Frozen Sequel!...Books?

Yeah, we're going to be getting a Frozen sequel!

Oh you, mean a movie?

That's a possibility. But you're getting books based on the movies, four of them! 

Oh, no, there might be a movie. Disney doesn't know. There's also no Frozen theme park yet, so why are you complaining so much about a lack of a movie?

More than an Algorithm

Alright so I've been trying to think of a way to go about this topic but then a little while ago I just figured I'd stop putting it off and write it. Despite having not seen the source material for this posting for a little while, I think it's safe to say I know it like the back of my hand.

Sword Art Online is an anime series adapted from a Japanese light novel of the same name. The series came out in 2012 and was a huge hit. For the most part, fans only seem to discuss the first twelve episodes, also called the "Aincrad Arc," as the latter half of the season isn't necessarily up to par with the first half. Also, the second season just came out,  but we won't be discussing it as we're merely on the ninth episode (BUT IT IS SO GOOD DUDE THAT CLIFFHANGER AT THE END OF EPISODE 8).

I digress.

"Power Rangers: Jungle Fury" Review

So I've kind of found there to be two main kinds of "Power Rangers" fans, excluding the target demographic of children. There are those who are die-hard Mighty Morphin' fans and count everything afterward to be dumb, rubbish, and crap, or that it doesn't even exist. Then there are those who have seen pretty much every season of Power Rangers, usually adults actually, and can judge every season fairly. Every season with the exception of "Jungle Fury" that is, which I find to be the least talked about season of the series. I think that the main reason for this is that the true fans had just gotten through watching the horribleness that was "Operation Overdrive." Plus, the premise of the show is vaguely reminiscent of "Wild Force," so some people may not have wanted to watch the same premise twice. Or perhaps it was the fact that it was so short people kind of skipped over it like it wasn't even there.

The end of an era for Green Arrow

Around last year DC was going through some pretty sizable changes regarding its books. How?

Well they were firing their cancellation gun anyway they could. And if they weren't cancelling right then and there, they were indeed announcing cancellations in the near future, to books such as Teen Titans, Suicide Squad, Justice League of America and others that apparently weren't picking up too big of a fanbase. Plus their next big event, "Forever Evil," was going to bring about major changes, killing characters and changing the face of the Justice League(s) for the foreseeable future.

Blog update #2--A schedule?!

I didn't expect to be giving another update so close to a first one, but, as is life.

With the coming onslaught of school and work I've kind of figured out that being able to juggle life and a blog all at once with no clear direction is going to be difficult. Obviously I've got schedules for school and work (because, duh) but as far as my writing goes there is no clear schedule for it.

As such, I went ahead and constructed a schedule for my blog, as this way I'll be able to have ideas already generated and get started on them so that over time I'll be able to write them up and then simply upload them by the deadline, almost like a video. Hopefully this will result in better, more coherent posts rather than starting off with one idea and then quickly becoming a bunch of rambling about whatever.

Will the real vampire please stand up...or at least turn into a bat?

Alright, I want you to close your eyes for just a second and envision a vampire, like what you think one looks like.

Got it?

You probably didn't even close your eyes, how can I trust you?

What'd you see? I saw a tall, thin man in a red suit with a big red hat. He's fairly pale with a tan tint. He has big round orange sunglasses. On his hands he has white gloves and in his hands he has two silver pistols, locked and loaded with silver bullets.

Who is the Arkham Knight?

Outside of, "Is this really the last Batman game?" I think it'd be safe to say that the question of who the man behind the mask of the Arkham Knight is the biggest one. It's certainly the greatest mystery. Seeing as how few of Batman's rogues dress up like he does, especially in the "Arkham" franchise, it's difficult to see who it is.

There have been various guess, I won't even legitimize them as claims, as to who the Arkham Knight really is. I've heard from Thomas Wayne to Thomas Wayne's clone to Thomas Wayne Jr. to Batman's clone to the Joker to Jason Todd and even maybe he's the Scarecrow.

Yu-Gi-Oh!: Swinging into a new era

By now it's pretty obvious that Pendulum Summoning is going to change the game, just as Synchro and Xyz summoning did. I've been of the belief, ever since the new mechanic was slowly revealed, that while it will at first have a pretty big impact on the surface, I don't think the meta game is going to be affected by it for a little while.

Case and point: Infernity, a deck that's been around since before I got into the game, just won the World Championship. Congrats to that player, by the way, it's pretty impressive to go from 6th place at Nationals to the best player in the world. Anyway, though, it just goes to show that an old deck is indeed capable of using a newer mechanic, Xyz Summoning, to become successful.

Attack on Titan Season 2...too soon?

From what I've heard, the second season of mega-hit anime Attack on Titan is going into pre-production for its second season. Basically that means that they'll be scripting the episodes, coming up with the artwork and music and casting for new characters. So, basically, they'll be casting for the Beast Titan. Cool.

The projected release date for season two is around mid-2015, so around this time next year. Which is great, it's actually what a lot of people expected it to be, as well as hoped. Besides, Sword Art Online II is going to hold us over until then, right?

Right?

Blog Update #1--Out of Ideas? Well uh...

Lately I've been struggling with ideas of what to write/ blog about. I believe that part of the reason is due to the fact that I've been out of school for three months now, the longest drought I've ever experienced, and without much to do this summer my brain kind of shut down and only showed up a few times when it felt like it/ when it was watching Attack on Titan. I also believe it is due to a lack of creative inspiration on my part and with the coming year I'm hoping to see an increase in that.

Top 10 Favorite Moments in the "Star Wars" movies

Yes, this includes the prequels.

Since I decided to watch The Empire Strikes Back yesterday, I figured that now would be a pretty good time to countdown my favorite moments in "Star Wars" history. Maybe by the time Episodes 7, 8, and 9 come out these will change, but considering how most of these are some defining moments in the science-fiction genre, it'll be tough to topple them.

Moon Knight (2011) Review

The likely unknown Marvel super-hero, Moon Knight, got his own little 12 issue run back in 2011-2012 written by Brian Michael Bendis and drawn by Alex Maleev. The story comes out right before the big event "Age of Ultron" that saw the complete destruction of pretty much every super-hero and completely warped the universes thanks to good old Wolverine.

We aren't given much in terms of backstory into the comic outside of a blurb on the first page, explaining how Marc Spector once had three personalities stuck in his brain fighting for control, because he's crazy ya know? Well those died and only Spector rose up, but they were replaced by the personalities of Spider-Man, Captain America, and Wolverine (each, obviously, very unique and different). Moon Knight also moved out to L.A. and using his vast riches started his own TV show based on the events of his life as the vigilante, during his time as Jake Lockley. 

The story itself isn't too involved, but it's mostly a character study about Marc Spector and how he deals with the personalities urging him on in his brain. We get tons of glimpses as to how he functions and how truly crazy this guy is throughout the book, mostly during the fight scenes. The plot, though, is about how Moon Knight stumbles across the delivery of an Ultron head, and freaks out, rightfully so. The mystery and story soon evolve into who would want this Ultron head and why. 

I felt this was a clever way of tying Moon Knight into the events of "Age of Ultron" without having to overtly show an Ultron. It shows that something is afoot in the Marvel universe involving the manical machine and some of the super-villains are in on it. Sadly, the run ends after this, so it really does feel like build up to the event. It also would take two years for a new Moon Knight comic to come out, the current one (which is pretty awesome, by the way). 

Outside of a few cameos I wouldn't say there are too many big name super-heroes in this story, or for that matter any super-villains. It doesn't take a die-hard fan to get into this comic but someone who is completely unfamiliar to the Marvel universe might be thrown off by who is who and why, since they don't really bother to explain it. 

That being said, I'd like to say that there are some inconsistencies to the characters. Obviously Moon Knight is a great fighter and has some super-human ability, since he was brought back to life by Khonshu, but to go up against the big villain reveal in the final third of the story seems a bit of a stretch. Not only that, but he beats him once pretty badly--the confusion comes from the fact that Snapdragon, kind of a C-list super villain, manages to put up a decent fight against him as well. 

The book does a good job of poking fun at the fact that barely anyone recognizes who these heroes or villains are, one of its bonuses. But it's difficult to look away from the fact that Bendis tries to make Moon Knight seem a lot tougher than he really is. By giving him certain tools and weaponry, Moon Knight is able to perform extraordinary tasks and while that adds something to the character, it does take away from the main focus of what Moon Knight is about. He's not necessarily supposed to be taking on all these super strong villains because he's a little incapable of doing so. 

Now had they given him stronger back-up I think that would have helped. Instead we got Echo. I'm not going to complain too much about having Echo, since she was a pretty good foil for the crazed Marc Spector character, but still, she confused me a little. They barely explain who she is and if she even has any powers outside of the fact that she's deaf and was part of the Avengers before giving that up. She doesn't get very much development and is honestly not too memorable of a character. 

Marc Spector shines as he should in his own series but I would like to have seen a few more memorable characters and moments. There are some things that stand out to me but really they're kind of little things that are sort of irrelevant, and those are the cameos by the other heroes. 

Big moments that actually slowed the story down were the moments with Snapdragon. She wasn't interesting and when you found out that she was working for someone who was extremely powerful she became something of a stop sign for the story--having to wait to continue onward. The stuff with Spector became increasingly interesting as it seemed the personalities were beginning to loosen their grip on him as he focused more on the missions and began to realize what really needed to be done. However, it was ground to a halt whenever Snapdragon appeared. There was also some random sub-plot about the police that involved her that was overall kind of lame and didn't play a part in anything except for setting up where the final fight would take place--and even then, it hardly set that up. 

The artwork in the series is pretty good most of the time, but whenever there's a fight scene it gets kind of clunky. You can't really tell who is trying to talk and who is throwing a fist because some of the colors sort of meld together. Sometimes it won't show who hit who in between panels and it's never really clarified as to what is going on. But as far as expressions and scenery the artwork is very good, showcasing how the characters are feeling and what's on their mind, as well as perfectly encapsulating emotion on their face when they really get into something. 

Overall, I'd say this is a good 12-issue run. It does exactly what it needs to do in twelve issues, and you really get the feeling that there isn't very much more it could have done. I wish there would have been less Snapdragon toward the end of the run and more development for Echo as a character so she would stick with us more, but sadly we were given some pretty useless and dull villains. It sets up Moon Knight's potential role in "Age of Ultron" well while at the same time giving us an excellent look into his world as a crazy super-hero. I'd recommend it for any Moon Knight fan and for someone looking to read the build-up into "Age of Ultron," but if you're someone that likes the mainstream Marvel stuff (i.e. anyone in the MCU Avengers), then this is probably going to bore you a little. Still, I liked it. 

Because Moon Knight is the bomb. 

Mission Space--Marvel style!

Guardians of the Galaxy was Marvel's boldest move yet, turning one of the most unknown comic franchises under its belt and throwing it on the big-screen. Luckily, it worked, and they made lots of money! And when people make money, they do more.

Just look at the money Transformers got (seriously, why do you guys keep going to see them?)

But now, the possibilities are endless. If this relatively unknown franchise can work, why not another? Why not Doctor Strange or Black Panther? Or Moon Knight?!

Heck, why not Zoidberg?

Fate/Zero series Review

Most. Compact. First Episode.

EVER.

Fate/Zero threw me for a confusing loop once I got past the first episode that I thought would never end. It was a forty-four minute adventure/ headache inducing episode, and I figured the remaining twenty-four episodes would be about that same length as well. Thus, the show was very daunting for me.

Luckily though it returned to a regularly scheduled under-half-hour show on Netflix. *phew*

To be honest after the first episode I maybe had one or two names down and it actually took me the better part of the first season to list off many names without having to take it to Wikipedia or something. Literally every main character was introduced in the first episode and most of them had their motives explained, but most in-depth was Kariya Mato, which makes sense because we actually saw very little of him in the following episodes, instead focusing on Saber and Lancer (a great fight, by the way).

The premise of the show is that throughout history the Holy Grail (yes, that Holy Grail) has made itself known and has had wars fought over it, three to be exact, prior to the setting of this story. In each Grail War, the Grail elects "Masters" from the human world to go hunting for it so that their greatest wish will be fulfilled, regardless of the request. The Grail then summons "Servants" from the Spirit realm to fight for the Masters, and thus, we have our show.

There are in total seven Masters and Servants throughout the series. Our main team, the ones we're supposed to be rooting for, comprise of Kiritsugu Emiya and Saber, or King Arthur (only in this lore there's an interesting twist in which King Arthur is actually a girl feigning to be a male), and Saber actually works with Irisveil, Kiritsugu's wife, more of the time while Kiritsugu uses his assassin skills.

There are others, like the comic relief duo of Waver and Rider, Alexander the Great. The other big family in the Grail War, the one that is heavily favored to win it all, is the Tosakas. From them we have Tokiomi, who is the Master of Archer, Gilgamesh (an arrogant punk might I add). Tokiomi is also the teacher of the son of the priest overseeing the war, Kirei Kotomine, who is the master of Assassin.

The other three Masters we never really see much of outside the battlefield. Lord Kayneth is the Master of the former knight Lancer, my second favorite Servant behind Saber, and has a pretty interesting plan for the Grail War. We also have Kariya, who has history with the Tosakas since one of their daughters, Sakura, was sent to the Matos to learn how to become a mage and was put through horrible tortures, so to get her out of it Kariya went through them in her stead and became the master for Berserker, the most unstable of the Servants. Finally we have Caster and his master whose name I can't remember, but I remembered him as "Caster's Master" because it just sounds funny when the very serious voice actors say "Caster's Master."

It lightens the mood for the show.

Speaking of which, this show is pretty darn dark. You would think that an anime about a little battle over a wish-granting device wouldn't be so bad but sheesh.

To be fair, most of the dark stuff doesn't come until around the second season. The first season establishes the characters and essentially how the show is going to play out, like the rivalries and what not. The second season though turns this show into, in my opinion, the anime version of Game of Thrones. Not to spoil too much but bodies start dropping left and right and it is insane. Literally anyone becomes susceptible to die, even the people you thought untouchable.

I would say that kind of takes away from it all but looking back at the show I would say it added a lot more depth. Despite a jam-packed first episode, the remaining twelve episodes of the first season do a fantastic job of developing all of its characters to the point where in season 2 when it gets kinda ugly you really do feel for all the characters and everything that happens to them. The show has a limited cast, in that few characters are added into the show, so we get to focus mainly on the ones we see in front of us. Kiritsugu, Irisveil, Kariya, and Kirei get the most development, in my opinion, from the Masters side of things while Saber and Lancer turn out a little different than when they show up.

I wouldn't say that this is a show that's too deep to understand but I will say that it's one you have to pay attention to. They don't really linger for the audience to catch up, as a lot of stuff is going on. The show focuses on what's important and the events unfolding before it in a very well-paced manner that allows enough time for action and drama to play out in-sync.

One would think that the story of the show is also a fairly single-layered one: get the Grail, get the wish. But I would say that around the ninth or tenth episode of the first season things start to shift. Saber, Rider, and Archer have a brief meeting in which they discuss their plans for the Grail and it turns out there is a lot of character development in that episode that shows that it is not all about the Grail. It's about the consequences of our wishes.

One of the best things that this show does is reveal that we aren't perfect. Even the beings that fight for the Grail aren't perfect. Not that we're all necessarily selfish, but that we aren't willing to pay the price for what we want. People are dying over a wish. Fate/Zero shows humanity's desire for its own needs while forgetting the desires and needs of the people, of the planet. Saber thinks she is fighting for a noble cause while Rider points out a flaw and it turns out that both aren't wrong, and both aren't right.

This show, more than anything, reveals that there isn't always a right or wrong answer to some of life's greatest questions, to life's greatest wishes. It also doesn't answer the question of how we should go about that, because that answer itself is one nobody can answer, which is something I really appreciate from this show. Justice and what is right will be different in everyone's eyes, and everyone has something else that they get joy from. I won't spoil if the Grail is merely a metaphor for the show or if it actually is real in the show, but I will say that it becomes something of a tool to reveal to both the last man standing and to the audience that wishes are not free, there is a price we all need to pay for it.

And to go along with a deep meaning behind the show we have some of the most astounding artwork and animation for an anime I've ever seen, especially for a show that came out in 2011. It stands up to the likes of Sword Art Online, Attack on Titan, and many other beautiful anime I've ever laid my eyes on. The emotions on the character's faces are drawn very well and every character has a cool, unique design that makes them stand out to you. You'll never confuse a character by their looks...just their name.

I've also got to give major props to the casting department for the English dub (the version I watched it in...haters gonna hate). Each character was cast perfectly, in my opinion. I mostly say that because Crispin Freeman has a legendary voice so for him to voice the stoic and ever thoughtful character of Kirei was great, and Matthew Mercer as Kiritsugu was phenomenal. Watching Levi in AOT will be even more fun now!

Overall, I'd say that Fate/Zero is not a show for those looking for one of those anime that they can have a lot of fun with and just go on an adventure. Instead I'd say its one for someone whose likes some of the darker more thought-provoking types of shows, similar to a Game of Thrones where the action is awesome, the characters are very well-developed, and the actors are awesome. Plus to anyone who just enjoys a great-looking anime, I also recommend it.

Guardians of the Galaxy Review

What some have called the new "Avengers" and this generation's "Star Wars" comes the tenth installment into the Marvel Cinematic Universe (so basically it exists along with all the other big Marvel movies), Guardians of the Galaxy. Taking place on Earth for a total of one scene, this movie has barely anything to do with the other Marvel films but at the same time proves to be one of its boldest and strongest installments to date.