So I remember it being summer time (ironically) when I discovered the movie Summer Wars. I remember, because the Anime Addicts Anonymous and That Anime Show, all spoke quite positively about it, so, while paroozing a local electronics store, I figured "Why Not?" and bought the movie. Not a bad decision, in retrospect...
Summer Wars takes place in an alternate version of reality in which the internet is a program called OZ (Like the wizard. or the futurama parody), in which people can (and do) do anything from play videogames, to network, to do business, to buy a house. The story begins when Kenji Koiso is asked by his classmate Natsuki Shinohara, one of their school's most popular students, to pretend to be her boyfriend for a week while she visits her family. And that's just the begining...
While there, Kenji gets a text message containing some sort of math problem (I don't know what kind. I don't do so well with math...), which turns out to be the security code to OZ. In releasing the code, a horribly destructive virus, named Love Machine, which not only seeks to destroy OZ, but the world...
Anyway, this movie did get a lot of hype, mainly due to the awards it won, but it deserved this, because it was an amazing movie with a moving, heartfelt story of love, family, and why you shouldn't put so much trust into technology.
See, that was one of the main reasons I liked this movie, it was slightly satirical of modern society, in which we rely too heavily on technology. That, and it touched on a really close topic to me: family, and loving them for who they are, warts and all (something I've always felt). And the dubbed performances were simply amazing. I seriously have trouble finding trouble finding anything to dislike about this movie, so, the rating I would have to give it would be a 5 out of 5, as well as a reccomendation that you go buy it. See you next time, Keep The Faith, and You are not alone.
-Shigure
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Come on, people... was it really THAT bad?
Ok... So last week was kind of an accident... I meant to post something, but the short version of the story was that work, school, and the recent release of Batman: Arkham City kind of distracted me... well, that, and a massive box filled with comics that i was recently given...
Anyway, that said, I will now post what I intended to post last week...
So, over the summer, one movie I missed out on seeing do to my hectic work schedule was one based on one of my favorite comics growing up: The Green Lantern. However, I did manage to read a few reviews, and that sort of made me a bit weary of whether or not I should see it...
However, with the recent DVD release, I must ask, upon finally seeing it: was it really that bad?
I'm no champion of comic book movies. I just want to clear the air and say that. I do enjoy them, and will watch them, but I will never be the guy who says "Ooh! make this a movie, holly-wood!" of "OOh, that would make an amazing movie!"... Especially since they took a humongous dump on my childhood with those X-Men movies (Come on! you've got years of stories to work with that would have been amazing! why ruin and then ignore them!?!)
Anyway, I've been a Lantern fan since I was about six or seven, when I accidentally found a cartoon on TV illustrating the origins of Hal Jordan as the Green Lantern (though in recent years, I've grown to like Kyle Rayner and Guy Gardner more, and Alan Scott was awsome in the one-shot comic Underworld Unleashed: Hell's Senteniel). mezmerized by the amazing powers, cool costume, and awsome ring, I became a fan that day (I've been a Batman, X-men, and Spider-man fan longer), so needless to say, I was a little biased going in. But, as I wanted to see if the movie was really as bad as I'd heard, I took to the objective, outside third party perspective and watched. Now to be fair, it really was not the best comic book movie ever (that was either The Crow, Scott Pilgrim v.s. The World, The Dark Knight, or Iron Man), it certainly wasn't the worst (*caugh* Daredevil, Fantastic Four, Wolverine, Man-thing *caugh*).
Wow... That really turned into a defensive thing... Ok, I'll review it, then!
Ok, so this movie tells the story of Test-pilot Hal Jordan, and how he acquired his ring at a pretty bad time: Earth is on the verge of destruction at the hands of a monster hellbent on vengeance against the Guardians, Oa, and The Green Lantern Corps for imprisoning him. Jordan must learn to use his ring to fight this monster (who uses the Yellow Power of Fear). Now what I liked about the film was that it had a pretty good, coming to power/ coming of age story in which Jordan learned to use his powers and overcome his own fear, The possibility of a sequel through the opening left when Sinestro harnassed the yelllow power of fear into a ring (read the comics, kids), and the fact that Ryan Reynolds really carried the role well, both looking like Jordan and doing a good job acting the part. my problems: 1) the badguys. I just didn't like them. 2) The scene in which Sinestro acquired his yellow ring. It had so much potential, but they really did nothing with it...
So, all that being said, the movie gets a 3 out of 5. and before i go, raise your ring in the air and recite the oath with me:
In Brightest Day,
In Blackest Night,
No Evil Shall Escape My Sight.
Let Those Who Worship
Evil's Might
Beware My Power...
GREEN LANTERN'S LIGHT!
Anyway, that said, I will now post what I intended to post last week...
So, over the summer, one movie I missed out on seeing do to my hectic work schedule was one based on one of my favorite comics growing up: The Green Lantern. However, I did manage to read a few reviews, and that sort of made me a bit weary of whether or not I should see it...
However, with the recent DVD release, I must ask, upon finally seeing it: was it really that bad?
I'm no champion of comic book movies. I just want to clear the air and say that. I do enjoy them, and will watch them, but I will never be the guy who says "Ooh! make this a movie, holly-wood!" of "OOh, that would make an amazing movie!"... Especially since they took a humongous dump on my childhood with those X-Men movies (Come on! you've got years of stories to work with that would have been amazing! why ruin and then ignore them!?!)
Anyway, I've been a Lantern fan since I was about six or seven, when I accidentally found a cartoon on TV illustrating the origins of Hal Jordan as the Green Lantern (though in recent years, I've grown to like Kyle Rayner and Guy Gardner more, and Alan Scott was awsome in the one-shot comic Underworld Unleashed: Hell's Senteniel). mezmerized by the amazing powers, cool costume, and awsome ring, I became a fan that day (I've been a Batman, X-men, and Spider-man fan longer), so needless to say, I was a little biased going in. But, as I wanted to see if the movie was really as bad as I'd heard, I took to the objective, outside third party perspective and watched. Now to be fair, it really was not the best comic book movie ever (that was either The Crow, Scott Pilgrim v.s. The World, The Dark Knight, or Iron Man), it certainly wasn't the worst (*caugh* Daredevil, Fantastic Four, Wolverine, Man-thing *caugh*).
Wow... That really turned into a defensive thing... Ok, I'll review it, then!
Ok, so this movie tells the story of Test-pilot Hal Jordan, and how he acquired his ring at a pretty bad time: Earth is on the verge of destruction at the hands of a monster hellbent on vengeance against the Guardians, Oa, and The Green Lantern Corps for imprisoning him. Jordan must learn to use his ring to fight this monster (who uses the Yellow Power of Fear). Now what I liked about the film was that it had a pretty good, coming to power/ coming of age story in which Jordan learned to use his powers and overcome his own fear, The possibility of a sequel through the opening left when Sinestro harnassed the yelllow power of fear into a ring (read the comics, kids), and the fact that Ryan Reynolds really carried the role well, both looking like Jordan and doing a good job acting the part. my problems: 1) the badguys. I just didn't like them. 2) The scene in which Sinestro acquired his yellow ring. It had so much potential, but they really did nothing with it...
So, all that being said, the movie gets a 3 out of 5. and before i go, raise your ring in the air and recite the oath with me:
In Brightest Day,
In Blackest Night,
No Evil Shall Escape My Sight.
Let Those Who Worship
Evil's Might
Beware My Power...
GREEN LANTERN'S LIGHT!
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Where it started...
Ok... so while trapped dealing with a knife-weilding psychopath in a wedding dress (and that's just a slow tuesday for me. no, just kidding, i was playing Catherine), i became frustrated and began to read a book i recently acquired from a bin of books for sale at my college's library. As i read, I chose to listen to an interview of one of my favorite voice actors on one of my favorite podcasts (Steve Blum and the Anime Addicts Anonymous. Love you guys (both Mr. Blum and the AAA)), and part of the interview really made me think back to my roots. far back into a period so long ago. a period called the early 2000s.
See, as a kid, I was always a bit nerdy, reading comic books every now and again, having an obsession with Batman (Still there...), watching pokemon in the late '90s... you know, standard stuff for my generation... Anyway, It wasn't until middle school that that I began to become what i am today.
You see, while hanging out with my cousin one afternoon, I discovered something great. something that turned me into what I am. I speak of course of a daily programming block on cartoon network many may have heard of known as Toonami. Through Toonami, I rediscovered Dragon Ball Z (which I wrote off earlier due to starting off on the wrong episode...), but more importantly other great shows, such as the Tenchi Series (Tenchi Muyo, Tenchi Universe, Tenchi in Tokyo), Ruroni Kenshin, Yu yu hakusho, Big O, and (most importantly, because my fascination with this show turned me into an anime addict) Outlaw Star.
Of course, shortly thereafter, I fell headover heels in love with these programs, even staying up all night to watch the ones that aired at midnight (only during the summer, though...). This gateway drug led me to fall in with a group of friends (who i met through my school band program. Yes, I'm a musician, playing saxophone and guitar. but more on that later) who also shared my interests, as well as one i was moderately fascinated with, but they made it worse: videogames.
So, there I was: a kid in his early teens, hooked on videogames, addicted to anime, and slowly becoming more and more addicted to comic books and manga, who stayed up all night to play Final Fantasy Tactics Advance on his Gameboy (Mom, if you're reading this, I'm sorry...), also discovering the rebellious sounds of Rock music, when I finally got my very own Playstation 2 at age 15. Needless to say, that's where that began. that, and discovering that they sell anime on DVD (my first was Trigun, volume 1) were major influences in my life, but it wasn't until college that i made the final shift to where I am now.
See, in high school, it's easy to say you live that "To thine own self be true" lifestyle (William Shakespeare. awsome man.), but we all hide some things. I mean, I never tried to hide my anime addiction, but i didn't stand on the streets on a soapbox spreading word of my love of Full Metal Panic, Outlaw Star, and the other shows I was hooked on in high school, nor did I deny my fascination with comics (some people actually referred to me as Batman for a while. they quit though, when they discovered that it wasn't an insult to me. man I wish that nickname had stuck...), but like I said, in order to avoid being ostracized by my peers and friends, I kind of kept my interests in my pocket. But then in college, things changed a bit. slowly, I began to discover that I didn't need to hide my inner geek anymore. I could let it all hang out. I mean, yes there was an extent, and moderation is never a bad thing, but you know... to quote Polonius (again...) "To thine own self be true". This new discovered freedom eventually led me down the road to my fellow addicts out there through the AAA (Anime Addicts Anonymous), my revived fascination with comics (it was never dead. just not as active), and my newer interest in Doctor Who (That Anime Show pointed me in that direction. listen to that podcast as well. it's amazing. Not really on the AAA's level of being informative, but still very entertaining).
Anyway... that's my story, I suppose... not much else to tell. Just remember "To Thine own self be true" (3 in a row!), Row Row Fight Da Powah, and Don't let the man keep you down. Oh, and this all sprang about when I was talking with Oldman Azure earlier about Toonami and I was trying to find a copy of Final Fantasy Tactics Advance on ebay.
Well, Keep The Faith, You Are Not Alone,
-Shigure
See, as a kid, I was always a bit nerdy, reading comic books every now and again, having an obsession with Batman (Still there...), watching pokemon in the late '90s... you know, standard stuff for my generation... Anyway, It wasn't until middle school that that I began to become what i am today.
You see, while hanging out with my cousin one afternoon, I discovered something great. something that turned me into what I am. I speak of course of a daily programming block on cartoon network many may have heard of known as Toonami. Through Toonami, I rediscovered Dragon Ball Z (which I wrote off earlier due to starting off on the wrong episode...), but more importantly other great shows, such as the Tenchi Series (Tenchi Muyo, Tenchi Universe, Tenchi in Tokyo), Ruroni Kenshin, Yu yu hakusho, Big O, and (most importantly, because my fascination with this show turned me into an anime addict) Outlaw Star.
Of course, shortly thereafter, I fell headover heels in love with these programs, even staying up all night to watch the ones that aired at midnight (only during the summer, though...). This gateway drug led me to fall in with a group of friends (who i met through my school band program. Yes, I'm a musician, playing saxophone and guitar. but more on that later) who also shared my interests, as well as one i was moderately fascinated with, but they made it worse: videogames.
So, there I was: a kid in his early teens, hooked on videogames, addicted to anime, and slowly becoming more and more addicted to comic books and manga, who stayed up all night to play Final Fantasy Tactics Advance on his Gameboy (Mom, if you're reading this, I'm sorry...), also discovering the rebellious sounds of Rock music, when I finally got my very own Playstation 2 at age 15. Needless to say, that's where that began. that, and discovering that they sell anime on DVD (my first was Trigun, volume 1) were major influences in my life, but it wasn't until college that i made the final shift to where I am now.
See, in high school, it's easy to say you live that "To thine own self be true" lifestyle (William Shakespeare. awsome man.), but we all hide some things. I mean, I never tried to hide my anime addiction, but i didn't stand on the streets on a soapbox spreading word of my love of Full Metal Panic, Outlaw Star, and the other shows I was hooked on in high school, nor did I deny my fascination with comics (some people actually referred to me as Batman for a while. they quit though, when they discovered that it wasn't an insult to me. man I wish that nickname had stuck...), but like I said, in order to avoid being ostracized by my peers and friends, I kind of kept my interests in my pocket. But then in college, things changed a bit. slowly, I began to discover that I didn't need to hide my inner geek anymore. I could let it all hang out. I mean, yes there was an extent, and moderation is never a bad thing, but you know... to quote Polonius (again...) "To thine own self be true". This new discovered freedom eventually led me down the road to my fellow addicts out there through the AAA (Anime Addicts Anonymous), my revived fascination with comics (it was never dead. just not as active), and my newer interest in Doctor Who (That Anime Show pointed me in that direction. listen to that podcast as well. it's amazing. Not really on the AAA's level of being informative, but still very entertaining).
Anyway... that's my story, I suppose... not much else to tell. Just remember "To Thine own self be true" (3 in a row!), Row Row Fight Da Powah, and Don't let the man keep you down. Oh, and this all sprang about when I was talking with Oldman Azure earlier about Toonami and I was trying to find a copy of Final Fantasy Tactics Advance on ebay.
Well, Keep The Faith, You Are Not Alone,
-Shigure
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Doctor Who: Season 6 finale- yeah, the title of the friggen episode's not a spoiler at all
Yes, I know, I'm posting about it late, but i work and go to school, so deal with it. Anyway, Season (or series, depending on which side of the pond you call home) 6 wrapped up recently (October 1, 2011), and may I just say, quite nicely, with the episode titled The Wedding of River Song.
As many of my fellow Whovians may recall, in previous episodes, April 22, 2011 by Lake Silencio, Utah, is a fixed point in history, and a dark day: The day of the Doctor's death at the hands of an impossible astronaut (as the prophecy goes). This episode tells the story of how the Doctor prepared for these events, what happened when the "Astronaut" (better known as River Song) was unable to kill him, how he saved the whole of time and space by allowing his own death, and that Steven Moffat can make it look like he wrote himself into a corner, when in all actuality, he did not.
If the spoiler of a title didn't give it away, River Song does, in fact marry the Doctor, who learns from the severed head of Dorium (severed courtesy of The Headless Monks in "A Good Man Goes To War") the question that he will (probably) have to face next season: the oldest question in the universe. one that must never be answered. one that I felt like an idiot for not realizing sooner. "Doctor who?"
From an objective, critical, nonbiased standpoint, I would have to give this episode a 4.5 out of 5. It was an amazing, engaging, thought provoking episode that's going to force me to rewatch season 6 just to see little things i didn't notice before, and has me sitting on the edge of my seat waiting for season 7, but I'm not entirely convinced it's worthy of a 5... and I don't know why...
Anyway, some of my favorite things about it had to be the fact that the Doctor's Stetson (worn in The Impossible Astronaut and near the end of Closing Time, where he received it from his friend Craig) actually survived (surprise, River Song. you hat destroying @#$%&! You may have gotten the Fez, but the Stetson lives on!), and hearing Amy call someone "Sweetie" in the same manner as River. That, and the addressing of the issue of the recent death of former companion Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart of U.N.I.T. (R.I.P. Nicholas Courtney), stating that the character died peacefully months in advance.
Anyway, that's my take on the episode, watch it, don't, i don't really care. just watch all of season 6 first, or you won't get it.
This is Shigure signing off. Remember to keep the faith, and you are not alone.
-Shigure
As many of my fellow Whovians may recall, in previous episodes, April 22, 2011 by Lake Silencio, Utah, is a fixed point in history, and a dark day: The day of the Doctor's death at the hands of an impossible astronaut (as the prophecy goes). This episode tells the story of how the Doctor prepared for these events, what happened when the "Astronaut" (better known as River Song) was unable to kill him, how he saved the whole of time and space by allowing his own death, and that Steven Moffat can make it look like he wrote himself into a corner, when in all actuality, he did not.
If the spoiler of a title didn't give it away, River Song does, in fact marry the Doctor, who learns from the severed head of Dorium (severed courtesy of The Headless Monks in "A Good Man Goes To War") the question that he will (probably) have to face next season: the oldest question in the universe. one that must never be answered. one that I felt like an idiot for not realizing sooner. "Doctor who?"
From an objective, critical, nonbiased standpoint, I would have to give this episode a 4.5 out of 5. It was an amazing, engaging, thought provoking episode that's going to force me to rewatch season 6 just to see little things i didn't notice before, and has me sitting on the edge of my seat waiting for season 7, but I'm not entirely convinced it's worthy of a 5... and I don't know why...
Anyway, some of my favorite things about it had to be the fact that the Doctor's Stetson (worn in The Impossible Astronaut and near the end of Closing Time, where he received it from his friend Craig) actually survived (surprise, River Song. you hat destroying @#$%&! You may have gotten the Fez, but the Stetson lives on!), and hearing Amy call someone "Sweetie" in the same manner as River. That, and the addressing of the issue of the recent death of former companion Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart of U.N.I.T. (R.I.P. Nicholas Courtney), stating that the character died peacefully months in advance.
Anyway, that's my take on the episode, watch it, don't, i don't really care. just watch all of season 6 first, or you won't get it.
This is Shigure signing off. Remember to keep the faith, and you are not alone.
-Shigure
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Welcome to The Midnight Channel... we've been waiting for you
Hello, and welcome to The Midnight Channel: a blog dedicated to Anime, Videogames, Comic books, scifi, and other similar, slightly nerdy topics (as if you couldn't guess from the title, which, if you didn't know, came from the videogame Shim Megami Tensei Persona 4).
Basically, we here at the Channel (I call it that informally sometimes. ok, i never do. i usually call it by it's proper name or just 'the blog') are here to give you reviews, news, information, stories, reccomendations, and whatever else we feel like, and all we ask is that you just keep watching.
We may also bring a podcast, start a youtube channel, a facebook, a cult, or even a revolution, I don't know. but right now, we're in blog form, and I am currently searching for Correspondents to add articles to this blog(contact me if you're interested.)
So, i close by saying Welcome.
You are not alone and Keep the faith.
-Shigure
Basically, we here at the Channel (I call it that informally sometimes. ok, i never do. i usually call it by it's proper name or just 'the blog') are here to give you reviews, news, information, stories, reccomendations, and whatever else we feel like, and all we ask is that you just keep watching.
We may also bring a podcast, start a youtube channel, a facebook, a cult, or even a revolution, I don't know. but right now, we're in blog form, and I am currently searching for Correspondents to add articles to this blog(contact me if you're interested.)
So, i close by saying Welcome.
You are not alone and Keep the faith.
-Shigure
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