How a Wider Anime Theatrical Release is Great

One of the things I wish I could see more of when I go see a film is to see a trailer for an anime movie that I'm excited for. Much as I would like, the likelihood of this happening isn't too great, at least for now. While Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection 'F' turned out to be an immensely popular film, and become the 9th highest-grossing anime film of all time (competing with the first few "Pokemon" movies and several Studio Ghibli films), I never got to see its trailers at a man Regal Cinemas or AMC theater. AMC is at least a little better at showing anime films, like how they're screening The Boy and the Beast very soon I believe. 

Top 10 Heroes (Redux)

Sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and accept the fact that mistakes were made and that things just need to be redone. I'll stand by the fact that, at the time, those characters were my favorite heroes, but times have changed and nearly two years have passed by now. If you would like to check out my previous Top 10 heroes list, you may certainly do so here.

While I don't want these sorts of Top 10 lists to become an annual thing, in which I go back and make a "redo" list, it is always fun to assess and look back on where I was and what characters have captured and held my attention for so long. Or, rather, what heroes.

The idea of making an anti-hero list has always amused me, and it would not be one too difficult to make. It certainly makes placing characters on this list hard. It can often be a tough line to draw for a heroes and anti-heroes list with me, as characters of late have been in a morally grey area. While there are some very clear good guys on this list, there are also some that you may tilt your head at.

Also, like my previous villains list redo, there will be some repeats on here...though not necessarily in the same order. This list is much different than the one before. With that said, let's get right into it!

Happy 20th Birthday, Pokémon!

If you didn't know, today is Pokémon's 20 year anniversary! It's a pretty remarkable achievement for a video-game, and equally as remarkable is the incredible franchise two simple video-games in Japan managed to create. Pokémon has spawned the worldwide popular anime, trading card game, and several different manga of various forms (some of which taking new spins on the concept). Dozens of mobile-game companies have tried to copy this formula, though to what success I have no idea, but needless to say, Pokémon is without a doubt a household phrase. 

Blue Nexus #38 - Cracked, not Broken

            Their names were Officer Langston and Sergeant Patterson. They’d grown up together in East City, though Patterson decided he wanted to be a cop halfway through college, while Langston pursued engineering, hoping to develop the city. When Riko first landed on Earth and took Phoenix under his wing to fight the crime of Earth, Langston knew that crime rates would shoot through the roof. Patterson helped him get the hookups. This was Langston’s first real assignment, and was Patterson’s first in dealing with super-heroes.

"Devil is a Part-Timer!" Review

It's just as weird as it sounds, folks. 

Feels kinda weird doing a comedy-anime review. I think the funniest show I've reviewed is Fairy Tail, and that's a little light on the humor. Wait, no, I've reviewed Black Lagoon, we're all good. Still, this is labelled a comedy. 

Everything about this show is set up to be a comedy, too. I'll get into it more as we proceed, but, I think the show even mocks the fact that some characters want to take the situation seriously, and by the end our characters do indeed realize what is going on. 

Ninjak #6 Review

Ah, Ninjak. You crazy British ninja. Always an intriguing part of the month when your book comes around. 

Last year, Valiant relaunched the Ninjak book in what has turned out to be a surprisingly serial story. Each arc, and even issue, has led right into the next. I'm happy to say that I can look back from where we are now, in Deadside where Ninjak is squaring off against the Magpie, and say, "Ah yes, I can recognize that events in issue two have indeed led us here." Or, more importantly, issue six, as we have today. 

"Deadman Wonderland" (Manga) Review

I have an odd relationship with this series. It's not one of my favorite manga series I've ever read--though is one of the few I've managed to actually get through without dropping it for its anime counterpart--but is one I feel very attached to. When I decided to start reading this series and picked up the first volume off the bookshelf, I had no idea that every few months I would eagerly await the next volume. The twists and turns by the end of each volume kept me coming back. Yet there were so many characters and moving pieces that I often forgot names or characters. 

"Night Angel" vs "Lightbringer" Series

Perhaps it isn't fair to do this sort of "versus" thing for these two books. After all, the "Lightbringer" series has not yet finished, with the fourth and probably final novel, The Blood Mirror, due soon, whereas the "Night Angel" trilogy has wrapped, been put in an omnibus, given a prequel, and it's first novel, The Way of Shadows, turned to a graphic novel in adaptation.

Blue Nexus #37 - Wave Two

            Alucard flipped and crashed through a leaned building before a red shield prevented him from doing more and Brian’s kick hit him right in the ribs, sending him right into the ground, forming a rut.

            Kyle, Brenda, and Brian landed next to each other in sync, Brenda already created several squares and barriers around them for use while Kyle drew in more Nexus energy. He felt pumped. Like, really pumped. He wasn’t sure if it was from the sweet hit he got in on Alucard—a bit of a cheap shot but who cared at this point—or if it had something to do with leaving the Nether. Had Jericho done something to them and enhanced their power?

Superman: The Man of Steel #19 Review

Previously: Doomsday, an alien teenager seeking nothing but destruction after being sent to Earth for time-out, killed a bird, a deer, and a truck. Because the Justice League clearly had nothing else going on in the world at the time, they decide to check it out. Doomsday, fan-girling, accidentally injures all of them and nearly kills Blue Beetle. Superman arrives and the two start violently slapping each other, until Doomsday gets inspired by the ol' television to become a pro-wrestler in Metropolis. 

"Attack on Titan: Junior High" (Anime) Review

2013 was three years ago (though it still feels like yesterday, to be honest), and yet we're still feeling the tremors of it's biggest show, Attack on Titan, today. Not just through this anime or some other manga, but through various other anime that are trying to replicate that spark in various ways. You'd be hard-pressed to find a fan of the first season not excited for the second's return, as there were just so many ends left open.