Project X Zone Spotlight

Project X Zone for the Nintendo 3DS is what you get when developers play nice. A mega crossover with characters from Capcom Sega and Namco all  in one game. Originally planed for Japanese  release only Project X Zone is making its way to America. This jammed packed RPG – fighter is filled with a ton of iconic characters from Mega Man, .//Hack, Tekken, Space Channel 5 and even classic Dante from Devil May Cry. The release Date is 6/25/2013 so be out on the look out for this title.

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Ayakashi koi Emaki- Demon Love Spell Manga

Hello  everyone. This is a review of the manga called Ayakashi Koi Emaki or in english Demon Love Spell. I hope you enjoy.

Synopsis: Demon Love Spell is about Miko, a novice shrine priestess who happens to exorcise a demon named Kagura that feeds on love...just by coincidence or pure luck. Now she is stuck with this handsome, lust hungry demon, that may have interests in her only as food or maybe much more.

Storyline: The story is different from other demon/human relationships. The protagonists is not so easily smittened by Kagura's  advances or antics in the beginning. Miko does blush but tries to cover it up my hiding her feelings. The manga is very good in this aspect and in a way Miko reminds me of Kagome in Inuyasha. It also has that same humor quality like when Kagome tells Inuyasha  to sit. Also it makes you think if humans and demons could live in the same world without the whole prey and predator, consumer v.s. food thing (I am purposefully being vague because I want you to read the manga).

Artwork: The artwork is very interesting and it is something to get used to. It reminds me of XXXHolic artwork or Clamp's artwork in general only because the faces look much different than the ones I am used to and it reminds me of Tsubasa Chronicles. But it is a very addicting manga to read and the artwork is beautiful.

Overall Grade: A-
I love the story and the artwork is exellent. It makes you wonder whether demons and humans could get along (as you will see throughout the story) and the comedy is on point. I hope you all love this manga as I do! Manga Rules!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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SuBlime Launches New Manga Series Blue Morning

SuBlime delivers an intriguing new series about aristocratic drama and the intricate relationship between the loyal butler of a noble family and a young heir he is duty-bounty to look after in the print debut of BLUE MORNING, by creator Shoko Hidaka. The new manga (graphic novel) series launched on May 14th, is rated M’ for Mature Audiences, and will carry an MSRP of $12.99 U.S. / $14.99 CAN.

At only ten years of age, Akihito Kuze suddenly inherits the Kuze viscountship after his father’s death. The family's capable butler, Tomoyuki Katsuragi, takes over the task of raising the boy, serving as his tutor and mentor. However, the handsome and intelligent Katsuragi, well respected even among the aristocracy, remains cool towards his charge. Akihito finds himself relentlessly drawn to Katsuragi, frustrated by the distance between them and driven to discover the reasons why.

“Young Akihito Kuze is destined for nobility, but he first must learn to navigate and grapple with what his butler Katsuragi and society want in a person of high position and what Akihito wants for himself,” says Jennifer LeBlanc, Editor, SuBLime. “As Akihito stands on the brink of manhood, he realizes he is in love. Fans won’t want to miss the tender drama of BLUE MORNING about the conflicts between what duty demands and what the heart desires!”

Yaoi manga creator Shoko Hidaka’s previously published English-language releases include Restart and Not Enough Time. Her works have also been published in French and German.

For up-to-date news and release information, please visit the SuBLime website at www.SuBLimeManga.com, or follow SuBLime on Twitter at @SuBLimeManga and Facebook at facebook.com/SuBLimeManga.

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Batman: Arkham Origins Teaser Trailer

Warner Bros release the teaser trailer to the upcoming Batman Arkham Origins. Check it out below. The full trailer will be up on May 20th. Batman: Arkham Origins is the next installment in the blockbuster Batman: Arkham videogame franchise. Developed by WB Games Montréal, the game features an expanded Gotham City and introduces an original prequel storyline set several years before the events of Batman: Arkham Asylum and Batman: Arkham City, the first two critically acclaimed games of the franchise. Taking place before the rise of Gotham City's most dangerous criminals, the game showcases a young and unrefined Batman as he faces a defining moment in his early career as a crime fighter that sets his path to becoming the Dark Knight. As the story unfolds, players will meet many important characters for the first time and forge key relationships.

Teaser Trailer

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Colorful Review

There is no secret that I' am a huge fan of anime and manga that are in the slice of life genre. There comes a time when you come across a piece of work that not only makes you think, but also makes you feel emotionally invested that you forget you're watching an anime. "Colorful" is one of those anime's that is truly a must watch film.

Synopsis: Upon reaching the train station to death, a dejected soul is informed that he is 'lucky' and will have another chance at life. He is placed in the body of a 14-year-old boy named Makoto Kobayashi, who has just committed suicide. Watched over by a neutral spirit named Purapura, the soul must figure out what his greatest sin and mistake in his former life was before his time limit in Makoto's body runs out. He also has a number of other lesser duties he must complete, such as understanding what led Makoto to commit suicide in the first place and learning how to enjoy his second chance at life.

Story: "Colorful" has a wonderful concept filled with a few central core themes that drives the protagonist story along. Themes of bullying, suicide, a take on the afterlife and the importance of a support system. Growing up one of the most important life lessons I learn is "You're only as strong as your support system." In other words you might be a strong human being, but you still need a strong foundation around you to keep you strong. Without that support around you, life will be a little more difficult. When watching the character of Makoto and seeing him get bully and then eventually taking his own life, it made me think of how important that having a support system is.  

Colorful Trailer

The movie does a phenomenal job of making you invest in Makoto and his world. Makoto has the typical formula an outcast. He's quiet, not liked at school, has no friends and feels that no one understands him. The great thing about Makoto character and the entire movie is the mystery. Throughout the movie the soul that takes over Makoto's body is trying to figure out what it did, what spark Makoto to kill himself. Surrounded by a strong well written supporting cast that have interesting side stories of their own, like Hiroka Kuwabara who story can be a movie of her own. For the sake of not giving spoilers I won't get into details, however I would like to say I wish they explore her character a little bit more to understand why she did what she did.  With a running time of only 2 hours I wish it was 2 hours and 30 mins to give the support cast more screen time. That is how great this story, it's theme and characters will grab you and make you want more. My only complaints about the story is it gets a little dry when Makoto is developing relationships with key characters, thankfully it doesn't last very long. 

Voice Acting: The English voice cast did a very good job. Greg Ayers plays Makoto very well, he delivers a performance in his voice that really brings the vulnerability, insecurity of Makoto to life. Luci Christian as the mysterious Purapura was my favorite performance. Her character is witty, but serious and deep and I love her calm, upbeat but serious tone she did for the character. Other voice actors such as Chris Patton, Brittney Karbowski and Emily Neves all give great performances.

Music & Animation: The music is a composition of my piano and strings which is very easy to listen too. The soundtrack is composed by Ko Otani and it has some memorable tracks, but it falls a little bit short as it gets to be the standard dramatic ost you expect from a drama anime. The animation however is beautiful. One of the aspects I love is the background of the film, because the background is clearly a painting which fits well into Makoto character since he is an artist. Rarely you will see a anime film where the background has a relationship in some part to a character. The choice to use a painting type background brought me more into the setting. 

Final Grade A-/****1/2 Stars: "Colorful" is a truly a gem that you must have in your collection or witness. The story touches on many subjects that everyone can relate to one way or another, whether it's family relationships, bullying, insecurity, trying to find yourself and your purpose. This movie has a lot of heart and most importantly a lot of soul. It's not the experience that makes it great, at the end it makes you really think about your own life and most importantly raises some questions. This movie truly shines bright.

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Lenni Reviews: Sidney Sheldon's The Tides Of Memory by Tilly Bagshane

(Image Source)

Political dramas aren’t really my thing. Real politics are dramatic enough and I find their considerable lack of elves, dragons, or space ships terribly disturbing. But while such books aren’t in my book queue, I cracked this book open with an equally open mind.

The novel follows Alexia De Vere, wife of Teddy De Vere and ruthless political darling of the United Kingdom’s conservative party. As the newly appointed Home Secretary (a position I hadda look up because I wasn’t exactly sure what a Home Secretary does), her hard ball stance on illegal immigrants and sentencing laws hasn’t earned her a sizable number of enemies. So, one can hardly be surprised when bodies start piling up around her.

Bagshane has some tight writing here and the characters are believable to the point where you can be annoyed by them. I had trouble identifying with Alexia not because she wasn’t written well, but because she’s a spoiled rich woman who seems to have nine lives when her mistakes come to bite her in the ass. I was curious about the outcome and it kept me reading to the end but didn’t keep me up late or anything. It’s pure and fun escapism, enough to keep me turning the pages and I’m an admitted avoider of thrillers and mysteries.

This book wasn’t good enough for me to go chasing down the other books by the same author(s) but it was a fun ride while it lasted. If you’re in to light political thrillers with a twisting plot and a fair amount of drama, you won’t be disappointed.

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Five Great & Not So Great Moms In Anime

Happy Mother's Day to all the otaku and geeky mothers of the world. Today we will look at five anime moms some good and some not so motherly, but nether the less these moms were present in there children's lives. Since parents in anime usually are non existent or barely around we wanted to showcase the moms that are least around. Here are five anime moms.

Chi Chi (Dragonball Z)

When I think of a great mom in anime the first one that came to my mind was Chi Chi. Chi Chi is the type of mom who pushes her kids to be the best and to succeed. Especially when it comes to Gohan the only thing on Chi Chi mind was Gohan's education. She wanted Gohan to be a scientist and didn't want him risking his life all the time like Goku. Chi Chi also is a mother who will defend her children and family if need be and is very skilled in fighting if she needs to defend herself. Caring, protective and a mom that we salute.

Atsuko (Yu Yu Hakusho)

"Oh great mother of the year." -Sarcastically said by Yusuke Urameshi. Atsuko will definitely not be a contender for mother of the year. Atsuko is a mother that we rarely get to see in anime. She's a mother that is troubled has her own demons to face and all of this actually affects the way her child Yusuke acts. Atsuko is a mess, she parties too much, drinks too much and smokes too much and basically doesn't really care about Yusuke when we first meet her. However after Yusuke dies and comes back, we see Atsuko start to step it up a little as a parent. She tries to make sure Yusuke goes to school, makes sure he is eating well and not getting into too much trouble, however some of the old habits are hard to kill as Atsuko will still from time to time not be around. She's not a perfect mom, but at least she is present and tries from time to time.

Delia Ketchum (Pokemon)

When your mom let's you leave the house at the age of ten to explore the world and follow your dreams, you have a very cool mom. Some will say that Delia Ketchum is the worst mom there is letting her son travel by himself at a young age. However I have to disagree Delia is not stupid. She keeps tabs on Ash all the time. She calls him, he has to check in with her from time to time. Delia is always there to encourage, motivate and inspire Ash to do his best and with a support system that Delia provides, there is no doubt that Ash will be the best Pokemon master someday.

Emiko Niwa (D.N. Angel)

Emiko is a mother that is very blunt and straight to the point. She is a mother that has a very unique family history and she tries to keep that history in tact with her son Daisuke. Emiko tends to embarrass Daisuke all the time with her antics of revealing things to him in public, or setting obstacles courses that can actually kill him in the name of training. But deep down you have a woman who loves her son and wants him to succeed. Emiko is a very cool mother to have, once you get pass the fact that she can be a little crazy.

Eureka (Eureka Seven)

Granted Maurice, Maeter and Linck are not Eureka's birth children, but she did take them in after killing they family members. Eureka felt guilty when she realized what she done so she takes it upon herself to raise the three kids. As a woman still growing herself Eureka has a hard time learning how to discipline the kids until Renton comes along and shows her how. Eureka is caring, compassionate and willing to risk everything to protect these kids and regardless of what she did to the real parents, she surely did make up for it by stepping up and taking them in.

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Neon Genesis Evangelion Director Hideaki Anno Stars in New Studio Ghibli Film

Hideaki Anno director of the anime series "Neon Genesis Evangelion" will star in the new Studio Ghibli film "Kaze Tachinu"(The Wind Rises) This will be Hideaki first time doing a voice over role. He starts as the main protagonist in the film which will debut in Japan on July 20th. The film takes a look at the life of Jiro Horikoshi, the man who designed Japanese fighter planes during World War II. Anime Rules!!!

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Final Fantasy X-2 HD Screenshots

Square Enix recently released some new screenshots for the HD remaster of Final Fantasy X-2. This game is looking to be an HD remaster that you might want to check out. The variety of screenshots shows that each of the main character models have been reworked to offer more facial expressions in the game. The textures of the surrounding environment and backgrounds were also carefully redrawn for the FINAL FANTASY X-2 HD Remaster. Finally, the resolution of Yuna’s concert performance (a pre-render movie) has been increased for the HD version.

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Adult Swim Announces New Series/Pilots

Today Adult Swim announced there new shows and returning shows for the upcoming season. I'am happy to see that Robot Chicken DC Special is getting a sequel and Boondocks is getting season 4. Mike Tyson Mysteries sounds interesting, check out the official slate below. 

New original series and specials:

·         RICK AND MORTY – Rick and Morty is about a genius inventor grandfather and his less than genius grandson, and the journeys in life they share. From Dan Harmon (Community, Channel 101) and Justin Roiland. Animated half-hour.

·         MR. PICKLES – In Mr. Pickles, the urban sprawl of modern society pollutes the old-fashioned town where the Goodman family lives with their lovable pet dog, Mr. Pickles, a deviant border collie with a secret satanic streak. From creators Will Carsola and Dave Stewart (Funny Or Die Presents Nick Swardson's Pretend Time). Animated quarter-hour.


·         MIKE TYSON MYSTERIES - In the new animated comedy series Mike Tyson Mysteries, Mike Tyson is taking the fight from the boxing ring to the streets… by solving mysteries! Armed with a magical tattoo on his face and a trusty associate by his side — a talking pigeon — if you have a problem that needs solving, Iron Mike is in your corner. The series incorporates live-action appearances featuring Mighty Mike himself, and the gloves come off as the former heavyweight champ and his fowl-mouthed partner gear up for weekly adventures as they put unsolved mysteries — like how to defeat a super computer at chess or why a famous author/werewolf can’t finish his novel — down for the count. Animated quarter-hour from Warner Bros Animation.

·         KING STAR KING – King Star King features a punk rock, modern day he-man who falls from the realm of the gods to land as a fry cook in a slummy waffle joint. King Star King must regain his memory to defeat the evil (and adorable) Spring Bunny and rescue his love, the megababe Princess Snow White. Only then will King Star King regain his rightful place in the heavens. From artist JJ Villard (Monsters Vs. Aliens). Animated quarter-hour.

·         YOUR PRETTY FACE IS GOING TO HELL – This new live-action series from Adult Swim is a workplace comedy about Gary, an associate demon, as he attempts to capture souls on earth in order to climb the corporate ladder of the underworld. Gary hopes to advance in Hell, but he may be too stupid, lazy and kind-hearted to realize his dreams of promotion. Meanwhile, Gary’s intern Claude is more talented, more devious and will do whatever it takes to impress Satan. A Williams Street production, the show is created and directed by Dave Willis (Squidbillies, Aqua Teen Hunger Force) and Casper Kelly (Squidbillies, Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law, Stroker & Hoop).  The series is currently presenting premiere episodes on Thursday nights at Midnight ET/PT on Adult Swim. Live-action quarter-hour.

·         ROBOT CHICKEN DC COMICS SPECIAL II – Faster than a speeding bullet! Well, maybe not but quality takes time. Stoopid Buddy Stoodios, in partnership with DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation, will premiere a sequel to their acclaimed Annie Award-winning Robot Chicken DC Comics Special in 2014. Robot Chicken DC Comics Special II brings you the awesomeness of the DC Comics universe of characters as only Robot Chicken can, with amazing guest stars and the stop-motion sketch comedy you've come to love after six seasons of the popular Adult Swim series. Executive producers for the second Robot Chicken DC Comics Special include Stoopid Monkey's Seth Green and Matthew Senreich, DC Entertainment Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns, Warner Bros. Animation's Executive Vice President, Creative Affairs Sam Register, and Stoopid Buddy Stoodios' John Harvatine IV and Eric Towner.

·         METALOCALPYSE: THE DOOM STAR REQUIEM – In Metalocalypse: The Doom Star Requiem, we pick up directly after the abduction of Dethklok guitarist Toki Wartooth in the season 4 finale. With his life in danger his only salvation can come from the four most selfish human celebrities on earth—his bandmates, extreme metal band DETHKLOK. Will they be able to get past their own egos to help someone besides themselves? Find out in this one-hour heavy metal rock opera special with a completely original score. Created by Brendon Small, Metalocalypse: The Doom Star Requiem airs in October. Animated one-hour special.

·         HOT PACKAGE – Premiering in October on Adult Swim, Hot Package is a live-action fictional Canadian entertainment news program in vein of "Entertainment Tonight," "EXTRA," or "E! News.” Hot Package is created by and stars Derrick Beckles (TV Carnage), produced by Abso Lutely, with Derrick Beckles and Dave Kneebone as executive producers. Live-action quarter-hour.

Pilots:
Aaron McGruder Pilots –Two new live-action pilots from the creator of The Boondocks. Live-action quarter-hour and half-hour.
Tim & Eric’s Bedtime Stories: Zach’s Haunted House - Tim, Eric and Zach are elated to learn their grandfather has left them each $1,000 in his will. However, there's a catch. In order to collect the money, they must live in his haunted mansion for the rest of their lives. Are the three of them up for it? This Halloween special is written, directed and stars Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim (Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!) with Zach Galifianakis (The Hangover). Live-action half-hour.
Ghostbags – These three frat guys were douchebags while they lived, but now that they've died in a horrible car accident, absolutely nothing has changed. Created by Hayes Davenport (Eastbound and Down) and Guy Endore-Kaiser (Allen Gregory). Animated quarter-hour.
Hole to Hole - Hole to Hole follows the fabulous exploits of Ashleigh and Amelia Dangerhole, America’s sexiest billionaire detectives in a parody of ‘80s detective shows. From Pam Brady (South Park, Neighbors from Hell) and Arden Myrin (MADtv, Chelsea Lately). Live-action quarter-hour.
Filthy Sexy Teen$ – Filthy Sexy Teen$ follows the exploits of a group of teens (and one high school principal) as they attempt to climb the social ladder by any means possible, even if they have to use sex, lies, and murder to get there. It won't be easy in a school where everyone has a dark secret, and one mysterious teen is out to expose every one of them. Created by Curtis Gwinn (Walking Dead), Paul Scheer (The League, Human Giant) and Jonathan Stern (Childrens Hospital, Burning Love). Live-action quarter-hour.
Team Unicorn – Team Unicorn is a modern send-up of Saturday morning kids’ shows featuring a team of four sexy, culture-obsessed heroines who present darkly ironic twists on 80's cartoon tropes. From the creators of Robot Chicken. Live action/animation mix, quarter-hour.
Übermansion – From Stoopid Buddy Stoodios and the creators of Robot Chicken comes Übermansion, a glimpse into the mundane humanity of six superheroes all living in the same mansion. Created by Zeb Wells and Matthew Senreich, executive produced by Wells, Senreich, Seth Green, John Harvatine IV, Eric Towner and Bryan Cranston. Animated quarter-hour.
Untitled Cruise Ship Project – The corrupt employees of a trashy cruise ship are piloted into danger by their insane Scandinavian captain.  Created by Matt Harrigan (Space Ghost Coast to Coast). Live-action quarter-hour.

Returning series:
AQUA TV SHOW SHOW
BLACK DYNAMITE
THE BOONDOCKS
CHILDRENS HOSPITAL
CHECK IT OUT! WITH DR. STEVE BRULE
CHINA, IL
EAGLEHEART
THE ERIC ANDRE SHOW
THE GREATEST EVENT IN TELEVISION HISTORY
THE HEART, SHE HOLLER
INFOMERCIALS
LOITER SQUAD
NTSF:SD:SUV::
ROBOT CHICKEN

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Nickelodeon Announces Spongebob Squarepants Global Film Competition

Nickelodeon, one of the world’s leading recognized entertainment brands for kids and families, today announced the first-ever global SpongeBob SquarePants-inspired short film competition, SpongeBob SquareShorts: Original Fan Tributes. SpongeBob fans and filmmakers of all ages from around the world are invited to create original, SpongeBob-inspired short films for a chance to win a cash prize and trip for four people to a screening event in Hollywood, Calif.    The call for entries opened, Monday, May 6, and will run through Friday, June 28. Entries can be submitted in two categories (under 18 years of age, and 18 and over) to www.SpongeBobSquareShorts.com.

“SpongeBob is a global icon and beloved by people of all ages,” said Pam Kaufman, Chief Marketing Officer, Nickelodeon Group.  “We’re excited to launch a competition that lets fans around the world create compelling short films that showcase the positivity and optimism that SpongeBob brings to audiences everywhere.”

Films submitted to the SpongeBob SquareShorts: Original Fan Tributes competition should be themed around SpongeBob, his world and/or his friends, while celebrating his endearing attributes: humor, overflowing happiness and persistent positivity. The short films can be live-action, animation, stop-motion, etc. and should run no longer than three (3) minutes.  Videos will be judged on originality & creativity, incorporation of SpongeBob’s attributes, and overall appeal.

Following the entry period, finalists will be selected by a panel of judges, and the top 10 in each of the two categories will be announced on Thursday, July 18 as finalists. From July 18 through Friday, August 2, fans will have the chance to vote for their favorite of the finalists at www.SpongeBobSquareShorts.com.. The winner from each category will be announced in August.  For additional details on the submission process and official rules, please visit www.SpongeBobSquareShorts.com..  

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42% of Japanese “Otaku

Otaku are once again pondering statistics showing that of over 130,000 Japanese questioned, some 40% consider themselves “otaku,” with an even higher proportion – 62% – of teenagers saying the same.

When 137,734 Japanese were asked “do you consider yourself an otaku when it comes to a particular area?”, 42.2% answered they thought they were.
Admissions solicited from those who confessed ranged from a love of games or sports to soaps and seiyuu.

The statistics for those reckoning themselves otaku were further broken down by gender – with 45.7% of the admitted otaku being men and 38.1% women (what the remainder were is not specified) – and age:

Teens: 62.0%
Twenties: 55.6%
Thirties: 46.4%
Forties: 44.8%
Fifties: 36.7%
Sixties: 26.9%
Seventies: 23.1%
Eighties: 23.3%

Although “otaku” carries a generally negative if not highly discriminatory nuance and even in Japanese is strongly associated with stereotypical male anime fans or the idol otaku even they despise, it would appear the term still carries enough of its nuance of the earnest hobbyist, ardent fan or well-versed expert for it to be easily admitted to.
Just what proportion of those owning up to being “otaku” would also fit into the definition of “creepy otaku” is far from clear – although it seems extremely unlikely more than a fraction would have owned up to it had it been so worded.

Amongst actual creepy otaku there has been some resistance to so many commoners appropriating their label – the usual complaints being along the lines of “these are just brats posing as otaku” and “their definition of ‘anime otaku’ may just be ‘liking anime’ so it’s no wonder.”


Source: SanKaku Complex.com

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