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No doubt to many of you out there in the fast lane that is the Internet the topic of this particular article is fairly much old news
and in the world of the web anything past a week could be regarded as old news. Essentially what Im talking about is the end of the Bleach anime which occurred with episode 366 aired on TV Tokyo on March 27th at 6pm. Bleach was shelved to make way for a Naruto Shippuden spin off focusing on the character of Rock Lee and based on the manga Rock Lees Springtime of Youth. An interesting decision considering that the manga series is still running.
So is this the end of Bleach? Well in terms of the manga it seems like that aspect, the source so to speak is still continuing on nicely with an actual end in sight sometime in the foreseeable future as the current storyline has been billed as the Final Arc the Thousand Year Blood War. But the anime elected to end with the previous manga arc, the Lost Substitute Shinigami which in turn followed on from the conclusion of the fight between the Shinigami and the former captain Sosuke Aizen in his efforts to make the oken and slay the Spirit King thereby filling that unobtainable vacancy at the top.
The most likely cause for the anime to be cancelled is tied in with ratings and popularity, although considering that the manga is still going on and doesnt seemed to have suffered any serious decline in its popularity this seems to be a somewhat lacklustre rationale for canning a series. If the anime wasnt popular how on earth did it manage to make it to 366 episodes in the first place? Not many anime series get past the fifty mark let alone the one hundred so if it wasnt popular who was watching all those 366 episodes? And if the anime isnt doing crash hot I can hardly see them continuing on with the manga
so is there perhaps another rationale behind the cancellation of Bleach? Something that is obvious but hasnt occurred to the fans or critics?
There are two possibilities, one rather obscure and the other blindingly obvious that Im surprised no one hasnt mentioned it amongst the various sources on the World Wide Web. First the obscure rationale, as mentioned earlier Bleach was cancelled and its timeslot on Tuesdays taken over by Rock Lees Springtime of Youth, perhaps its all simply down to their being a great deal of actual content available to TV Tokyo but not enough timeslots in which to show them in, thus Bleach having reached a logical conclusion point was removed from the schedule. While possible though this angle seems also to be highly unlikely
Which brings us to the blindingly obvious possibility, the one that should have hit people in the face like a wet salmon when they first started hearing rumours of the series cancellation let alone when it finally happened. Its all to do with the inherent flaw that is built into the system of making anime from manga. Dragonball and Dragonball Z is probably the best instance of this particular flaw or phenomena known as Filler. You see sometimes, in fact quite often, an anime series will run ahead of its manga source thus necessitating the need for something to continue on with whilst the manga catches up hence filler. The show is still being watched and run but its gone past what has been published so the creators of the anime need to come up with something in order to keep things progressing smoothly.
In some cases the filler strategy works successfully to a degree, consider Naruto Shippuden, in that series which is now up to 263 episodes there has been several filler arcs all of which have been worked into the main story in order to provide some degree of continuity. In some cases the stories have involved flashbacks to the past or single stand alone stories that dont detract from the overall continuity but move things along. So far this kind of strategy has paid off with Naruto Shippuden, things dont go off track and the series continues to move along with little hassle. Contrast that with Bleach
Now in the 366 episodes of Bleach there have been over a third (129 to be precise) devoted to various filler arcs ranging from the Bounts to rebellious Zanpakuto to invasions of the world of the living and the Seireitei by super advanced mod souls. Sadly though whilst these arcs have developed some interesting ideas and some interesting characters theyve usually not been fully integrated with the whole; until the last episode when the series is moving back to the original, overarching storyline. So in essence with Bleach what you as a watcher have received has been in essence two series in one, one of the series following the manga and another that is comprised of the various filler arcs.
So what I hear you say, what does this have to do with the end of Bleach? A lot
when episode 366 aired on TV Tokyo the new manga story arc had only effectively just started and though it was billed by the publishers of Bleach manga; Shueisha, as the Final Arc, it came out in one of those points where anime had raced ahead of the manga. Thus rather than try and hash out another filler arc in which to plug the gap between the Lost Substitute Shinigami arc and the Thousand Year Blood War arc the station elected instead to go with a completely different series instead in the timeslot
sayonara Bleach
konichiwa Rock Lees Springtime of Youth. And so the sun sets on the adventures of Ichigo Kurosaki, substitute soul reaper, which is a shame as the Thousand Year Blood War arc looks like it could be a real rip snorter in anime terms
but maybe Im biased.
Some claim that if there is enough fan response the station may return Bleach to the airwaves
though I wouldnt hold out any major hope in regards to that, that fact would depend on variables of the actual level of response, how well Rock Lee does and most importantly whether or not the Thousand Year Blood War arc is actually finished. When the dust finally settles it was its own success rather than lack of success that most likely resulted in its cancellation and this sadly is a potential flaw within the actual system of translating successful manga into anime series, something that various anime production companies need to have a good long hard look at.
Publisher: Dark Horse Books
Production Team: John Ostrander script/story, Jan Duursema story/pencils/cover art, Dan Parsons inks, Brad Anderson colours & Michael Heisler - lettering
Cost: AU$25.95/US$19.99
As I sit here at my laptop attempting to first review this particular work whilst at the same time attempting to get over a rather annoying cold via a nice hot cup of coffee and prescription medications I am struck by something that has only just popped into my head like a vergence in the force itself. Namely this thing or idea that has suddenly cropped up is that in the last twelve months war seems to be a rather popular concept in which a comic series can go out on
certainly its happened here and its also happening with Naruto and Bleach. Apparently the current crisis in Bleach is how the author intends to wrap the series up and so it is with Star Wars Legacy
the creative team of Ostrander and Duursema have gone with a war and such a war as once could only expect to emerge within the Star Wars universe, one to shake the very foundations of the galaxy and the audience alike
One wonders if the whole war angle is something that has come about with all the real world calamity and chaos that has been going on since the start of the new millennium or if it is perhaps something indicative not only of human psyche but the very art of storytelling itself
food for thought there folks. The lines of battle were drawn in the closing moments of the previous graphic novel; Star Wars Legacy: Extremes when in a do or die confrontation with Sith scientist Vul Isen Cade Skywalker sensed the rebirth of Darth Krayt he knew in a flash through the Force that a final confrontation was destined.
Its amazing what you can do when dead
especially if youre a dead Sith Lord that is. Whilst hes been off in the realms of the deceased or at least in the Abyss between life and death Darth Krayt has not only managed to shrug off the affliction of the Yuuzhan Vong virus that had been originally coursing through his body but has also built up a considerable armada and army of loyal minions ready to be unleashed onto the galaxy. But only after hes dealt with the schism within the ranks of the order he had founded. Darth Wyyrlok cannot be allowed to live if Krayt wishes to regain not only the mantle of Dark Lord but the Imperial Throne as well. Once he has accomplished this then he can unleash his wrath
Truly a frightening prospect as Darth Krayt makes swift work of healing the schism in his Order and girding his war machine consisting of millions of Sith Troopers merged via the wonders of cybernetic implants and the dark side into their devastating fighters for the impending conflict. His intention is to bring the galaxy to heel, like an unruly dog that has gone against the wishes of its master. And his methodology to resolve this particular issue? Certainly its not to send the galaxy to someone for discipline training but instead to sweep the galaxy clean with fire and steel, only in the cleansing fires of war can the galaxy be reborn and remade in the image of the Sith. Sadly though the dark side or perhaps his own shortcomings have blinded him to the fact that its not going to go all his own way.
There is a classic line in the film Revenge of the Sith where Darth Sidious remarks to Darth Vader if they do not strike the Jedi now and wipe them out it will be war without end as the Jedi will seek to destroy them. And so it has constantly proven down through the history of the galaxy, since the days of the Jedi Civil War and the Mandalorian Wars before it. No matter how badly the Jedi are beaten the Force it seems buoys up those who survive and give them enough strength and resolve to take on their age old enemies. The same thing has happened in the era of Darth Krayt, the Jedi are in hiding and scattered yet does the Force desert them? Are they hopelessly incapable of action? Can they find their resolve and strike back against the tide of darkness?
As long as a single Jedi remains and maintains their faith in the Force it seems that the Sith will always have their work cut out for them. Throw into the mix the Skywalker family and its current surviving member, Cade, and you have a potent mix to seriously cause any Sith to have nightmares if not a seriously bad day. Darth Krayt though thinks he has the wood on Cade that he can actually turn him and use him towards his own schemes and his vision. Hes falling into the same trap that both the Jedi Council and Darth Sidious did with Darth Vader, the fact that they felt that they were in the controlling seat. They never were at any stage; in fact all they were was spectators. Its the same here with Cade, though granted its only Darth Krayt who feels he can control him, everyone else has no real idea about this somewhat moody and tainted individual.
The great thing about Cade Skywalker is that sure hes a Forceful individual, he has a cool starship and cool comrades but hes got depth and its some serious depth. He could have easily have mutated into an emo whinger that you want to toss out a convenient airlock but frankly the creative team have managed to make him a worthy addition to the catalogue of Star Wars protagonists. Story wise his character has elements of Han Solo, Boba Fett, Luke and Anakin Skywalker to create this unique individual and it is an amalgam that has worked well giving the Star Wars Legacy series the right kind of protagonist. So does Cade eventually win out against Darth Krayt? Does he embrace his heritage? My advice is if you want to know the answer to these questions is to get your hands on a copy of the graphic novel
you wont regret it. Dark Horse has consistently delivered when it comes to Star Wars and the creative team behind Star Wars Legacy have always come up with the goods on all aspects.
Based on the Avengers comic by Stan Lee & Jack Kirby
Director: Josh Whedon
Screenplay by: Josh Whedon
Story by: Josh Whedon & Zak Penn
Producer: Kevin Feige
Starring: Chris Evans (Captain America), Robert Downey Jnr (Iron Man/Tony Stark), Samuel L Jackson (Nick Fury), Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Stellan Skarsgard (Dr Eric Selvig), Tom Hiddleston (Loki), Mark Ruffalo (Dr Bruce Banner/The Hulk), Scarlett Johansson (Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow), Jeremy Renner (Clint Barton/Hawkeye), Clark Gregg (Agent Coulson), Gwyneth Paltrow (Pepper Potts). Paul Bettany (JARVIS) & Cobie Smulder (Maria Hill)
Produced by: Marvel Studios in assoc with Paramount Pictures
Running Time: 150 minutes Rating: M
Possibly the most hyped and anticipated superhero movie of all time ever since the first Marvel heroes graced the silver screen in live action format. One could possibly argue that there have been generations of fanboys and fangirls waiting for this one to finally explode upon the big screen in cinemas across the globe
certainly its received an unprecedented level of promotion. If you look at the recent releases; Captain America: The First Avenger and Thor part of these features roles was to also promote the Avengers
to give the audience a taste of what was to come.
So does it live up to the hype? Does it deliver? I have to admit when I purchased my ticket at the cinema and went in to sit down with my drink and popcorn mixed in with the feelings of anticipation was also a slight sense of apprehension. My apprehension was due to the fact that Marvel is for all intents and purposes now an arm of Disney and the fact that as an ensemble film would the cast work well together
after all the bulk of them were cast originally in solo films and bringing them together as a team might not work as well. After all it sounds like a great idea what was done
but Hollywood is littered with the corpses of great ideas as are the bargain basement bins of countless supermarkets and video shops the world over.
Fortunately though for the audience the goods are delivered in this particular feature, though it isnt without its own inherent flaws that could cause some problems later on down the track
but more of that later. So what is going on in the Avengers? Somewhere in the deeps of an alternate dimension a convocation is occurring between several entities
these entities are discussing nothing less than the conquest of the Earth with the outcast Asgardian Loki behind the spearhead for this impending invasion. Handed a shiny gold sceptre by his erstwhile allies Loki is dispatched to the Earth to lay the plans for the chaos and carnage to come.
Fast forward to a secret SHIELD installation deep in a remote area of the continental United States, this semi covert organisation has managed to gain the Tesseract an alien artefact that they are currently engaged in employing to provide the world with limitless clean power, along with as always developing an arsenal of high power weapons. In comes Loki, sliding through a portal suddenly opened by the Tesseract and wielding his new toy he swiftly manages to convert Dr Selvig, chief scientist on the project along with Agent Barton. Despite the best efforts of Nick Fury and his ADC Maria Hill Loki and his new converts manage to grab the Tesseract and abscond with it to a hidden installation.
Loki makes no bones about what he intends to do
he feels that regardless of the efforts of humanity and its potential defenders they just dont have any real gumption to stop him. And initially it certainly seems like hes pretty much on the money
the proto Avengers dont have it
they squabble
they bicker
they are completely disunited which is just what Loki wants. And he focuses his efforts and attention on achieving just that vibe and culture
the worst thing that could happen for his plans is that the Avengers get their proverbial together and start acting as they should
a team. A great plan but like any great plan it all goes to hell when it finally confronts reality
in this case the reality that the various members of the Avengers at the heart realise they all have a common enemy and that enemy is Loki, regardless of what his grander scheme might have been his actions have served to actually do what he feared the most unite the Avengers.
Earths mightiest superheroes combine their various talents, skills and abilities and as a team manage to deliver some serious smack down against the alien Chitauri, the beings whom have been pledged to Lokis cause. But is it really Lokis cause? Thor in a confrontation with his wayward brother seems to think that there is something more behind all of this, that Loki is but a cats-paw for someone else. Maybe if he watched the end credits who would have found that information out
When the dust finally settled the Avengers to my humble opinion lived up to the hype. Though as I mentioned earlier there are some flaws to this otherwise finely crafted film. Firstly is the use once again of the end credit teaser scene
its getting to be rather annoying to have the film makers keep on putting these in
first time around it was cool but now its just getting staid. Why cant they have these scenes at the end before the credits start to roll? Is there some kind of taboo for film makers involved in Marvel films to actually do this? Secondly is the problem that you have the potential for one character to predominate over the other characters, thirdly the potential for a second film (an you can bet there is going to be an Avengers 2) to be a rehash of what happened in the first and finally while plot contrivance can do wonderful things for a story it can also make it seem somewhat flawed. Classic example in this particular flick is the sudden appearance of Thor
he just shows up out of the blue
how? Apparently its all Odins doing but then youre left with the feeling that if he could do that why didnt he do that in the first place and stop things to begin with? Its plot contrivance and you can let it pass, but if its used too much it can just spoil things.
The producers and director have managed to get the right mix with this film
and they need to keep that mix bubbling because when the second film is made if that mix is just the slightest bit out theyll have a flop. Good casting, an impressive tight story, good directing and just the right mix of good versus evil without being schmalzy is what the Avengers is all about. But it could have just gone overboard
it could have ended up being an emo whingefest
thankfully it didnt. My advice
get to your local cinema and see it
see it in the normal 2D, real men dont need 3D we live it
Publisher: Dark Horse Books
Production team: John Ostrander - story/script, Jan Duursema story/pencils/front cover art, Dan Parsons inks, Brad Anderson colours, Michael Heisler lettering & Sean Cooke back cover art
Cost: AU$21.95/US$15.99
[ Click here to read more ]
Created by: Nagaru Tanigawa (Story) & Noizi Ito (Illustration).
Director: Tatsuya Ishihara
Screenplay by: Fumihiko Shimo
[ Click here to read more ]
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on THE BOOK OF ELI
The Green Lantern