Animesou.com

Synopsis:
After a century of relative peace, the people within the walls are growing restless. A young man named Eren and his friends Armin and Mikasa venture to the wall’s edge with the hopes of seeing what’s on the other side. But before they can get there, the unthinkable happens; a Titan larger and more fierce than any that have been seen before breaches the wall, kicking a large hole through the base of it. Now, a once isolated world is flooded with seemingly indestructible Titans, and the only way to beat them is to fight back. But the military forces Eren joins to protect humanity appear to be protecting some secrets of their own. The future looks bleak, but there’s more to Eren than meets the eye: he may be humanity’s last hope against extinction.

Review:
Attack on Titan has been a global phenomenon since the manga was adapted to anime. Packs of cosplayers can be spotted at every convention event dressing up as their Titan character or just slapped on the uniform and join the ranks of the survey team. With every hugely popular and successful anime comes the infatuation of “what if this was live action?” I have seen quite a few live action adaptations of anime, and most of them had been a miss more than a hit. While I have read some comments from the internet that the movies were bad, I kept an opened mind and experienced it for myself. Here are my thoughts.

From the beginning, the movie introduces the three characters any fan would recognize, Erin, Mikasa and Armin. Maybe not Armin, because he is not a blonde anymore. But anyways, they go about their daily routine while everyone else goes about their’s. When Erin decided to try and go out because he does not want to be trapped in the walls anymore. The grounds suddenly began to shake. A giant titan appears and destroys part of the wall to make way for the rest of the titans to march in and feast on the humans.

If you have watched the anime or read the manga, this part of the movie does not change. The little details do however, just to make it flow better for the live action. At least, that’s what the director Shinji Higuchi hoped. I did not think the story played out as well. There were a lot of those moments where scenes felt sped up and skipped over to meet the constraints of a movie runtime. Erin’s character was annoying in the anime, but he is even more so as a live character. From beginning to up to Erin turning into a titan, the show felt it was on auto pilot mode. There were pieces of action here and miniscule points of interest there. When Erin finally turned, that was when I felt the movie finally showed off the ability of a “live” action. But the fun ends almost as fast as it began. The humans carved Erin out of his titan body and we must wait for part two. There is something significant about the end of part one though. We are introduced to the idea that the titans were once humans, whom became infused with the titan shell, as the power overwhelmed their humanity.

So what are my thoughts on this live action? Nothing much, to be honest. The plot was a mess, the titans looked dumber than the drawings, and the movie’s representation of the characters of the series was annoying. If the final scene of part one did not occur, I cannot imagine myself donating my time to watch this live action any longer. At this point, it is more about finishing what I started and not about finishing it because the movie was super entertaining….

I delayed publishing this review, due to time constraints. I wanted to watch part two, End of the World, and give this show a chance to redeem itself, before I put it in the garbage pile. After finally freeing up time to sit down and complete this live action movie. I must say, I regret ever finishing this movie. Ending Attack on Titan Live Action with part one was fine. It would have been a failed attempt at hopping on the bandwagon of the success of the anime and manga, but at least it was not an atrocity. After watching Attack on Titan part two, I was seriously disgusted. The story was horrendous and it turns out that this guy is a titan, that guy is a titan, everybody is a titan. Comon. What the heck happened? It was like the whole film crew just collectively had a brain fart. Was it the expectations that caused the negative views? I doubt it. The movie as a whole was a huge disappointment, with part two killing any redeeming qualities this movie had (which was minimal to begin with). People should be asking for refunds.

The Breakdown:
Remember, while watching a live action, keep an opened mind, you probably won’t like everything or anything for that matter. The anime or manga has likely set a certain standard in your mind, the movie is not going to be a view changer. Just try to enjoy it. If it fails to meet your expectations, it would not be the first or the last. The Attack on Titan live action has its moments, but I felt a lot of those moments were dull moments. The majority of it felt like a formality. A note to any studios planning to release multi-part films. Please make sure that both parts are at least worth the admissions. No one has time or money to spend on crappy multi-part films.

Synopsis:
Fuyuki City—a city surrounded by the sea and mountains becomes the setting for an ancient ritual. Seven masters are given control of heroic spirits in order to realize the mythical Holy Grail, which is said to grant its owner any wish. These heroic spirits or servants represent legendary heroes of various classes: “Saber,” “Lancer,” “Archer,” “Rider,” “Caster,” “Assassin,” and “Berserker.” Each master will enter into a contract with their chosen servant and battle the others to the death until only one pair remains…This is the “Holy Grail War.”
The young and capable mage, Rin Tohsaka, prepares for her long-awaited Fifth Holy Grail War to begin… With her servant Archer, Rin enters the Holy Grail War as the sole heir to the prestigious Tohsaka family after her father’s death. But when Shirou Emiya, a boy from Rin’s school, unwittingly becomes a Master and is fatally wounded in battle, she has no choice but to save him. With Shirou and his servant Saber, Rin sets out to strike down the conspiracies surrounding the Holy Grail War. Will the Holy Grail bless Rin and Shirou’s path toward victory or will they be cursed with defeat?

Review:
I have always been a Fate Stay Night fan. Fate is a title that evolves. From the first series, where the details were not thoroughly explained. To the Unlimited Blade Works movie which was on the Tai Bo regimen, rolling double time and skipping scene to scene. To Fate / Zero which was the prequel of the original series, but had a lot of dialogue that made certain parts of the show boring. With this version of Fate, we are exposed to what I felt was the best of both worlds. The action, although at times predictable due to having already watched the movie, still felt exhilarating. The dialogues were effective and efficient. It keeps the viewers attached.

Archer (not Gilgamesh) has always been an enigma. He has abilities that do not resemble the archer class. The fact that his weapons of choice and fighting style are twin blades and close combat, rather than a bow and arrow speaks volumes. Unlimited Blade Works is an arc in the original Fate visual novel. In the arc, Emiya Shirou and Archer butt heads constantly. It is as if Archer has some kind of grudge against Emiya. Throughout the show, we do find out why Archer behaves the way he does, and who he was/is as a heroic figure.

If you have seen Fate Stay Night before, this rendition does not stray much from the original story. There is new dialogue, new scenes, and the protagonist is Rin Tohsaka, but generally it flows like the original series. Which is why when comparing both Fate Stay Night and Unlimited Blade Works, I actually prefer Unlimited. I know this should not be the case, but it felt like ufotable learned from the past and applied the ingredients accordingly to make this a successful, more refined show.

In case you are new to Fate, the story revolves around masters (mages), summoned heroic spirits and the Holy Grail war that is said to grant the wish of the victors. Of course, things are never this simple. Gilgamesh, a summoned servant from the previous Holy Grail war latched onto the world and continued to plot his plans for world destruction. There is more to it, but I will let you find out on your own. Also, while watching Fate / Zero is not a required prerequisite; It does help to understand the entire Fate story as a whole.

The animation for Unlimited Blade Works does not disappoint. Noble Phantasm effects truly feel special to each heroic spirit. The battle scenes are gripping. I felt every clash between metal and every struggle to defeat one another. Even though the outcome is the same as the prior series and movie, the way this piece moves makes the entire show seem new.

The Breakdown:
Fan of the Fate series or not, this anime does a superb job of entertaining the viewers. The character interactions were on point. The animation was amazing and the story, although retold, still felt fresh. I thoroughly enjoyed this piece.

Another year has past. The long awaited go to event in New York has finally returned to Gotham. What event is that? No, it is not the International Auto Show, that event is none other than the 2015 New York Comic Con. This year marks my second go around with NYCC. As always, I thank ReedPop for the opportunity to cover the event as press, for putting together Comic Con and for continuously improving it year after year.

This year’s guest list contained some major players. Naruto creator, Masashi Kishimoto made his first U.S. public appearance. Natalie Dormer (Margaery Tyrell, Game Of Thrones), her on screen brother Finn Jones (Loras Tyrell) and Keisha Castle-Hughes (Obara Sands) were there doing autograph sessions. The impressive list goes on and on. Comic con goers this time around will experience the newly opened 7 train 34th street Hudson Yard station, which will drop passengers off a block or so away from the Javitz center. Personally I prefer to walk from the 34th street Penn station. As a New Yorker, I would not bet my life on the MTA getting me anywhere quicker.

October 8th, 2015 - Day 1:
As I arrived at the Javitz center, things become familiar. Going through the doors and bag check was easy. I had my schedule mapped out with the NYCC mobile app and wanted to attend the Masashi Kishimoto panel. However, after repeated requests to the good people at Viz Media and received no response as to whether there was a RSVP list, I decided I’ll just see how bad the line was. Let’s just say, one look at that queue, I immediately did a 180 and made a B-line to The Block. It is fine, I am not a fan of Naruto at all, so personally I did not miss out. Sorry I couldn’t do a report on it for those who are Naruto fans though. I later spoke with a crew member of NYCC and he told me the Kishimoto panel was actually not as crazy as Viz had sold it to be. According to the crew member, there were a lot of seats left and I could’ve made it. Kishimoto’s panel was similar to Takeshi Obata’s last year, where he talked a bit about his work and then drew Naruto on the screen for the fans to see a master at his craft.

The Block this year is similar to last. Many vendors, many unique merchandise, many companies showing off what they are currently working on. It is always fun to walk through the Block. You do not know what kind of crazy cosplay will turn up aisle from aisle. Here are some pictures I took as I strolled through the sea of fans in the Block.

Heading over to the Artist Alley can be a traumatizing event. Walking past the lockers, the many Progressive insurance Unicorns will leave anyone with nightmares!

Back to the show floors:

Walking back to the show floors, I am greeted by this year’s go-to cosplay, Deadpool.

October 9th, 2014 - Day 2 and October 10th, 2014 -Day 3:
Sadly, I was not able to attend Friday or Saturday’s events. My cameraman Ray did make it on Saturday to ensure we do not miss any of the excellent cosplays on display. Also he was able to check out the Back to the Future Delorean up close, Jurassic World event and transforming into an Avatar character. Check out these gorgeous images from Saturday!

Photo by Stuart Ramson/Invision for Courtyard/AP Images

Photo by Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Images for Universal Pictures Home Entertainment

October 11th, 2015 - Day 4:
Sunday is the wrap up day of another great year for the New York Comic Con. What a pleasure it has been to attend this event and to cover it. On the last day, con goers usually go to unwind and do a little bit of shopping as vendors throw out discounts so that they do not have to lugged things back. I was looking at a Warglaive of Azzinoth and the vendor told me, one warglaive is $350, if you want 2 the price is negotiable. He did not want to carry it back. I do not blame him, they were pretty big blades. But there is also a problem with buying these blades. The conversation I had with the NYCC crew comes to my mind. He showed me the many weapons and Captain America shields that were left outside of the venue because they were deemed too dangerous to carry inside. These blades would never be allowed in NYCC as a prop. But whatever, somewhere out there, someone would likely be interested in having two of these blades on the mantle to showcase. I am not one of those people though.

Ray and I, decided to just walk the floors and take as many pictures of cosplayers as we can. We did look to shop, but a lot of the things I wanted were sold out. Ray did make a few purchases and got some good discounts on it. Anyways without further ado, here are the pictures from Sunday.

Some Issues That I Came Across:
I did this section last year, so I might as well continue on the tradition. NYCC 2015 was great. There were a lot of good, but along with the good, there were the bad. What was bad? The lighting at Javitz center. I was there till 6:30PM on Thursday and it had gotten dark early. In an event where video and photography is so important, why were the lights not turned on at the main entrance areas? I understand the Javitz center lets in a lot of sun light, but there was barely any day light left. A lot of cosplayers and visitors stay around the entrance for photos. Do these people a favor, turn the lights on so they get better pictures.

Another issue I had were panels. Did something happen from last year that these panels no longer hold some press seats? Do the organizers not realize that we are there to cover the MANY events that go on during the convention. We do not necessarily have a couple hours to line up, especially when panel times overlap each other. I am not saying press should get special privileges, but not even offer some stand in room? I had intended to go to several panels throughout, but ended up doing none. Time constrictions, no communications from the organizers and the lack of interest from these organizers to get some publicity. After speaking with the NYCC crew, who did manage to attend the Masashi Kishimoto panel on Thursday and told me there were many empty seats. I could have filled it, but it is what it is. Hopefully next year, panel organizers will improve on this year’s issues.

In Closing:
Big thanks to ReedPop for allowing Animesou.com to cover New York Comic Con 2015. And keep up the amazing work that you guys are doing over there! I also have to thank the many cosplayers that attended this event and posed for our pictures. You guys are the fuel that continues to drive this event and the time you guys put in, in your outfits are greatly appreciated. A thanks goes out to the vendors, artists, and fans that make this event possible. Let’s look forward to NYCC 2016, October 6th-9th. See you there!

Walkthrough:

You know the New York Comic Con was close when your phone blows up with panels and various news information. As a first time attendee, yes, a first time attendee in all my years of covering anime, I was pretty much opened to the event. I was going to enjoy myself as best as I could and hopefully, by the time it was over, I would have had a memorable experience. But, before we continue, first and foremost, I have to thank ReedPOP for running New York Comic Con and for issuing Animesou.com a press pass to cover this wonderful event. It was definitely an eye opening experience and I had a ton of fun. Now onto New York Comic Con.

October 9th, 2014 - Day 1:
Getting off the D train and stepping out the station at 34th street Manhattan, one could not tell Comic Con began. However, block by block as I dodge the sea of tourists and New Yorkers, the scenery began to phase change. Look there’s a Batman! Or is that Pikachu? Once I got to the Jacob K. Javits convention center, I have finally arrived. The nerves started tingling and palms started sweating; I had no idea what I was in for. I went through the blue entrance and through the lazy bag check. Seriously, what’s the point of making me open my bag if you are just going to take a glance. Anyways, I went through the RFID check point, took a few steps and stood there. I took a moment to just absorb the atmosphere. One thing I immediately noticed. Where is the crowd? Was I too late? I arrived at 5:00PM and it was not as suffocating as a Black Friday at Walmart.

Regardless though, I proceeded to head for “The Block.” Snapping pictures as I go, I did see many cool cosplays, some better than others; But props given all the same. Walking through “The Block” there were interesting showcases. From the live art that an artist was drawing to the newest PVC figures from Good Smile Company. I did not compile a list of “go-to” booths other than Viz Media and gumi, Inc. for their Brave Frontier mobile game. I do not know if I would have survived if I had planned out every booth that I must hit. There were so many of them, each one with unique showcases. It turned out to be a great idea to just do a walk through and pause here and there for certain showcases that caught my eyes. I had about an hour for sightseeing, before I had to attend Viz Media’s “The Future of Shounen Jump” panel with special guest manga-ka Takeshi Obata sensei (Hikaru no Go, Death Note, Bakuman, & All You Need Is Kill).

Viz Media Panel: The Future of Shounen Jump:
Earlier in the week, I RSVPed a seat at this panel as I knew I had to be there to listen to Takeshi Obata speak about his works and his views on manga. I hope it was not just me, but the signage at the Javits center was pretty bad. I spent a good 10-15 minutes looking for the panel location, looked at the signs and it pointed to different directions. At one point I was going to ask some staff for help but they were busy on their phones and did not seem like they were getting off it any time soon. I continued to pace around like a chicken with its head cut off. And finally decided to just walk all the way down the hall and see what was there.

Once I got to room 1A10, I saw a line that was probably the most lame attempt at a line. People rushed in and tried to grab the best seat available. And since I reserved a press seat for this event earlier, I proceeded to ask a staff, “Where should I sit?” This person had no idea and told me to ask the emcee of the panel. I walked over and asked, and he just said sit anywhere. Okay? Then what was the point of reserving in the first place? After I turned around I saw there were seats with “Reserved” on them. Uhh… the staff, any of them could have just pointed me to it. Yet, they seemed clueless or just did not care. It was messy and I was pretty ticked off about it.

When Takeshi Obata was introduced along with the other guests involved with Shounen Jump, there was a roar of applause. A girl behind me felt the need to tell those in her vicinity that she “loves this man” and for others to put their cameras down, because she needs to see Obata-san every second of the duration of the panel. The panel was entertaining and the audience got to witness a master at his craft.

Obata-san drew Ryuk and L on the projection screen. As he was drawing, he also tried to answer the three best questions from fans selected by the Shounen Jump editor and also other questions the emcee had lined up. Personally, I felt it was a bad idea. Obata-san was focused at drawing, and he was giving really generic and basic answers during that period of time. When he was answering questions prior to showing his abilities to the audience, his answers were well thought out and allowed the audience into his train of thought when he does his work. I knew the time was tight, because a NYCC staff continued to walk into the room and showed the panel members the minutes left.

Back to Comic Con:
I left the panel with about a minute or two left as I did not want to deal with the rush of people leaving all at once. After attending this event, I got a much better sense of appreciation for the work of a manga-ka. Viz seems to be doing great with Shounen Jump and if they keep at it who knows? Maybe it will be just as good as the Japanese one. One can only hope.

By the time I got out of the panel, it was 6:45PM. I had a full days of work and fatigue began to creep up on me. I took a walk through the rest of the booths all around the convention and saw many interesting items. Seriously, how can one not go broke in this atmosphere? I restrained myself and walked down the steps to check out the DC Comics’ Batman 75th Anniversary showcase, in which they displayed all the Bat suits in the movies over the years, with the next Bat suit empty except the head. Talk about getting people excited. I definitely cannot wait for the new Batman to come out, Ben Affleck or not. It was still “early,” and I had another panel lined up about “60 Years of Godzilla,” but I just could not stand waiting around at the press lounge for it, I decided to call it a day and come back the next.

October 10th, 2014 - Day 2:
I arrived at the Javits center around the same time as I did on Thursday and wow Friday was BUSY. The weather was great and with the long weekend ahead (for some people), it felt like everyone was out. I had some panels scheduled, but without reserving, I did not think I would be able to secure a seat in any of them easily. It was literally a sea of people everywhere. With a large crowd come some of the best cosplay yet! As I walked through the entire convention, left and right, there were people dressed up in their favorite characters.

I proceeded to head up to the press lounge to handle some personal business and saw Kevin Smith at the lounge area, that was a neat sight, I mean he had to show up seeing that his show on AMC IS called Comic Book Men and the Secret Stash is just based right out of Red Bank, New Jersey. After handling my business, I proceeded down the escalators and walked towards one of the entrances to “The Block,” I noticed a big crowd gathered. Curious, I went and slithered through. Lone and behold, it was X Japan about to give an interview right in the middle of the show floor.

I am not going to lie. I do not listen to their music and will not pretend to be their biggest fan. But it certainly was a cool moment to see the positive reception they got from the convention goers. Heck one guy was asking his friend what the fuss was all about, while his friend replied in an amazed tone of voice, that it was X Japan. In which the guy told his friend I do not know or care who X Japan is. Whether you like them or not, they were out to promote their concert at Madison Square Garden on Saturday October 11th, 2014. Twenty years ago, they made their U.S. debut and after tragedies and hardships, the band is still here. Respect.

Instead of waiting around for panels, I decided to take a walk around the Javits center to take pictures of the crowd and to check out some of the overpriced things vendors were selling. $55 for a cheap hoodie with the Survey team logo on it from Attack on Titan? Get out of here, someone must be drunk. On another note, I will get back on that drunk note in a bit. After completely finished doing the rounds on the whole show floor, it was time to call it a day again. It would be my last day at NYCC, as I had personal business to attend to for the final two days.

October 11th, 2014 - Day 3 and October 12th, 2014 -Day 4:
I was not at NYCC on Saturday or Sunday, however Animesou’s cameraman Ray Tse, did get a ticket for Saturday. My instructions to him were simple: find the best cosplays and document whatever you thought was interesting. He attended last year’s NYCC and was in love with it. But this year around, with the gloomy clouds hovering over New York City, it probably scared off some of the crowds. He did not think it was as good as last year’s convention, claiming it lacked fan interactive elements to it and the cosplay were of lower quality. In any case some of his pictures are below.

Some Issues That I Came Across:
In an event that is so for the fans, everything has to be all good and dandy right? Not really. While NYCC overall was great. There were some shortcomings. The staff was a bit unorganized, as experienced from my Viz Media Shounen Jump panel. The security was… like really? I know it would be dumb to have TSA style security, but if you are just going to do a lazy glance at people’s bags, what is the point? There was another issue. Alcohol. In general, there were no raging drunks, but I came across a dude who was really hammered and he was still holding two drinks. Usually I just ignore these people, but an escalator was stopped and he was walking up the escalator slowly, tipping over left and right. I could tell from his face he was messed up, how is this dude still holding beer? Weird.

In Closing:
Again, I have to thank ReedPOP for allowing Animesou.com the chance to cover this event. I also have to thank them for managing this event. It is not easy and they do a great job at it. On a side note, it was nice to learn that Paris will have their own Comic Con in 2015. I have to thank Viz Media for inviting Takeshi Obata and crew and allow a chance for the fans in the States to show their love for his works. I also have to thank the vendors, the artists, and the fans for making this event even possible. Let’s look forward to next year! October 8th - 11th, 2015!

Synopsis:
An original anime series about Nagate, a low-born youth in a society of genetically engineered humans, refugees that escaped the destruction of Earth one thousand years earlier and now occupy the massive ship Sidonia. When Nagate’s talent as a pilot is revealed he becomes one of Sidonia’s elite defenders against the Gauna, shapeshifting aliens bent on eliminating humans from existence. Based on the popular Japanese manga comic.

Review:
A Netflix original anime series? That was unexpected. Shidonia no Kishi or Knights of Sidonia was originally a manga series that was later adapted into anime by Polygon Pictures; which then brings us to the exclusive streaming rights on Netflix. Now that we got that out of the way, let’s get on with the review.

Knights of Shidonia is set in space, a thousand years after they have left Earth due to the Gauna invasion. Our main protagonist Nagate Tanikaze was raised in the underworld of Sidonia, never leaving for the surface and always practicing on his grandfather’s robot simulator. During the initial scenes, we get to see exactly what we should be expecting from the show. Fast mecha action scenes and some borderline gruesome animation… personally I find the disintegration of the Gauna stomach turning. But that’s just me. Anyways, as a result of Tanikaze being raised by his grandfather in the underworld (no, not your typical underworld), he did not receive the genetic manipulation the population received, and therefore gets hungry like any normal human being. On his way to search for food, he slips, falls and is captured by the Sidonia governing body. It is during his whole “booking” process that we find out more about Tanikaze and the current situation of Sidonia.

It has been a while since I was entertained by a mecha anime. Some of the mecha that I have come across lately are either boring or lacked focus in the machinery. Knights of Sidonia, does not lose sight of what it is. This show is about mecha action along with a story that grips even the casual viewer. Unlike a lot of other anime where the protagonist is often the very emotionally imbalanced type, who constantly searches for the right and wrong. Nagate Tanikaze is confident in his ability and performs the way that is instilled by his grandfather. While Tanikaze is a straightforward character, the majority of his peers are flip floppers. On the first day that he attends pilot school, he is looked down upon due to his status. After he does something impressive, his peers changed at an instant, only to change back and forth. This flip flopping in how other characters perceive Tanikaze kind of gets annoying after a while.

One thing you should not do, while you watch Knights of Sidonia, is fall in love with any characters. They could die in battle at a drop of a hat. I guess that is what makes this show so much more “realistic.” You see, these Gaunas are no joke. If we were playing a game, these mobs are way overpowered. Even Sidonia’s elite Garde teams do not make it back alive. The anime shows how emotions can deter one’s ability to fight in combat. From this display, one wrong move or hesitation can mean the life and death of the entire team.

The Breakdown:
Knights of Sidonia consists of one season, twelve episodes, with a second season in the works. Judging by that, the anime did a great job in getting as much out of the twelve episodes as it did. I was impressed at how the whole time I was watching, I never once thought this piece was dragging on or it was cutting things short. Maybe they should have extended the action scenes more, if that is one complaint that I have. Now do not expect to learn much about the origin of the Gauna? Maybe in season two; they are still a mystery here. There are signs that they are a sentient species as the show rolled on. But aside from speculation, nothing concrete is revealed.

Synopsis

“…this thrilling, multi layered series will take the audience back to the formative years of the iconic characters, Ryu and Ken, as they live a traditional warrior’s life in secluded Japan. The boys are, unknowingly, the last practitioners of the ancient fighting style known as ‘Ansatsuken’ (Assassin’s Fist). The series follows them as they learn about the mysterious past of their Master, Goken, and the tragic and dark legacy of the Ansatsuken style. Can their destiny be changed…or will history repeat itself?” - from the official Press Release (http://www.streetfighteraf.com/)

Review

The web series is a prequel taking place prior to the video game Street Fighter 1. Heck it’s before even Street Fighter Alpha with scenes of childhood Ryu and Ken. I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of training, discipline, and katas (forms) put in to the show to highlight martial arts. The story matches tradition against the thirst for power as the characters search to unlock the secrets of the hado. Goken reminds me of Mr. Miyagi from Karate Kid. My favorite quote is Goken quoting Gen: “There are many paths to the top of the mountain, but the view is always the same.”

Overall

Released on May 23, 2014, I didn’t know about it until June 6 when I was doing a random search on Youtube for Street Fighter. I wish there was more advertising for Assassin’s Fist. Perhaps I’ve been away from the industry for too long. It just seems to be one of those gems that you hear by word of mouth or that will spread like wildfire on Facebook.

Yoshiki Classical popped up in San Francisco on April 28 and it was one hell of a night.

Yoshiki is the drummer for legendary rock group X Japan and trained as a classical pianist when he was a wee boy.  Tonight he took a break from double bass rhythms and set up one of his Kawai Yoshiki Custom pianos on the stage of Davies Symphony Hall.  This is the home of the San Francisco Symphony and for this night became a hatching ground for hundreds of new Yoshiki fans to join the ranks of the thousands who were already there.

True to its name, the Yoshiki Classical World Tour consists of Yoshiki on piano and an accompaniment of six string musicians on violins, violas, and a cello.  X Japan’s vocalist Toshi popped up for a couple of cameos and even sang the song Tears on stage.  In the previous stop on April 25th bandmate Sugizo came out and played his own violin with Yoshiki.  This all hints towards X Japan’s new album which will hopefully come out this year.  A later announcement by Yoshiki marked October 11 as the next big Madison Square Garden show.

Here is the full setlist for the night:

Forever Love
Golden Globes Theme
Rosa
IV
Tears
Anniversary
(Intermission)
Amethyst
Swan Lake
Birthday Song
HERO
Without You
Kurenai
Art of Life
Endless Rain

As you can see there are many X Japan songs on this list.  They’re all adapted to the more delicate stylings of the strings and piano.  My favorite was Art of Life and it’s a great song in its own right, classical or not.  The original Art of Life is almost thirty minutes long and Yoshiki starts about halfway through with the haunting melodies of his piano.  Utilizing a laptop and soundboard he plays a piece and overdubs it with some more playing to make one hell of a performance.

By the end of the night there were many flowers thrown on stage and the cries of “We are X!” resounded through the room.  A US flag with some San Francisco graffiti made its way onstage and was held aloft by the superstar.  He may have been born in Japan but he’s made the United States his home all the same.

The next tour stop will be in a couple of weeks on May 21 in Moscow.  If you can go, I strongly encourage it.

May 21 (W), RU - Moscow - Crocus City Hall
May 23 (F), DE - Berlin - Tempodrom
May 26 (M), FR - Paris - Le Trianon
May 29 (Th), UK - London - Royal Festival Hall
June 6 (F), CH - Beijing - Beijing Exhibition Center
June 8 (Su), CH - Shanghai - Oriental Arts
June 10 (Tu), TH - Bangkok - Royal Jubilee Hall
June 13 (F), CH - Taipei - NK101 Taipei
June 16 (M), JP - Tokyo - Metropolitan Theater
June 17 (Tu), JP - Osaka - The Symphony Hall

Please check out yoshiki.net for more info and tickets.

Late last month May’n announced a concert in Los Angeles at the Musician’s Institute as part of her Dots and Lines 10th Anniversary World Tour.  Set for July 17, it marks her first return to the mainland United States since 2012 (concert report here).  I have to say I was a little bummed because the 17th happens to be a Thursday.  Considering that I’ve already taken a bunch of time off that month I would probably have to fly down day-of and take an early morning flight back in time for work.

Luckily for me that isn’t a problem because she later announced a second concert in San Francisco.  This one is set for July 20, a Sunday.  The venue of choice is Slim’s and it’s one I’m very well acquainted with.  We covered Stereopony’s concert there and I’ve seen many a metal show within those walls.  It’s a small venue but that just means you’ll be closer to May’n.  Maybe it’s just the fact that I’m in the press of the crowd that makes it feel small.

She’ll also be popping up at J-Pop Summit for a quick hello.  I’m a big fan of J-Pop Summit and have been going for the last four or so years.  They’ve had many a musical act ranging from Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, Kylee, the Akabane Vulgars, and LovendoR.  Best of all it’s free so head on over to Japantown for both Saturday and Sunday (July 19 and 20).

May’n’s first major debut was in 2008 as the singing voice of Macross Frontier’s Sheryl Nome  and she has continued to grow since then.  It’s almost hard to believe that six years have passed since then.  She’s most recently done songs for the anime series Blood Lad and Inari, Konkon, Koi Iroha and she shows no signs of stopping.  Her 10th anniversary tour has been running since February and has dates through November.

Tickets are $45 in advance (buy it from the box office to avoid a fee), $50 at the door, and $100 for a meet and greet VIP ticket.  An autograph is included.

I’ll see you there.

A list of the global tour’s future stops is as follows:

May 25 - Ibaraki, JP - Mito VOICE
June 1 - Taipei, TW - Neo Studio
June 2 - Taipei, TW - Neo Studio
June 5 - Kyoto, JP - Kyoto FANJ
June 7 - Fukui, JP -  Fukui Hibiki no Hall
June 8 - Toyama, JP - Toyama MAIRO
June 21 - Chiba, JP - Kashiwa PALLOZA
July 5 - Iwate, JP - Morioka Club CHANGE WAVE
July 6 - Akita, JP - Akita Club SWINDLE
July 12 - Yamanashi, JP - Kofu CONVINCTION
July 17 - Los Angeles, US - Musician’s Institute
July 20 - San Francisco, US - Slim’s
August 24 - Tokyo, JP - Zepp Tokyo
October 4 - Seoul, KR - V-HALL
October 31 - Shanghai, CN - Shanghai Center Theater
November 2 - Guangzhou, CN - Guangzhou Bud Theater

Later this April Yoshiki will embark on his Yoshiki Classical World Tour.  For many Yoshiki needs no more introduction than the following: X-Japan.  He is the leader and drummer for the Japanese rock megagroup.  He has become much more than just a metal musician over the years and his fingerprints can be seen on many other industries including comic books, headphones, and even Hello Kitty (the aptly named Yoshikitty).

As the name might suggest it is a tour orchestral in nature.  Yoshiki’s album “Yoshiki Classical” was released last summer and quickly shot up the charts around the world.  It includes covers of X Japan songs as well as others.  As for the actual contents of the tour it’s anyone’s guess; the mini-concert in February had a few things we’ve heard in this format and others we haven’t.  Consider the album a preview of what you might here.  What we do know is that it’ll be Yoshiki on piano with a string quartet accompaniment.

He has labeled it “part one” which hints at more shows to come.  If none are near enough to you right now there’s still hope.

The tour kicks off in Costa Mesa, California on April 25th and stops by my neck of the woods on the 28th.  It later heads to Mexico, Europe, and finally Asia.

Tickets, at least for San Francisco, range between $30 for the highest seats and $100 for the closest.  Not too shabby.

Check out yoshiki.net for more info.
Here’s a rundown of the dates:

April 25 (F), USA - Costa Mesa - Segerstrom Center of the Arts
April 28 (M), USA - San Francisco - Davies Symphony Hall
May 3 (Sa), MX - Mexico City - Blackberry Auditorium
May 10 (Sa), CA - Toronto - Queen Elizabeth Theater (CANCELLED)
May 21 (W), RU - Moscow - Crocus City Hall
May 23 (F), DE - Berlin - Tempodrom
May 26 (M), FR - Paris - Le Trianon
May 29 (Th), UK - London - Royal Festival Hall
June 6 (F), CH - Beijing - Beijing Exhibition Center
June 8 (Su), CH - Shanghai - Oriental Arts
June 10 (Tu), TH - Bangkok - Royal Jubilee Hall
June 13 (F), CH - Taipei - NK101 Taipei
June 16 (M), JP - Tokyo - Metropolitan Theater
June 17 (Tu), JP - Osaka - The Symphony Hall

February 15th.  A nice night for a concert.  San Francisco’s Regency Ballroom played host to the second stop of Kyary Pamyu Pamyu’s “KPP NANDA COLLECTION 2014 WORLD TOUR.”

Kyary, at the ripe old age of 21, is a pop force to be reckoned with.  Her trademark song is PONPONPON and it has made the rounds on Youtube and Nico Nico garnering tens of millions of views around the world.  She wasn’t always a singer but she’s definitely made a place for herself.  Kyary started as a fashion model and blogger and her eclectic style has entered both her music and the videos that spring from them.

The show started right on the dot at 8pm.  No sound check, no setup, just Kyary and her dancers ready to go.  We saw this group at the J-Pop Summit last year and they’re as much a part of the show as Kyary is.  They were dressed in a toy motif that matched the background props.  The crowd erupted in cheers when they hit the stage and the night just went from there.

Kyary’s music is infectious to say the least.  Electronic beats provided by CAPSULE’s Yasutaka Nakata filled the air and your head.  Even if this isn’t your thing you unconsciously start bobbing your head and moving your feet.  Staring the night was a few favorites like Invader Invader, Ninja Re Bang Bang, and Furisodeshon.  About halfway through Kyary introduced her newest single, Yume no Hajima Ring Ring.  It’s about graduation, the goodbyes to your friends and teachers, and the dreams and road ahead.  It’s only been performed live a handful of times and this is the second time for both America and anywhere outside of Japan.

Rounding out the set list were PONPONPON and Fashion Monster.  When Kyary says jump, you jump, and damn, the floor moved.  I’m not sure what it’s rated for but all those bodies created enough kinetic energy to make it bounce.  After Fashion Monster ended and Kyary exited with the stage going dark the chants began: “Kyary, Kyary, Kyary!”  I was tempted to yell “on-ko-re!” in Japanese fashion but knew it wasn’t needed.    The final two songs were Candy Candy and Chan Chaka Chan Chan and they had the message of “goodbye, farewell, may we meet again.”  A great way to end things.