You know, like what CAPCOM is doing with "Street Fighter V". That would've stretched the title for close to 6 months more of software's longetivity, right? At least, adding two more characters, to form two new official Teams with these released four would make a lot of sense. Perhaps both from the "GAROU: Mark of Wolves" franchise, to become Rock's team mates? Of course, that's just my personal wishful thinking, and we'll have to wait and see what move the company will do next to keep the hype high. For now, be thankful that you can enjoy a fun sparring between Rock and his mentor Terry in a "KOF" series now. Which is something that was only possible through the "GAROU" series before...

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