And so I’m back to being nostalgic…BLISTERING BARNACLES! XD
This time I’ll be raving about The Adventures of Tintin. No, I’ll not actually rave about the book, but the animated adaptation of it. That’s the closest I’ve ever been with following Tintin. LOL
Anyway, of all the cartoons that I saw on Cartoon Network circa 2004-2006, Tintin was one of the shows that I truly watch out for aside from The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest and The New Adventures of Captain Planet. (So many adventures, eh? LOL)
I’ll first rave about the theme song. I don’t know where to start, but to me at least, the theme song gives me the adventurous feel of the story. Just hear it from the drum rolls and the melodic trumpet. I just can’t put into words how I feel when I listen to its theme song. Heck, I even made it the message tone for my cell phone! XD
Next will be the art and animation style. As far as I’m concerned, since I’ve inclined myself to like Japanese anime, Tintin’s art style didn’t hinder me to follow it. Actually, just like my theater teacher said, less is more. After all, Tintin is set in the real world, where there are a few to no characters wearing fancy outfits. Every “special effect” that the cartoon offered is hand-drawn, the way I see it; simplistic, yet stylish.
The protagonist, Tintin, is not your typical kind of main character. Usually, your hero always favors the good side, while Tintin is more of a caught-in-the-middle type of character, whose heroism only shows when he is indeed caught in the middle. His job description is an investigative reporter of Belgian nationality. Given this, his supposed heroism is covered by his neutrality. He’s more like an everyman, if you will. The “juicy” character traits were instead disseminated to his supporting characters that are most of the time present for comic relief to the obviously serious and adventurous plot.
I give it a 5/5 for the plot, and 3/5 for the character designs, and 4/5 for the theme song; hence a 4/5 overall. I consider Hergé as one of the best cartoonist/novelist thanks to his Tintin.
THUNDERING TYPHOONS! There goes another biased review! LOL
I would just copy-paste Wikipedia's entry on this crossover in order for me to save time for my raves. XD
"Krona, an exiled villain from the DC Universe who has gained the powers of entropy, begins destroying entire universes in his obsession to find out how they are created. The Grandmaster, an alien from the Marvel Universe who is obsessed with games, offers to give Krona the knowledge he seeks in return for not destroying his universe—but only if he can beat him in a game. The game involves manipulating the Avengers and the Justice League into trying to obtain twelve items of power (six from each universe - the DC items being the Spear of Destiny; the Book of Eternity; the Orb of Ra; the Psycho Pirate's Medusa Mask; Uthool's Green Bell; Nyorlath's Silver Wheel; Calythos's Red Jar; and the Green Lantern Power Battery of Kyle Rayner; and the Marvel items being the Ultimate Nullifier; the Evil Eye; the Wand of Watoomb; the Casket of Ancient Winters; the Cosmic Cube; and the Infinity Gems) that have been hidden around across the two worlds. The New God Metron of the DC Universe also helps to trick the heroes into participating. They battle members from the opposing team until a final confrontation during which Krona and the Grandmaster betray each other.
Krona scans the Grandmaster's mind and learns of Galactus, while the Grandmaster uses the power of the twelve artifacts to merge the two universes and trap Krona at their centre. Krona then retaliates by killing the Grandmaster and causing the universes to collapse. The Avengers and the Justice League join forces to battle Krona, and due to several chronal distortions are aided by past members of both teams. Krona is finally defeated, and implodes to become a "cosmic egg" from which a universe will eventually be born. The two universes are returned to normal with no evidence of Krona's tampering."
Unlike Marvel vs. DC which I gave a 4/5 rating, I would rate this a perfect five. Marvel vs. DC focused on the dream matches and was more on the fan service; JLA/Avengers does it too, however with big-time modifications.
In Marvel vs. DC, the heroes were fighting for their respective universes' supremacy, while in JLA/Avengers, they were again used as pawns by the higher powers, but the twist in here was that Krona's pawns were the Avengers, while the Grandmaster's are the Justice League. That meant if the Avengers won, then Krona would have won. Good thing Captain America and Batman were wise enough to deduce that something's wrong. The plot twists were in general so colossal, that it even involved the "innocent" Galactus into the mix!
If only I wasn't ignorant of the publishing houses, and I if I only knew crossovers like these were of really ginormous proportions, I would have instantly bought these comics even if it meant blasting a whole comic book shop! LOL
Yeah, I wasn't seriously reviewing this comic; I was just going ga-ga yet again. XD
By the way, sorry for the spoiler image, and thanks to Master Earl for the comic scans! :D
I'm not the right guy to make a review about this, because I, for starters, LOVE crossovers when I see them (except maybe Mortal Kombat vs. DC). And when I first got a hold of then-one-peso-per-four-pieces Marvel vs. DC cards, I said to myself, I just had to collect all these cards, which I never did, because I used to wager them in "flying-saucer" card games.
Just this week I got to ravage the Internet for pictures of the Marvel vs. DC cards I used to have, and I luckily saw these thumbnails. And after seeing this set, one online friend of mine posted a link to its comic scans. Thanks Pendrille.
Anyway, let's go forth to the review, though this would be more of a rave one, given that I'm a crossover fan.
The story begins when two entities, only referred to as "the Brothers", each personifying Marvel and DC universes, became aware of each other's existence. They vied for supremacy by pitting their universe's respective superheroes in a series of matches, wherein a victorious universe propelling the other to disappear in existence.
After the battles had been fought with Marvel being the winner, Marvel's and DC's respective cosmic beings the Living Tribunal and Spectre, merged the universes into an Amalgam universe to avert the ceasing of the DC Universe. Enter Axel Asher, an ordinary teenager who was given the power and responsibility as "the Access" after meeting a bum who was seemingly protecting an ordinary cardboard box that was actually a portal between the two universes. Access managed to undo the amalgamation of the universes by using shards of each universe hidden inside Captain America and Batman, who were somewhat the miniature representations of the Brothers. With the aid of the two heroes, Access helped stop the fight between the Brothers that would have wiped out both universes. The Brothers, looking at Captain America and Batman, acknowledged the foolishness of their continued conflict and reconciled.
The results of the fights were as follows: (I took the hassle of finding out who donned the costumes or which aliases they used the time this crossover was made. XD)
It's interesting to note the brief relationship that developed between Robin and Jubilee. If that crossover were to continue, they could have thought of expounding on that "love team".
Confrontations between Doctor Strange and Doctor Fate, the Martian Manhunter and the Thing, Hawkeye and the Green Arrow, Steel and Iron Man were also featured, albeit with no clear winners. A brief encounter between New God Darkseid and Titan Thanos was also highlighted in the one-shot crossover comic.
If there's one sport that I don't appreciate, then it's gotta be the blood sport cockfighting. And what's worse about it is that it's even broadcast on cable television.
I am not truly an animal rights activist, but what people do with these roosters is almost the same as what torturous butchers I've heard of do. True, the cock owners (yeah, that didn't sound right) treat their roosters as if they were humans: bathing them, feeding them food and vitamins, and training them to enhance their stamina and stuff, only to have them equipped with blades to fight and injure the opponent's rooster. What's up with that?
Why can't we settle with just boxing, wrestling and mixed martial arts? Why do we have to involve these innocent birds that will later on end up as fried chicken?
I just can't stand it when my favorite delicacy is subjected to such form of human amusement. And yes, this is more of a rant than a review.
IO isn't just any other romance manga that incorporates comedy and ecchi. It also offers an engaging story that taps on the supernatural. Using the sport of scuba diving as the base line, it develops into a touching love story that also teaches the value of family ties.
IO chronicles the story of Taiyo Nakahara, a high school student from Tokyo, who went to Okinawa to look for the the ocean where his father disappeared 10 years ago and dive in it. Upon arrival on the airport, when he tries to hit on a girl, it turns out to be Shibuki, his childhood friend who accuses him of killing his mother. Taiyo, on the other hand, doesn't know what she's talking about, but it was revealed that it was amnesia. Only by meeting Shibuki's elder sister Nagisa and younger sister Mio (who initially has a mysterious aura surrounding her character), and staying at their inn will he recover his lost memories.
And gradually he did recover his lost memories, so is his relationship with the sisters. While this is so, something larger than life threatens to surface out to haunt Taiyo once again. And this story develops from the quest to find the ruins that caused his family grief to an interesting sibling rivalry for our main character's love to an ultimate revelation that will shatter it deeply.
Oceans, whales, hot girls in skimpy bikinis...what can a man ask for? :P
I give Minato Koio's IO a 5/5 rating, because he has excellently created a manga that perfectly blended supernaturalism, romance and sexy comedy in one story. I don't know what to say next, but I know I can relay them using my vernacular. :D
The reason I've rated this game 2 out of 5 is mainly due to making me "wanting". The version I played is the Philippine version, and I wasn't satisfied.
But let me first have my say on the good side of the game. Yes, the game system is a breakthrough, if you include the multiplayer option (the game allows up to three players simultaneously), and the sprites are cute. XD
Now on the downside. The game is unsatisying, because it only has eight stages, and on the final one, the boss is a possessed Kafra, which for some reason, made me want to find out why. Since the game doesn't have juicy dialogues, it wasn't explained as to how a Kafra became the supposed "final boss" of the game. It made me think that there's supposed to be a next stage after this.
That's where the expansions come into place. However, the version I got doesn't have that, and I think downloading it won't be the answer, because I don't think it would be compatible with the version I have.
I thought that the 2+ GB of consumed memory space would be worth it. Not to mention that is isn't stand-alone (it still requires the CD inside the optical drive). Tsk tsk tsk...
(Note: I just want to reiterate that the version I'm reviewing here isn't the whole game in general, but the Philippine release version that I have with me. If I ever had the updated version, I would have reviewed it in a better light. XD
Full Moon wo Sagashite revolves around the story of Mitsuki Koyama, a 12-year old girl with a talent for singing. However, she couldn't fulfill her dream due to her throat cancer, which is only curable by surgery and at the expense of her voice. The tumor in her throat doesn't allow her to sing loudly and it affects her breathing; also, her grandmother hates music of all things. Until one day she meets two shinigami, Takuto and Meroko, who accidentally reveal to her that she has only one year left to live. Takuto makes a proposal to Mitsuki, that if she goes quietly when her time is up, he will help her fulfill her dream of becoming a singer.
FullMoon, as its North America publication title, is a shoujo manga written by Arina Tanemura. Shueisha published the manga in the magazine Ribon and was compiled into seven tankobon volumes. Nihon Ad Systems produced an anime version of the series even before the manga was completed (that's probably why bitin ako sa anime).
The songs in the anime were provided by the band Changin' My Life (CML), most sung by lead vocalist myco, who also provided the voice for Mitsuki.
Wait, I'm reviewing the manga; why am I talking about the anime? LOL
Anyway, FullMoon is a must read, especially for fans who love cheese. There are a lot of unexpected twists and turns, and miracles of love, if you will. Hehehe
Blue Dragon RalΩGrad is an action-comedy-ecchi-fantasy manga by authored by Tsuneo Takano and illustrated by Death Note artist Takeshi Obata. The plot of this 29-"tale" manga revolves around a 15-year-old boy named Ral and his symbiotic relationship with the "shadow" of a giant blue dragon, Grad.
In a world where demonic creatures named shadows enter our realm through their very namesakes, little is safe. However, when a young boy by the name of Ral becomes friends with the shadow inside him, he may be the last hope in saving the world. Ral lives on the island of Sphaein, in the kingdom of Sphaelite. There he has been enlisted to protect the kingdom from evil shadows that wish to destroy it. With the aid of his shadow, a large blue dragon named Grad, and his teacher, Mio, Ral can take on any challenger.
As previously mentioned, Ral has a symbiotic relationship with Grad, as they had been locked up in a dark prison for 15 years. Since he had no knowledge of the outside world, Mio, a very beautiful and educated woman who served as his teacher while he was still locked up, gradually taught him more. And the first thing that Ral learned was about women's breasts, as it was Mio's initial motivational tactic to make Ral get the job done. That soon became Ral's goal in defeating enemy shadows; to protect the women and their breasts; it was then he called himself "Ral the Boob Groper". Despite his immoral habit he has a pure heart where he sees the reason men fight shadows "to protect their beloved women", and loves the vibrant beauty of the world.
As always, I am raving about this manga because it is ecchi. LOL But mind you, I'm not only into these stuff but into romantic ones as well. Just you wait until I review Full Moon. Hehehe
Pretty Face (プリティフェイス, Puriti Feisu) is a story involving many different types of characters which takes place mostly at the school the main characters attend, Seika high school. The main protagonist is Randou Masashi, a highschool student and a karate expert who harbors an unconfessed love for a fellow student, Rina Kurimi. One day on route back from a karate tournament in Hokkaidō, he is caught in a tragic school bus accident and burned beyond recognition.
Randou awakes from a coma one year later to find that he's been in the care of a doctor named John Manabe talented enough to reconstruct his body, though ends up using the closest thing to an identification found on his body as a basis to reconstruct his face - a photo of Rina.
Afterwards, Randou finds out that during his year long coma, he was mistakenly pronounced deceased, his parents moved away, and even his house was demolished. Once he has realized his old life is now gone and has broken down on the sidewalk in front of his former household, he runs into Rina by chance, and is mistaken for her missing twin sister, Yuna. After Rina takes him back to her house and presents him as Yuna, he proclaims to have amnesia in order to not arouse any sudden suspicions. Later, after seeing Rina in so much pain with having her sister gone, Randou decides to impersonate Yuna for the time being until he can find the real Yuna and reunite her with Rina and her family.
Pretty Face is a manga series written and illustrated by Japanese author Yasuhiro Kano revolving around a high school boy attempting to impersonate a girl. A common theme in the series is the loving relationships the characters share for each other, whether they be between siblings, friends, or lovers.
The Pretty Face manga was first serialized in the manga magazine Weekly Shonen Jump, with the first bound volume released on October 4, 2002. The series ended in Japan in 2003 with the final, sixth volume in the series released on November 4 of that year. There is a fair amount of fan service associated with the story, but never to the point to be considered hentai. The manga series has a rather abrupt ending, finishing with fifty-two chapters. It was intended to run longer, but was canceled for unknown reasons. The last chapter featured additional information and alternate endings, as well as some original storyboard art. A running gag in the series is that the eyes of the characters will pop out of their sockets when something shocking happens.
Lilim Kiss (りりむキッス, Ririmu Kissu) is a shonen manga created by Mizuki Kawashita, about a boy whose life is disrupted by a lilim who feeds on people's energy by kissing them (in this case, the protagonist).
The manga spans 2 volumes, and is of the romance/comedy genre.
The story is about Takaya Saiki, a tough, but surprisingly vain guy who's practically invincible, as he couldn't be beaten by anyone at school, both physically and intellectually. That started to change when a pendant was dropped on his head by a crow at random, and he sets a lilim free after opening it. He names her Lilim, after her species, since she has no name of her own. He makes a bargain with Lilim to be her sole provider of life energy (i.e. Lilim would kiss only him), so she won't need to take other men's life energies.
After finding out that Takaya's energy is much different than others, Lilim agrees to kiss only him. Takaya convinces his parents to let Lilim stay at their house and eventually falls in love with her, his personality mellowing greatly in the process. She soon reveals that the reason Takaya's life energy nourishes her better than that of most men, is because they have moles in similar places. This could be theorized to indicate a mystic similarity between the two of them.
She was trapped inside a pendant until Takaya set her free. Once sealed in the pendant, she loses all of her memories. Eventually, Lilim is re-sealed in her bottle by Yukihiko Souma, her previous owner, who intends to reclaim her after the sealing has wiped her memory. But it didn't come according to his plan, as Takaya's desire to be reunited with Lilim is the only thing capable of breaking the seal placed on her by Yukihiko.
Although she has lost her memory, she feels a strong desire to be with Takaya and no other. It is most likely that she returns his feelings; that romantic attraction to Takaya has become an integral part of her subconscious, as opposed to her erasable conscious.
Another romantic manga with an nosebleed-inducing ecchi twist, recommended for people like me. :D
Suzuka (涼風, Suzuka) is a Japanese manga authored by Kouji Seo. The series is a character-driven romance story that uses the athletics of track and field as a subplot. The story primarily follows the life of the teenager Yamato Akitsuki, who moved to Tokyo to change himself, and his main love interest Suzuka Asahina, a talented and highly scouted high jumper who lives in Yamato's aunt's dormitory and attends his new high school.
Suzuka was serialized in the Japanese magazine Weekly Shonen Magazine published by Kodansha. It was adapted into a twenty-six episode anime series and aired on TV Tokyo in Japan between 6 July 2005 and 28 December 2005. Both versions of the series have been licensed for release in North America by two different companies. The manga has been licensed for publication by Del Rey Manga under their mature line. The anime series has been licensed and is being released by FUNimation Entertainment.
The anime series practically left me hanging after 26 episodes. But when I found out from Wikipedia that the anime only covers half of the story, I had to see the continuation for myself. Thanks to my online buddy (You know who you are :D), I finally got to continue to where I left off after watching Suzuka: it practically took me a quarter of a year to finally find this manga!
Anyway, Suzuka is a romantic sports-based drama, as stated above, that offers some comic relief and graphic fan service (i.e. bathhouse scenes), but there are no explicit content at all; the nudity is just for artistic shots, in my opinion. (Nosebleed FTW XD) Overall, the plot seriously dwells on the two main characters' arguments, struggles and challenges that test the strength of their relationship, and how they go through them all.
This is a must read, for manga readers who love romance and some ecchi fan service.
My must-not-forget chapters (Hehehehe): #115: Yukata #147: Body Heat
This episode of Monday Night RAW is a real special one, as WWE's flagship program celebrated its 15th anniversary this past Monday.
Superstars from the past have been invited to join the celebration, from legends to Hall of Famers to alumni and Divas. Hulk Hogan, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Mick Foley, Trish Stratus, and Lita, to name a few.
Speaking of reunions, it had been a triple reunion for Triple H, as he reunited with the McMahon family (he was on-screen married to Stephanie, and they really are), Evolution, and DX.
There are also some funny segments, including the "reunion" of Lita and Kane, who were "married". Kane was somewhat trying to date Lita again; a "DAMN!" scene, as Ron Simmons put it.
The highlights of the night were the Ladder match for the Intercontinental Championship, and the Evolution Reunion match. There were four of them in the ring, but one chose to go against the other three, as Randy Orton instead reunited with Edge to reunite Rated RKO and teamed up with Umaga.
Hulk Hogan made his presence felt in the middle of a match between Hotnswoggle and the Great Khali. And reminiscent of the Hogan-Andre staredown at WrestleMania 3, the two clashed in the middle of the ring, with the Hulkster gaining the upper hand.
The main event was not a match, but instead an announcement made by Vince McMahon, about who's the greatest Raw Superstar in history: it's none other than himself.
Disgusted with the announcement, Mick Foley, dressed as Mankind, made a statement by Socko-ing Vince. Then a familiar gong sounded, signaling the Undertaker's entrance. He chokeslammed the Chairman afterwards, then vanished as the lights went off. Then Stone Cold arrived, trash-talked Vince, gave him a toast of cold beer and a Stunner.
Much to the delight of the fans, Stone Cold declared each and every fan the greatest Superstars of Raw, and that's the bottom line. He then called on every Superstar backstage for a toast of cold beer.
This is the most memorable Raw episode ever, and this is undoubtedly the greatest primetime show to ever air on cable.
This is more of a preview than a review. But anyway, WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008 is a multi-platform wrestling video game based on World Wrestling Entertainment's shows, Monday Night Raw, Friday Night SmackDown and ECW. It is developed by YUKE's Media and published by THQ for the PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii, DS and Xbox360.
Aside from the updated roster (though five of them are already released before the game's completion), SvR08 offers an innovation to the gameplay through the all-new 8 Superstar Fighting Styles: the Brawler, Powerhouse, Highflyer, Hardcore, Dirty, Submission, Technical and Showman. These styles differentiate a Superstar from the other, and each style has its ups and downs when facing other styles.
Also new is the Struggle Submission system, incorporating more use of the analog control during gameplay.
The Season Mode is now combined with the GM Mode to comprise the 24/7 Mode. This will follow a Superstars tracks into becoming a WWE Legend.
I am still to buy this game when it reaches the Philippines. There are so much expectations from this one, and I hope it lives up to the hype.
In order to calm myself down after frustrations caused by CRS, I bought myself a (relatively) new PS2 game, Digimon World Data Squad. I've played it for 10 hours so far, and I can't help but compare Digimon to another anime, or game for that matter; Pokemon.
NOTE: In all actuality, this comparison was brought about first by my fellow fan. (Kilala mo na kung sino ka)
First things first: I shall compare the two when they first aired on Philippine television. Pokemon came first in the Philippines through GMA-7 and it instanly gained popularity. Months after its premiere, ABS-CBN aired Digimon as an attempt to counteract their rival station. unfortunately for the latter, Pokemon had been so famous, that Digimon wasn't successful in unseating it because of its later debut, not to mention the poor English dubbing. Though there were still some people, including myself, who supported the anime.
Now here's the real deal: Before they made it into anime success that they are, both were first video games. Pokemon was exclusive for Nintendo, while Digimon was a multi-platform game series. And that's the first advantage of Digimon over Pokemon.
Next are the setting and concept: Pokemon is set in a world similar to reality, only the animals were replaced by so-called Pokemon. Pokemon are basically mutated animals or plants or hybrids that have unique powers and are trained for battle in Pokemon tournaments. With their names as their only mode of language, it is being questioned how are these Pokemon able to communicate with one another. Also, their evolutions are made such that it represents their growth.
Digimon, on the other hand, takes place in a future where the real world interconnects with the digital world. Digimon are computer-generated creatures whose level of intellect matches or even surpasses that of humans. Most have the power of human speech, and some have the power to destroy both worlds. "Digivolution" is either controlled by the Digivice (portmanteau od digital and device), an apparatus exclusive to the Digimon series, or by the Digimon's will to evolve.
Next in line is the character design: Pokemon are designed to have the cutesy look, while maintaniing the kick-ass attitude. Digimon are designed to look cutesy to cool to badass to horrifying in order to separate the good Digimon from the bad guys.
What comes next is the story. In Pokemon, it seems the main goal of the hero who we shall call "Pokemon trainer" is to be the greatest Pokemon master who ever lived; while Digimon digs deeper than that: as the heroes who we shall call "Digimon tamers" aim to defeat the evil Digimon and maintain the harmony between the two worlds.
Now we're out of the games, it's time we get to the toy line. If I'm not mistaken, Pokemon stuff produced today are only either stuff toys or mini figurines, while Digimon overwhelms the buyers with action figures complete with toy accessories. Both also have card games based on their respective games, in which Pokemon seemingly dominates.
But overall, I hand it to Akiyoshi Hongo and his Digital Monsters. If it weren't for him, there'd be no comparisons made, and all children of the world would still be slaves of these puppy-eyed, uh, forgot what I was supposed to say. But the bottomline is, Pokemon doesn't pwn Digimon: It's the other way around.
So again, here I go with my biased review, this time on Namco Bandai Games' Naruto Shippuuden: Narutimate Accel.
This is the fourth installment in the Narutimate Hero series, now highlighting the time skip, hence the addition of Shippuuden in the title.
Since Masashi Kishimoto and company haven't finished animating the manga by the time the developers started making the game, the only new characters that are added are those that appeared in the Rescue Gaara arc, namely Deidara, Sasori and Chiyo. (Hahaha, spoiled ya! Though it isn't much of a spoiler anymore) Though Naruto had grown in Shippuuden, you can still play as his younger self, as all of the characters from Narutimate Hero 3 reappear in this game.
I had an easy time unlocking most of the characters: I just had to plug in a memory card containing a save file of NH3 (no, not ammonia). In addition to unlocking most of the characters (except six), you get an instant 100,000 Ryou (the anime's currency) for purchase of special items.
The gameplay doesn't deviate from NH3, but there is an added system in the middle of a fight in order to determine who wins when the two characters' physical attacks clash. One is the Jan-Ken-Guu-type of mini-game (rock-paper-scissors) which initiates when both players' aerial attacks clash, and the button-mashing test of strength when their chakra-based attacks clash instead.
Also, the RPG mode has been updated as a stand-alone game in itself, where you can only exit the mode after you find a save point. It's story starts with a filler on Naruto's adventures during the time skip, and then continues to the first part of the Rescue Gaara arc. The Story Mode has also been improved in conjunction with the RPG Mode. In order to push through the story, you need to collect "Hero Fragments" in the RPG Mode.
One thing that sets this game apart from the others in the series is that the all-time favorite Sasuke isn't a playable character; in his Shippuuden appearance, at least.
Apart from that, this game is a must-buy for Naruto fans out there. I just did, and had a hard time making it run on my PS2. Hehehe.
If you have never heard of this string, then you might have missed practically half of your gamer's life. This code was popularized in the classic 2D-shooting game, Contra, though it originated from Gradius.
Due to it's popularity and the trend it started, the Konami Code has been adapted in many video games, either made by Konami or not, and with variations in the final button inputs. Either way, this is arguably the most legendary code in all of video gaming history.
Afro Samurai is a 5-episode anime TV series produced by GONZO and directed by Fuminori Kizaki. Before it was animated, it is a dojinshi manga series created by Takashi Okazaki, and inspired by Kung Faux.
This anime is unique, that instead of a Japanese voice cast, it featured American actors, most notably Samuel L. Jackson, who offers his voice for the lead character aptly named Afro for his hairstyle. Also in the cast are Kelly Hu, Phil LaMarr (Samurai Jack), Jeff Bennett (Johnny Bravo) and Ron Perlman. Musical scoring is provided by Wu Tang Clan's RZA. Jackson is also one of the co-producers of this anime. The cost of each episode is estimated at one million dollars, which is a record for GONZO.
The story is set in a "futuristic yet feudal Japan". In the world of Afro Samurai, it is said that whoever becomes "Number One" will gain the power of a god and rule the world. Someone becomes Number One by killing the previous Number One and taking his ceremonial headband; however, only the Number Two is allowed to do so: thus the deathmatch between Afro's father, the previous Number One, and Justice, a gunman who later kills the former to become Number One. Now an adult and a master swordsman himself, Afro sets on a quest to avenge his father's death and ultimately become the Number One.
There are plans to produce a live-action Afro Samurai starring Jackson as the main character, though production has not yet begun.
Namco announced that they would be releasing a video game based on Afro Samurai in both Japan and America. Its video game adaptation has been announced and will be released on the XBOX 360.
Being a Tekken fan, I will be truly biased on this one. Sorry, I can't help but be stunned by this upcoming game, so much that I'd steal for a PS3. LOL
Tekken 6 is the upcoming installment to the Tekken series, shortly following Tekken 5's storyline.
In a fan translated prologue, it was stated that Jin Kazama ultimately won the fifth tournament, thus taking power over the Mishima Zaibatsu. The corporation declared a war against the world, and the only thing to stand in its way is the G Corporation, now run by Jin's father Kazuya Mishima. Heihachi the previous leader of the Zaibatsu before the fifth tournament, had gone missing.
Tekken 6 boasts the greatest number of characters featured in a Tekken game, with 40 plus, including four new characters, and three of which are still yet to be revealed. The new characters include Zafina, Leo, Miguel and Bob.
New features include the Rage System, in which a character who is close to getting KO'ed would possess more power in his attacks; the Item Move, in which a character equips an item in order to perform a move associated with the item; multi-tiered stages with daytime and nighttime transitions; an expanded character customization with more items; and Online play.
Tekken 6 is slated to be released Winter this year (wait, we don't have winter here, do we?), though it will possibly be released in early 2008.
Whoever said that Tekken 6 is just Tekken 5 revamped may just be right about that, but it doesn't mean that this doesn't make the game worth buying for the PS3.
(NOTE: Don't ask me why should I sound biased with this review. Anyway, this isn't more of a review, but more of a rave blog with spoilers.)
Recently, I watched on Animax its newly advertised anime entitled Ginban Kaleidoscope (ginban: skating rink). It's originally a series of light novels written by Rei Kaibara, then it spawned a manga adaptation also written by Kaibara, and then a 12-episode anime series featuring the first arc of the novels.
The story is about Tazusa Sakurano, a 16-year-old Japanese Olympic figure skating candidate who, during a qualifying round in Montreal, falls in the middle of a Triple Lutz jump and lost consciousness. At the same time, Pete Pamps, a 16-year-old Canadian stunt pilot, dies mid-performance after his stunt plane crashed due to mechanical trouble. Pete ends up possessing Tazusa for 100 days after being denied admission in Heaven.
At first, much to Tazusa's chagrin, Pete could see what she sees (he saw her changing clothes and taking a bath), feel what she feels (she uses masochism to keep Pete in line), and eat what she eats (after learning Pete hated tomatoes, Tazusa uses this method to punish him).
While initially she hated him, Tazusa gradually grew to accept his presence in her life and grew even more to love him. It was never revealed officially though, but it seems Pete loved her as well, hinted by his congratulations kiss (though he is a ghost), and some more light hints.
On February 23rd, the day of Pete's ascension, he thanked Tazusa for those 100 days. Tazusa, who had developed feelings for him, wanted him to continue possessing her, but it was not meant to be. After he ascended, Tazusa finally got to say "I love you" to Pete. He never got to hear it from her, but more or less, he already knows the idea.
Darn it! I SOOOOOOOOO love cheese, that I did not sort of like that ending. I would have at least resurrected Pete in order for their love to be realized. LOL
Anyway, some seiyuu facts about the anime:
1) Tazusa is voiced by Ayako Kawasumi, the J-pop singer who also voiced Elie (Groove Adventure Rave), Saber (Fate/stay night), Chidori Kuruma (Ayashi no Ceres), and Ruriko Ikusawa (Gate Keepers).
2) Kazuya Niita, the freelance photographer who seemingly backed Tazusa up during her wars with the mass media, is voiced by Isshin Chiba, who also voiced Jin Kazama (Tekken) and Kyosuke Kagami (Justice Gakuen/Rival Schools).
3) Yukie Mishiro, or Queen Nasty to Tazusa, is voiced by Hiroko Suzuki, the wife and manager of Kenzo Suzuki, who once wrestled on WWE SmackDown!. I am amazed by this myself. Hehehe
4) Mika Honjo, Tazusa's best friend and costume designer, is voiced by Marina Inoue, who also sang the anime's ending theme, "energy".
Hahaha, so much for seiyuu trivia. So there. Is this a rave blog, or what? LOL
