Gameplay Video for Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4

Bandai Namco Entertainment has released a new video of Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4. The video shows off the gameplay mechanics which stays true to previous entries. This game also will feature the biggest roster of characters to date. The game is due out in February.

Dimension W Episode 1 - Collector Review

Kyoma Mabuchi, a Collector, runs into some trouble on a job and ends up bringing back an android girl named Mira.

I think 2016 has introduced us to another bad ass in the name of Kyoma Mabuchi. The show Dimension W is off to great a start with a strong cast of characters, refreshing plot and stellar animation. In the first episode we're introduced to Kyoma. He is a man who is surrounded in mystery. All we know is that he acts as a Collector and takes certain jobs that he is hired to do. He has the same style of a mercenary but I wouldn't call that. While details of who Kyoma is not shown. I like the way they tell us through actions what type of man he is. He is a man of action. A man who is going to get the job done. He appears cold but you can sense he's a good man. I'm curious to see how he develops and what we will learn from him this season.

Dimension W also succeeds with presenting us a refreshing concept and world. In the world of 2071 the energy crisis is solved, with the discovery of cross dimensions fields known as coils. These coils have infinite source of energy which was founded in the W dimensions. The episode shows the importance of these coils and how it's the livelihood of the world. There is however coils that shouldn't be used with also amazing amounts of energy called illegal coils. This sets Kyoma on a misson to stop those who are trying to use it. The world is refreshing and I was really drawn into the situations of the coils and the effects of it. Dimension W has great animation, a good score and great characters. Episode 1 does one hell of a job of introducing us to this world.

Final Grade: 8.5/10

Rainbow Days Episode 1 Review

Natsuki is a hopeless romantic who, just after being dumped by his girlfriend, falls in love with a girl handing out tissues while dressed in a Santa costume. Will Natsuki reconnect with his dream girl?

Rainbow Days has a nice premise, concept and good execution. Natsuki was dumped during the holiday season. He meets handing out tissues and instantly falls in love.  Natsuki is hell bent on finding this girl that he met that fateful night. Natsuki can be somewhat delusional. He only sees what he his reality wants him too. Think of it like this. A girl can just being nice but he will think it's romantically link. One thing I like about the show is how Natsuki is trying to get back into the dating world. His friends show their support by trying to help him with tips, take him out and keep him in check. I like how they show how Natsuki was affected by the break up. I just wish they showed more of it. Overall this anime is off to a good start. Natsuki quest to learn more about his crush should keep you interested.

Final Grade 7.0/10

Funimation Entertainment Debuts New Anime Streaming Service, FunimationNow!

Funimation has partnered with Sony DADC New Media Solutions (Sony) to leverage their Ven.ue platform bringing both scale and unique capabilities on the digital front to launch its new ad-free streaming anime serviceFunimationNow – the first in a series of moves to take this growing genre of entertainment, and Funimation, to the next level.

Regardless of device or platform, FunimationNow subscribers will enjoy ad-free, HD streaming of Funimation’s expansive library of over 400 simulcast and catalog his number :)rary of over 400 action-packed titles.station 4 will be made available for streaming Funimation Entertainment'S ansimstitles, both subbed and dubbed, including acclaimed shows such as “Dragon Ball Z,” “Attack on Titan,” “Fairy Tail,” “One Piece,” “Tokyo Ghoul”, “Space Dandy” and many more.

FunimationNow begins its rollout in early February, when fans can look forward to completely redesigned iOS, Android, and Kindle apps, as well as brand new Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV apps.  The apps boast Airplay and Cast features, allowing you to watch on your TV from any mobile device.  Also coming in February is a brand new Windows 10 Universal app. In May, fans can also look forward to a fully re-imagined Funimation website and all new integrated experiences on Funimation gaming console apps.

Ojisan and Marshmallow Episode 1 Review

The series is about a man named Kusaka who has a fascination for marshmallows. Kusaka gets involved in a relationship with an office lady named Wakabayashi, and the story focuses on their relationship in the workplace.

Before I begin you have to know that is an anime short. It is only last 3 mins long. However in those three minutes I was pretty entertained. This anime short developed and planted seeds of a fun relationship between Kusaka and Wakabayashi. The short makes it clear that Kusaka loves marshmallows and Wakabayashi is having fun taunting him with it. There is chemistry between these two that will certainly be explored in later episodes. I did like the little play fight scene tey had. But the short didn't leave me wanting more. Maybe five minutes to establish more would be great. It was still a fun three minutes.

Final Grade: 7.0/C- 

Erased Episode 1: Flashing Before My Eyes Review

Satoru Fujinuma is a struggling manga artist who works at a pizza parlor. Ever since he was a kid, he has been holding himself responsible for a kidnapping incident. Finally, the time has come for the truth from his past to be revealed…

I haven't seen an anime with such a strong first episode like "Erased" for some time. I have to go on record and say that I'm hooked. This show is off to a great start and if 2016 anime is similar we are looking at a good year. One thing episode 1 does so well is introducing us to our main character Satoru Fujinuma. Satoru is guy that keeps to himself. He's a struggling manga writer who seems to not be able to tap into his full potential. There is something traumatic that is holding him back from unlocking his heart. This is something that he has been putting off for years and he is ready to confront it.

As stated in the synopsis Satoru feels responsible for a student who was kidnap. For the sake of spoilers I won't say anything about the episode. I will say I love how they depict how he carries this weight for all these years. The use of music, camera angles and the way he is presented is spot on. There is also supernatural element which works even for this realistic tone the show is going for. The ending of episode 1 is unexpected and will have you rewatching it for hints of next week. This show so far is taking its characters, plot and world seriously. A touch of slice of life, supernatural and real situations makes this off to a great start.

Final Grade A-/9.0

Sentai Filmworks Licenses "Girls Beyond the Wasteland"

Sentai Filmworks announced its latest acquisition, Girls Beyond the Wasteland, as part of the winter 2016 anime season lineup. Based on the upcoming visual novel adapted by Romeo Tanaka and with character designs by Matsuryu, this anime will follow the exploits of lackadaisical high-school student Buntaro Hojo as he ventures into the realm of dating game development.

The series will be directed by Takuya Sato (Steins;Gate), with series composition by Yuniko Ayana. Character designs for the animation will be provided by Takayuki Noguchi, and production will be handled by Project No.9.

Girls Beyond the Wasteland is scheduled for a January 2016 broadcast in Japan. It will soon be available through select digital outlets, with a home video release to follow.

Only Yesterday Review

 Only Yesterday is a film that truly embodies the spirit of life and how dreams can change or stay the same form childhood. Taeko, a 27 year old woman, lives in Tokyo and decides to go out into the countryside to work as a field worker. Along the way she starts to reminisce about her life as a little girl and starts to question if she completed her dream since childhood.

The story is great and the use of imagery and animation has the style of what we love about Studio Ghibli. The animation is so nice and crisp and I love the watercolors that were used for the past and then the heavy, darker, colors for the present (1982). Also with the past dream sequences, some of the scenes seem half finished, making it more of a dream than reality and shows how life can past by in a blur.

The music is absolutely amazing and it sets the mood for each scene. When the music is not playing its at pivitol moments in time when I am on my seat to hear and to see what happens next. The music helps the mood and brings out such great emotions that also inhances the performance of the characters and actors.

Speaking of which, the voice actors in the movie is also great and one can tell they are invested in the story and really bring each character to life. Daisy Ridley and Dev Patel were amazing and gave such great emotion to the characters and the other characters as well, especially the flashbacks to Taeko as a little girl.

Overall I give this movie a 9/10. A must see if your a fan of Studio Ghibli and this story, for me, hits home to me on a personal level and what a story to have to celebrate 25 years of amazing storytelling. Dreams can be a reality. Take chances and have heart and you will see it come true. Anime Rules!!!

Daisy Ridley voices Studio Ghibli's ONLY YESTERDAY

Check out the new trailer for Studio Ghibli's Only Yesterday starring Star Wars Daisy Ridley.  Long considered an unseen masterpiece by critics and fans alike, the film has never before been released in North America. The film will open in New York at IFC Center on January 1 and expand to additional cities February 26.

It’s 1982, and Taeko (Daisy Ridley) is 27 years old, unmarried, and has lived her whole life in Tokyo. She decides to visit her family in the countryside, and as the train travels through the night, memories flood back of her younger years: the first immature stirrings of romance, the onset of puberty, and the frustrations of math and boys. At the station she is met by young farmer Toshio (Dev Patel), and the encounters with him begin to reconnect her to forgotten longings. In lyrical switches between the present and the past, Taeko contemplates the arc of her life, and wonders if she has been true to the dreams of her childhood self.

Written and directed by Studio Ghibli co-founder and Academy Award® nominee Isao Takahata (The Tale of The Princess Kaguya), Only Yesterday is a masterpiece of time and tone, rich with humor and stirring emotion, from one of the world’s most revered animation studios. Critically acclaimed but never before released in North America, the film is receiving a national theatrical release in a new, Studio Ghibli-produced, English-language version in celebration of its 25th anniversary.

Trailer

Interview With Daisy 

Prison School Review

There was a time when the Hachimitsu Private Academy was a revered and elite all-girls' boarding school on the outskirts of Tokyo but a recent policy revision is allowing boys into the student body. On his first day, Kiyoshi Fujino discovers that he's one of only five boys enrolled at the school. Completely overwhelmed by the thousands of girls on campus, the few boys find that their situation is less than ideal.