Recent Posts
Based on the original Bleach manga by: Tite Kubo
Director: Noriyuki Abe
Screenplay by: Masahi Sogo et al
Producers: Noriko Kobayashi (TV Tokyo), Yukio Yoshimura & Ken Hagino
Starring: Johnny Yong Bosch (Ichigo Kurosaki), Stephanie Sheh (Orihime), Wendee Lee (Tatsuki/Yoruichi human form), Jamieson Price (Chad), Wally Wingert (Renji Abarai), Michael Lindsay (Kisuke Uruhara), Derek Stephen Price (Uryu), Terrence Stone (Captain Mayori/Yoruichi cat form), Michael Sorich (Tessai), Yuri Lowenthal (Keigo), Liam OBrien (Captain Ukitake), Steve Kramer (Captain Kyoraku), Kate Higgins (Karin/Nanao Ise), Steve Staley (Captain Hitsugaya), Megan Hollingshead (Rangiku), Spike Spencer (Hanataro), Michael McConnohie (Kurodo), Julie Ann Talyor (Lirin), Roger Craig Smith (Noba) & Karen Strassman (Soifon)
Produced by: TV Tokyo, Dentsu & Studio Pierrot
English Version produced by: VIZ Media LLC
Released by: Madman Entertainment
Running Time: 100 minutes Rating: M
It was whilst killing some time waiting for the optometrists to open so I could get my new glasses adjusted that I managed to pick up this next volume in the Bleach saga, at a discount price as well no less. As Darth Vader is wont to say in the Empire Strikes Back Impressive
most impressive. Off course once I managed to get this DVD into my hands the optometrists had opened, so I went to see about my glasses and the once that was all taken care of made my home and proceeded to set down in front of my laptop and watch my new purchase. Fortunately this particular volume resolved some of the issues that I mentioned in my review of the previous volume; Bleach The Bount Volume 16.
The last time we were in lovely Karakura Town things were looking rather hectic for Ichigo and his friends. They were constantly being harassed by a trio of unusual individuals who were later revealed to be mod souls, for some hitherto unknown reason these three mod souls were constantly challenging Ichigo and co to all kinds of weird and wonderful competitions as part of some enigmatic agenda that no one could fathom. Now whilst youre digesting this bit of info I bet youre no doubt setting there in front of your desktop, laptop, iphone or mobile wondering just what the heck is a mod soul? Glad you asked.
A mod soul is a soul created specifically to be used as a means of fighting hollows; these souls would be put into the bodies of the deceased and come to life ready to fight. Mods were given all kinds of abilities and strengths, ranging from heightened intelligence to strength to agility and so on. The project which initially created such souls was known as Spearhead. Unfortunately for reasons not known Spearhead was abandoned and many of the mod souls were destroyed. Rather harsh really, as the mod souls hadnt exactly had any say in their creation or their eventual consignment to the scrap heap, nor had they done anything that would warrant such a judgement. Still such is the way of government and bureaucracy in general, reflecting the maxim of as above, so below
Does this mean that these three are renegade mod souls intent on exacting a little bit of righteous smack down on the man in the guise of substitute soul reaper Ichigo Kurosaki? Tempting though that comparison is to make, and no doubt it would be a rather interesting if somewhat unusual storyline it soon becomes apparent by the end of the first episode on this disc that such is not the case. This trio is not some bunch of mod revolutionaries seeking to usher in a new era for mod souls everywhere, rather they have been created with a very specific and vital purpose in mind, what purpose I hear you ask. Good question.
If you havent already notice the title for this particular story arc is the Bount, this is the name of the major protagonists within this arc and they are somewhat more unusual than the typical protagonist Ichigo and his comrades have previously encountered. By now no doubt youre scratching your head going Bount, what the heck is the GL waffling on about? Understandable as I am meandering around here, but all in good time. The Bount as Kisuke Uruhara describes them, are a tribe of humans who are born with the ability to consume souls of the dead and in so doing they extend their lifespan. Bount are also more commonly known in the world of the living as vampires
Now it seems that the Bount have made their way into Karakura Town and the presence of these beings in this quaint seaside metropolis has not gone past the notice of the Soul Society either.
So what is the agenda of these enigmatic entities, why have they suddenly made their presence felt in our heros home town? What exactly are they up to? These are all issues that Ichigo and crew seek to discover and with the aid of the three mod souls who are Bount detectors amongst other things. There seems to be some degree of imperative as the merry band seek to get to the bottom of what the Bount are up to, it is revealed that if when consuming a soul a Bount exudes a paritcular compound which when this is combined with other elements can open a gate into Hueco Mundo which as Kisuke Uruhara points out is not a good thing, as Hueco Mundo is the home of the hollows, and this would mean that hollows could effectively come and go as they please into Karakura town preying upon the living and the dead alike at will, a veritable hollow feeding frenzy.
Meanwhile back in the Seireitei rum things are afoot. Captains Ukitake, Kyoraku and Hitsugaya are involved in finding out just what has happened to the Soul Societys information on the Bount and who has it. It seems that the central library of the Soul Reapers has had its material cleared out whilst Captain Mayori finds that he himself has been locked out of the computer system in the Research and Development Department that should have the files on the Bount stored in its memory. Mysteries abound, but just who is responsible for it all? No doubt it will become revealed in the fullness of time. Bleach The Bount Volume 17 is an enjoyable viewing experience full of moments of humour, terror and intense action, just what you would expect with this series. Its muy bien all the way
Publisher: VIZ Media LLC
Story & Art by: Akira Toriyama
English Adaptation: Gerard Jones
Translation: Lillian Olsen
Touch up art & Lettering: Wayne Truman
Shonen Jump Series Design: Sean Lee
VIZBIG Edition Design: Courtney Utt
Using a bag full of superlatives that I have borrowed from various sporting commentators and the back of this particular manga this volume of the greatest fighting manga ever is chock full of rip roaring, high octane, jaw clenching and landscape altering biffo, in fact more biffo than could ever be found in any major contact sport be it NRL or Super 14s. Fighting is definitely the name of the game and with numerous champion martial artists who serve either good or evil it would be rather unusual for there not to be any significant combats occurring within the pages of this particular manga, fights are to be expected and the scale of such battles is in a nutshell breath taking, this is no mere ordinary punch on; this is full scale mega biff
But apart from the fighting just what is taking place within the pages of this manga? Actually there is something of a story going on here that underlies the overall events which occur and give them significance and meaning. In the time line of the Dragonball universe this particular volume opens five years after the Tenkaichi Budokai (Strongest Under the Heavens) fighting tournament which was detailed in the original Dragonball manga. Son Goku the protagonist of that series and this one was triumphant in the Tenkaichi Budokai tournament, since then Goku has married and fathered a child, Son Gohan. All is well in the Dragonball universe and as old friends look to catch up at the house of the master martial artist, Kame-senin (Turtle Hermit) things look like settling into an atmosphere of chill out relaxation. Unfortunately for all concerned such is not to be the case.
A mysterious stranger arrives on the planet from the depths of space, a stranger who calls himself Raditz and is a member of the Saiyan species. Now for those of you not in the know apparently the Saiyans are a species of ultimate warriors whose skill and expertise is feared throughout the known universe, even the gods themselves are a little bit scared of their power and prowess. It seems that the raison dêtre of such beings is to go forth out into the various inhabited worlds of the universe and destroy the inhabitants that are currently living on such worlds. Once these worlds are cleared of indigenous life forms the Saiyans then sell these cleansed planets onto other species thus being able to indulge in their love of battle and carnage as well as interstellar real estate dealing. No doubt they feel it is very much a win win situation.
Raditz is here on earth after journeying through space to find his long lost younger brother who as a child was sent to Earth to clear out the place. Apparently its the custom of the Saiyans to send even their children out on their real estate rampages, usually the children are sent to the worlds that are home to relatively weak species as Saiyans rate them. Earth happened to be a world inhabited by a very weak species which is why Raditzs young brother was sent there in the first place, the only problem was that things did not turn out to plan. Kakarrot, Raditzs young brother, ended up living on this planet and becoming part of the local society and training to become a great martial artist, so great that he eventually ended up being the winner of the Tenkaichi Budokai tournament. Yep thats right Raditzs young brother is in actual fact
cue dramatic music
Son Goku.
Naturally Son Goku has absolutely no recollection of this, but apparently when Raditz explains this to him his friends confirm that he is indeed telling the truth. In fact one could pretty much say that this particular volume is very much an origin story, one that has the protagonist finally learning the truth of himself as well as coming to be made aware of the consequences that his origins may have; not only for himself but for his child and the rest of the world as a whole cue dramatic drum roll. It seems that the Saiyan homeworld has been destroyed in one of the catastrophic astronomical events; you know the kind of event that is speculated as having wiped out the dinosaurs except this was more catastrophic, the entire planet having been destroyed. Now there are only four Saiyans still living in the universe, Son Goku being the fourth remaining Saiyan. Raditz wants him to join him and the other two Saiyans; Vegeta and Nappa in wiping out a potent species that inhabit a world whose value is incalculable on the interstellar real estate market.
Hmmm join up with some guy who claims to be his brother and wipe out a hapless and potentially innocent alien species are just tell this guy to take a hike and possibly give him a good bit of biffo should he prove somewhat recalcitrant in leaving. Its fairly obvious to see which course our protagonist takes, although it is one that is fraught with danger and inherent risk as Raditz is as strong as he claims to be and Goku is only able to take on this fearsome opponent with the aid of his former enemy; Piccolo. Still when the dust finally settles on a titanic battle the result is not quite what everyone was hoping for. Raditz is defeated but Goku is slain, whilst Piccolo is grievously wounded. And everyone knows now that the other two Saiyans are on their way to complete the job that should have been done by Kakarrot so many years ago. According to Raditz the other two Saiyans; Vegeta and Nappa are even stronger and more potent than him. Not exactly a cheerful resolution, but rather than letting themselves get depressed and giving into fear the survivors opt to gird their loins and prepare for the confrontation that will take place in twelve months time.
Its all gripping stuff frankly; Akira Toriyama doesnt waste anything in bringing his story to light, letting the action start pretty much from the get go. It literally is a roller coaster ride of a tale and I have to say once I started reading it I couldnt put it down. Four hundred and eighty one pages of nonstop action that even when you finally reach that last page you know its only a mere breather as this is the first volume. The Dragonball Z saga has only just started but you find yourself wanting more, no wonder its such a successful manga and anime series. I picked up this particular edition from the shelves of the local library but Im sure you can probably get a hold of it at major comic stores; if martial arts and heroic drama are up your alley then this is the manga for you.
Original creators: Shoji Kawamori & Satelight
Director: Shoji Kawamori
Screenplay by: Shoji Kawamori et al
Producers: Iwazaki Atsushi, Minegishi Takuo, Hattori Hiroyuki, Satoyoshi Jun & Kasia Tsutomu
Starring: Christopher Bevins (Apollo), Brina Palencia (Silvia), Z Charles Bolton (Baron), Brandon Potter (Fudo), Eric Vale (Sirius), Colleen Clinkenbeard (Reika), Mick McFarland (Glen), Carrie Savage (Rena), Justin Cook (Kurt), Caitlin Glass (Chloe), Stephanie Young (Sophia), Travis Willingham (Pierre), Laura Bailey (Tsugumi), Todd Haberkorn (Jun), Monica Rial (Otoha) & J Michael Tatum (Touma)
Produced by: Project AQUARION
English Language Version by: FUNimation Productions
Released by: Madman Entertainment
Running Time: 325 minutes Rating; M
Twelve thousand years ago the world was under the rule of the Shadow Angels, beings of immense power and capability who fed from the energy of prana that they harvested from the wingless ones; human beings. These angelic entities originally hailed from Atlandia, another planet and their dominion over the wide open spaces of this world was almost complete and absolute. Then one of their number; Solar Wing rebelled against their rule and aided the wingless ones in their fight against the Shadow Angels, he aided tbeir struggle and via the use of vehicles known as vector machines gave them the means to take the fight back to the enemy. Eventually the shadow angels were defeated, humanity was triumphant and history as they say truly began. This is the back-story behind the series Aquarion, an interesting take on the usual robot style anime that has emerged from the Land of the Rising Sun.
When I started watching this particular collection the first thing that crossed my mind was that it was a little bit like Fafner of the Azure, which got me whistling that particular series theme song again as an aside its such a catchy tune, just as that series borrowed heavily from mythological elements so does Aquarion. More about that later, the other thing that immediately crossed my mind was similarities with the show Voltron; Defender of the Universe, where a giant robot is formed after various vehicles join together and create this titanic mecha that is the bane of all manner of bad guys throughout the known cosmos. Stirring stuff, this series has it all; action, humour, superlative graphics and animation all combined with as I am often fond of saying a tight taut storyline that would be the envy of any science fiction or fantasy writer the world over.
OK so apart from raving about which previous shows it reminds me of or how fantastic it looked on the screen just what exactly is going on in this series? Like I said earlier in the distant past, twelve millennia by the shows reckoning, the world was under the thumb of the shadow angles. Now this is a series that is set in a not too distant future, the drama that unfolds is taking place in a world that is approximately twenty years further on down the track from our own contemporary era. The big difference is that this world has suffered a massive catastrophe, the axis has significantly altered and the resulting carnage that that caused has killed off roughly two thirds of the worlds population. Add onto this the sudden re-emergence of the Shadow Angles and everything looks very grim, Book of Revelations kind of grim which given the nature of the antagonists is rather apt
Naturally rather than weeping and wailing combined with bemoaning of their fate the survivors of this epic tragedy decide to gird their loins and do something, the first thing that they do is form an organisation called Deava to fight the Shadow Angels and their nefarious minions. Now in most circumstances Deava would have a hard time of things fighting these opponents but the rediscovery of the three vector machines, Sol, Luna and Mars means that they have on their side the might of
Aquarion. The very weapon that was used to defeat them all those years ago when their reign was almost nigh supreme, the only thing that is required is a bunch of pilots who can utilise this super weapon to its fullest potential.
Enter the Elements, a bunch of young male and female teenagers of diverse backgrounds, ethnicities, abilities and talents. These are the candidates that Deava are training to be the pilots of the three vector machines and become the warriors who will employ Aquarion and take the fight to the Shadow Angels and their relentless harvesting. But as the series opens there is one key element missing, the one who is the reincarnation of Solar Wing, of the hero who turned his back on his own kind to aid the Wingless Ones in their war against their cruel and rapacious overlords. As you would expect we dont have to wait long for the chosen one to make his appearance, he appears pretty much in the first episode and immediately starts to wreak havoc for his foes. Of course those who are officially part of Deava are a bit surprised at the nature of the chosen one, a street kid and scavenger who goes by the moniker of Apollo.
Of course the fact that Apollo is the reincarnated Solar Wing isnt to the liking of some, in particular Silvia, the young firebrand Amazon sister of Sirius, the former prince of Alisia. She is ardent that it is her brother who is the real reincarnation of Solar Wing, not this dirty smelly street urchin. Although it becomes swiftly apparent that Silvia has a) a fixation on her brother and b) as the reincarnation of Celiane, Solar Wings one true love is a bit put out that her former great love has been reincarnated in the guise of Apollo. The girl definitely has some issues as does her brother who to say is conceited, stuck up and arrogant is to make a major misstatement. Still these facets do make them rather interesting character when thrown into the mix of the rest of the cast from Deava.
Aquarion seems to draw a lot from Western mystical traditions such as the Cabbala and the Bible in a truly unique and engaging manner, which frankly is one of the strengths of this series. Sure the action, animation and general character interaction and unfolding drama help move things along but the whole unique mythology that all this is built upon is a rock solid foundation. It seems that a dominant feature of the series other than the robot Aquarion is the Tree of Life that resides in Atlandia and is where the Shadow Angles seem to divert much of the prana that they harvest from humans into. The base of this vast conglomeration of various plants is the very Tree of Life, the ten sephiroth that comprise the Cabbalistic diagram of said tree. Seems that the Shadow Angels need prana to try and revitalise this vegetative construct in order to restore the paradise that was Atlandia, or better yet return the Solar Wing to their fold and his light which would guarantee the restoration of the tree and paradise.
Rather sounds like the Shadow Angels have undergone the fall from Miltons Paradise Lost doesnt it? But just as the humans are intent on maintaining their independence and sovereignty they are also engaged in seeking to restore this paradise, returning to the glory that they once knew. Gripping stuff, this is the kind of storytelling that any good series needs solid, grounded and engaging. Shoji Kawamori and Satelight have shown that they have crafted a finely worked masterpiece that is worthy of attention and viewing, if you get a chance to get a hold of the DVD take the time to watch this series or if thats not possible I believe you can catch episodes of it on the Madman Entertainment websites screening room. AQUARION
.MERGE!
Tuesday 3rd November may have been the day on which the race that stops a nation was aired on Channel 7 but frankly the real television bonanza was screened on SBS the following night at 8.30 pm, Shintaro, a documentary about the series; the Samurai, which first aired on Channel 9 back in 1964 and spawned a cult following. As soon as this program hit the television screens of mainstream Australia it created a literal cultural shift in peoples attitudes and tastes. It was very obvious from the outset that the maker of this particular piece was as much a fan of the enigmatic wandering samurai Shintaro as many of his interviewees were.
No doubt though youre sitting there wondering just what this is all about; who is Shintaro? Why is this show relevant to anything? What is this series the Samurai and just what the heck is the Green Lantern waffling on about here? As I said about forty five years ago this single series literally changed the viewing habits and attitudes of an entire generation of Australians via a very very bold move on behalf of television programmers at one of the major metropolitan networks, Channel 9.
Briefly to summarise what the series was all about, Shintaro is a wandering samurai who is a loyal agent of the Tokugawa Shogunate and in his various wanderings around eighteenth century Japan he has numerous encounters usually involving insidious and evil ninja. Now even though Shintaro is a highly skilled swordsman, as a Samurai of the time would expected to be, he is loath to resort to the blade as his first means of conflict resolution. In contrast the various ninja that Shintaro meets are only to happen to chose violence as their first resort for negotiation, obviously they are on a tight schedule and cant stand around discussing the finer points of diplomacy with some wandering samurai. Out come the shuriken and ninja-to and its all on for young and old, what the hapless ninja dont realise is that even though he is loath to use violence straight off the bat it doesnt mean Shintaro is a slouch when he has to fight. Things always end up badly for the ninja
[ Click here to read more ]
Based on the Devil May Cry computer game by CAPCOM
Director: Shin Itagaki
Screenplay by: Shotaro Suga et al
[ Click here to read more ]
Before I had to have my operation to pin back the detached retina in my right eye I managed to catch the opening episode of this particular television series. Prior to it being aired on Seven nationwide here in Australia one of the local television guides was raving about the show, and I mean raving, using all manner of hyperbole to build up the show and its subsequent series. I have to admit the writer did a good job, a very good job as they caught my attention and I made an effort to attempt to catch that initial first episode and see what was going on and how things would all pan out.
Comparisons were made between Flashforward and Lost, the other television series aired on Seven that has had people raving apparently around water coolers for the last several years all over the country and beyond. Have to admit I dont work where there are water coolers, much of the work I do do, when I do it at all is either in the confines of my home, my local watering hole which predominantly serves beverages of an amber kind or the odd waterside hostelry where I like to take a sample of the cleansing waters now and then. Water coolers are not found in any of these locales and thus I have managed to miss out on the conversation regarding Lost and its values to the mainstream Australian television audience. I also havent bothered to watch the show either as the entire premise just failed to grab me to begin with.
So consequently the idea of comparing these two shows to me is not something I was interested in, it just didnt do anything for me but the actual notion of what was involved behind Flashforward is what essentially got me in. The hook that the creators were using to draw in the viewer and weave their magic sounded very interesting indeed and it was just that alone that I was intrigued, that I knew that the eternal emerald gaze of the Lantern would have to be cast upon the opening episode and reveal what the truth of this show was
[ Click here to read more ]
The other day I went to my local optometrists to have my eyes checked out, I was worried that I had gotten some dust in my right eye as a result of the sever dust storms that have been afflicting the east coast of Australia recently, in fact I have to say the big one just recently made things look very end of the world but I digress. It was a Saturday when the optometrist saw me and I thought initially that due to the dust storms I had gotten some dust in my eye, alas alack such was not to be.
Rather than the mundane problem of dust in the eye, which is what the two people who went before me had, I had ended up with a detached retina. Fortunately for me my optometrist, Selwyn Peake at OPSM in Settlement City took on board what was happening and set in motion a course of action to do something. After consulting with a specialist he recommend I get myself down to Sydney and the Sydney Eye Hospital and have a procedure done to hopefully repair the damage and pin back the retina.
The upshot of all this is that the staff and doctors at the Sydney Eye Hospital were able to get me in and operate on me without further adieu and I am now safe at home recovering from the procedure. But I am in a period of recovery and so there will be little opportunity for me at the present stage to get around to viewing, reading and reviewing as much as I would like. So Im on something of a hiatus for the next few weeks as I let myself recover and get back into full health. Once that is achieved the Green Lantern will once again be casting its viridian vigilant viewing out into the ether and disseminating the results of such viewings to you the audience out there
[ Click here to read more ]
Based on the Death Note manga by: Tsugumi Ohba & Takeshi Obata
Director: Hideo Nakata
Screenplay by: Hirotoshi Kobayashi
[ Click here to read more ]
|
|
|
Add Comments
Read More
Comment by Tom
on That Which Should Not Be...
The Green Lantern
Hopefully the more discerning comic fans will heed my warnings and avoid this work like the proverbial.