Right Stuf, Inc. and Sunrise Inc. announce the upcoming release of Gundam Build Fighters. Gundam Build Fighters will be available on Blu-ray and DVD August 2, 2016. Read the rest of this entry »
VIZ Media announces its continued support and sponsorship for FREE COMIC BOOK DAY with a pair of special FREE manga (graphic novel) samplers that will include excerpts from VIZ Media’s newest POKÉMON POCKET COMICS: LEGENDARY POKÉMON release as well as a Shonen Jump sampler containing action-packed excerpts from ONE-PUNCH MAN and MY HERO ACADEMIA. Read the rest of this entry »
VIZ Media expands its shojo manga roster with the May 3rd launch of THE HEIRESS AND THE CHAUFFUER, a new 2-volume series by creator Keiko Ishihara depicting the romance between a turn-of-the-century heiress and her devoted servant. Read the rest of this entry »
I have finally completed the review on the highly anticipated live action adaptation of Attack on Titan. This is one show that does not live up to the hype at all. So do yourself a favor, if you had any intentions of watching this show, please don’t. You will never get the time that you have wasted on these movies back!
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.
VIZ Media has partnered with the premier global talent and literary agency, United Talent Agency (UTA), to develop a diverse range of live-action programming based on titles from VIZ Media’s extensive catalog of manga and anime properties. The partnership will create significant new opportunities to further capitalize on the strong interest in Japanese pop culture and entertainment brands expressed by the Hollywood and international film studio communities, the broadcast industry, and a burgeoning range of emerging multimedia and online content producers. Read the rest of this entry »
Sorry for the lack of updates, but this past weekend, I married my soulmate. Over the last couple months, since we arrived at the new year, it was crunch time. We had to make sure the wedding details were set. I had to make sure the groomsmen had their suits ready and their shoes, ties, etc. Things were quite hectic. Now that the knot has been tied, things should slow down and I hope to have the time to contribute more to the website.
The staff at Animesou would like to wish everyone a Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year!
Here are my views on Fate Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works. For those who have Netflix, both seasons are currently available for streaming. It is probably a much better option, than to shell out the crazy amount the Blurays are going for.
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.