25 Essential Anime Movies You Must Watch

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Since Ashley did a post entitled "Anime For Necomers" (/www.otakusandgeeks.com/akusandgeeks.com/2014/07/anime-for-newcomers.html). I decided to add on to that with 25 Essential Anime Movies that you must watch. Now these movies are personal choices that I feel viewers will get a feel of anime. Keep in mind all these choices are my choices and I would love to hear what your choices are in the comment section.
25. Windaria
24. Venus Wars
23. Battle Angel
22. Voices Of A Distant Star
21. Appleseed
20.  Devilman
19. Summer Wars
18. Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade
17. Paprika
16. Steamboy
15. Colorful
14. Howl's Moving Castle
13. Street Fighter II
12.X
11. Project A-Ko
10. Vampire Hunter D
9. My Neighbor Totoro
8. Ninja Scroll
7. Tokyo Godfathers
6. Fist Of The North Star
5. Spirited Away
4. Perfect Blue
3. Ghost In The Shell
2. Akira
1. Grave of The Fireflies

The Walking Dead Season 5 Trailer

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The Walking Dead Season 5 trailer is out. It was revealed at Comic Con, I must say I like this trailer better than some parts of season 4. Rick and the gang are in for another fight of survival not just with walkers but humans again. Check out the trailer below and tell us what do you think in the comments.



First Look At Arrow Season 3

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San Diego Comic Con 2014 is sure not disappointing when it comes to live action superheroes. Today we got a first look at Arrow Season 3 which you can check below. Just a warning that the new trailer contains spoilers of Season 2. If you haven't watch season 2 I suggest you wait. You get a feel of the direction this season is going. I'm really excited for this one. 




Cheat Codes (90's Sleepover)

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Cheat Codes (90's Sleepover) is a series of shorts by Above Average and BOAT. The short is directed by Ben Weinstein. Check out the first entry of six below. Make sure to subscribe to BOAT and Above Average
Written & Created by BOAT - http://www.youtube.com/user/boatcomedy
Subscribe To Above Average https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNVBYBxWj9dMHqKEl_V8HBQ
Ben Weinstein
http://www.benweinstein.tv


FALCON-CAP Goes Digital One Month Before ALL-NEW CAP Debut ( SDCC 2014)

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Image Credit: Marvel Comics


Earlier this month Marvel announced that Sam Wilson would be stepping up and swooping into the mantle of Captain America in November. Well, as we learned Thursday at the “House of Ideas” panel at Comic-Con International: San Diego, it’s coming a month sooner. This October, Marvel will debut All-New Captain America: Fear Him,a six-part series in their Infinite Comic digital format set in the earliest days of Sam as Cap. Written by Avengers Arena’s Dennis Hopeless and drawn by Spawn artist Szymon Kudranski, it will give Wilson his first big test as Cap in a face-off with the fearful Scarecrow.

“All-New Captain America: Fear Him is a psychological thriller set in the first few days of Sam Wilson’s tenure as Captain America,” says Hopeless. “This is more or less the story of Sam’s first big test as the All-New Cap. It bridges the gap between the current Captain America series and All-New Captain America #1.”

The person whom the subtitle warns to “Fear Him” is the aforementioned Scarecrow, a villain created by two of Iron Man’s co-creators Stan Lee and Don Heck. In the past he’s faced off against a diverse array of heroes including the X-Men, Ghost Rider, Spider-Man, Moon Knight – and even Captain America and Falcon, when they weren’t one and the same.


                                Image Credit: Marvel Comics







Source:Chris Arrant, Newsarama



Posted By: Sean Tucker

CARTOON NETWORK Releases New DC NATION Short Online (SDCC)

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Hey Otakus and Geeks Fans,Cartoon Network has released another of their DC Nation Shorts online,  during Comic-Con International: San Diego week. This Shazam! short, the second DC Nation Shorts has done, pits Billy Batson -- aka Shazam! -- against tedious math word problems and he must use Shazam!'s wisdom of Solomon to solve them. Shazam!: Wisdom was written by Kim Krieg with Jessica Borutski as storyboard artist, colorist, and co-director. The designer was Phil Postma, with the 1:16 short starring voice actors David Kaye, Tara Strong, Brian George, Eric Bauza and Kevin Conroy. Here is the Short:



 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Source: by Chris Arrant, Newsarama 
 
 
 
 
 
by Sean Tucker
 
 

Kite “Live-Action Film”

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Based from the Japanese anime film written and directed by Yasuomi Umetsu come’s the live-action adaptation film KITE .The original anime was known for its extreme violence, nudity, and sexuality, including controversial scenes of rape that got Umetsu’s KITE banned in some countries.

The film is about a schoolgirl assassin hunting down the human traffickers she believes are responsible for her parents’ death. India Eisley (Underworld: Awakening) stars as the young and lethal Sawa opposite Samuel L.Jackson (Marvel's The Avengers )as Inspector Karl Aker, a renegade cop and the ex-partner of Sawa’s father, who firmly believes to succeed he has to take the law into his own hands. CallanMcAuliffe (Underworld, I am Number Four) co-stars as Oburi. South African director Ralph Ziman (Gangster's Paradise: Jerusalema) took over the helm from the late David R. Ellis last year and scripted the picture himself.

The live-action film adaptation will premiere exclusively on DirecTV on August 28, followed by a limited theater run and iTunes release on October 10. The International premiere for the film took place on 18 July at the Fantasia Film Festival, which runs from 17 July until 6 August.

Check the full trailer below

Batman Day: A Celebration of the Dark Knight

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Hey Otakus and Geeks Fans, It's July 23rd and today is Batman Day! Batman is celebrating his 75th anniversary this year, and to mark the occasion, comic shops, bookstores and libraries by the hundreds will be observing “Batman Day,” a full day devoted to all things Dark Knight! Today participating comic shops and bookstores will give away free copies of DETECTIVE COMICS #27 SPECIAL EDITION, an updated take on the comic that first introduced Batman to the world.

 This extra-sized issue features stories by Brad Meltzer, Scott Snyder, Bryan Hitch and Sean Murphy, as well as Batman’s first adventure, Bob Kane and Bill Finger’s “The Case of the Chemical Syndicate,” reprinted in full. In addition, it includes a sneak peek at Meltzer and Chip Kidd’s beautiful reimagining of the original Detective Comics #27.

So if you love Batman and everything about the Dark Knight, Head down to your local Comic Book Store and get your copy of detective comics #27.





by Sean Tucker

J-Pop Summit Festival 2014

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Last weekend on July 19th to July 20th 2014 I had the pleasure of attending the J-Pop Summit 2014 in San Francisco. The festival was packed with J-Pop stars such as Tokyo Girls Style, Tomomi Itano and many more.I had a blast watching the dance contest, touring the Japan Center and meeting artist in artist alley. Check out the pics below and video of my walk-through to see more. 

 J-Pop Summit was a blast and I definitely will be going again next year. The festival offered some really cool events and stars that signed autographs. I will say this if you wanted ramen you better be there early. The ramen line was long the wait was two to three hours. One thing is for sure ramen is very popular at the J-Pop Summit.  I will say one of the major highlights, was the performance from Tokyo Girls Show and autograph session with Kei illustrator of Hatsune Miku. I even got some gaming done at the festival. J-Pop Summit wasn't all music, cosplayers and stars. The Japan Film Festival was also taking place at the New People Building. I didn't get a chance to see a film this time around but I will next year. Overall the event was great, minus that ramen line. I don't know, it seem like everyone in San Francisco wanted ramen that weekend. If you want a J-Pop experience without going fully to Japan, try going to the summit it's worth the trip.
One of the stages at the J-Pop Summit Festival

Shopping at J-Pop Festival


Camera Shy Black Diamond? 

Black Diamond Booth

Friendly Cosplayer

Inside The Japan Center. The Legendary Bruce Lee

Artist Alley

Artist http://yuumei.deviantart.com/

Yowamushi Pedal “PVC Figures”

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Union Creative brings two PVC figures, based from the Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Wataru Watanabe “Yowamushi Pedal”. The manga follows Sakamichi Onoda, an otaku at Sōhoku High School. He loves anime and games so much, that he would ride his commuter bicycle to and from Tokyo's Akihabara shopping district in a 90-kilometer (about 60-mile) round trip over steep slopes after school. Onoda's life changes when he encounters his school's cycling team, and he ends up joining the competitive sport of bicycle racing.

The PVC figures height is approximately 250mm and has been reproduced in fine details to the characters likeness including muscle structure. The figure has sewn costume made from jersey materials in accordance with the body line, it will be non-removable.

Pre-order, now available from the following sites: CDJAPAN, HOBBYSEARCH, PLAY-ASIA, J-LIST, and PLAMOYA.

Scroll down to see pictures of each of the available characters: Makishima Yusuke and Arakita Yasutomo. Click on them for bigger and better views.

MENSHDGE TECHNICAL STATUE NO.4 YOWAMUSHI PEDAL: MAKISHIMA YUSUKE
Release Date: September 2014


MENSHDGE TECHNICAL STATUE NO.5 YOWAMUSHI PEDAL: ARAKITA YASUTOMO
Release Date: September 2014


Hayate the Combat Butler "Live-Action Series"

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Streaming service DramaFever added the first six episodes of the 2011 Taiwanese live-action series adaptation of Kenjirou Hata's “Hayate the Combat Butler” manga.

Due to his parents' gambling habits, Xiao Sa (George Hu) has been forced to be the breadwinner since childhood. When he gets fired from both his jobs, he discovers his parents ran off with his last paycheck, leaving behind a massive debt to the mafia. Convinced that good guys never win, he concocts a plan to hold the heiress Xiao Zhi (Park Shin Hye) ransom, but when Xiao Sa mistakenly saves her, he's offered a rags-to-riches position as her butler. Based on the hit manga, true love and comedic drama blossom in this reverse Cinderella tale.
DramaFever is video streaming website that offers on-demand streaming video of documentaries, movies, and TV shows with subtitles. DramaFever's content offering is both ad-supported for regular users and available in high definition for premium subscribers.

You can Click Here to check the series now.  See the trailer below.

VALIANT and PUNK YOUR CHUCKS Team for Custom-Mad​e Footwear

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Beginning this July, Punk Your Chucks will offer a wide array of made-to-order footwear and accessories featuring Valiant's award-winning library of comic book characters, including X-O Manowar, Bloodshot, Ninjak, Rai and many more. Made on-site at Punk Your Chucks' New York studio, each item is painted by hand and completely one of a kind. Submit your order today at PunkYourChucks.com.Check out some of the pictures below.



Marvel Announces The New Captain America

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Starting in November there will be a new Captain America and his name is Sam Wilson aka The Falcon.  Announced on “The Colbert Report” by Joe Quesada, “Sam Wilson…The Falcon, is the new Captain America.”
 
Addressing how Sam Wilson will follow in the footsteps of his predecessor, Steve Rogers, Remender says, “Sam wantsto lead by example. To help people see their own selfishness and to turn it around. To build better communities, to never forget the little guy.” Remender continues, “Sam follows his heart and his belief in what the American dream means and how it belongs to everyone.”
The question remains: what happens with the original Captain America, Steve Rogers? Executive Editor Tom Brevoort says, “Steve’s spirit is as willing as ever, but his body is no longer up to the task of being Captain America. So he’ll employ his skills as the new Cap’s remote strategic advisor, running Cap’s missions from his headquarters in Avengers Mansion and providing Sam with technical support and field information from a distance. He’ll also tutor Sam in how to throw the shield, a skill that’s deceptively difficult for the new Cap to master. So Steve will continue to be a vital part of the series moving ahead.”
 
 

Inseparabl​e | The Soundwall Experience

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On July 16th 2014 the team visited Inseparabl​e | The Soundwall Experience at Gallery 151. This event showcased some of Soundwall work and artist. It was a very nice environment with artist in NYC gathering around to enjoy the work. Artist that attended were Ricky Aiello, Joseph Arthur and Spencer Tunick, Mia Berg, Jordan Doner, Walker Fee, Fab 5 Freddy, Elliot Goldstein, Bradley Theodore, Justin Jay, Matt Jones, Derek Reist, Carrie Mae Rose, Allan Tannenbaum. Check out some of the pics below. Also a shout to byeJoe Spirit of China for the drinks.

About Soundwall:Soundwall is a wireless speaker that streams music from your iPhone, Android, Sonos and more. Soundwall is thin, light and easy to hang on your wall. Simply plug Soundwall into a power outlet and it connects to your WiFi network.

The Beat Goes Boom By Fab 5 Freddy


The Beat Goes Boom By Fab 5 Freddy


Amazing Grace By Carrie Mae Rose

Cloud Storage By Justin Jay

Gallery 151

Loungin & Pool

Place Was Packed

Marvel Has A New Look For Thor

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Marvel is excited to announce an all-new era for the God of Thunder in brand new series, THOR, written by Jason Aaron (Thor: God of Thunder, Original Sin) complimented with art from Russell Dauterman (Cyclops).
 
This October, Marvel Comics evolves once again in one of the most shocking and exciting changes ever to shake one of Marvel’s “big three” – Captain American, Iron Man and Thor – Marvel Comics will be introducing an all-new THOR, GOD OF THUNDER. No longer is the classic male hero able to hold the mighty hammer, Mjölnir, a brand new female hero will emerge will who will be worthy of the name THOR. Who is she? Where did she come from and what is her connection to Asgard and the Marvel Universe?
 
“The inscription on Thor's hammer reads ‘Whosoever holds this hammer, if HE be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor.’ Well it's time to update that inscription,” says Marvel editor Wil Moss. “The new Thor continues Marvel's proud tradition of strong female characters like Captain Marvel, Storm, Black Widow and more. And this new Thor isn't a temporary female substitute - she's now the one and only Thor, and she is worthy!”
 
Series writer Jason Aaron emphasizes, “This is not She-Thor. This is not Lady Thor. This is not Thorita. This is THOR. This is the THOR of the Marvel Universe. But it’s unlike any Thor we’ve ever seen before.”
 
THOR is the latest in the ever-growing and long list of female-centric titles that continues to invite new readers into the Marvel Universe. This female THOR is the 8th title to feature a lead female protagonist and aims to speak directly to an audience that long was not the target for Super Hero comic books in America: women and girls.
 
For more on all things Marvel, follow them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/marvel and be sure to stop back continuously to see what everyone is saying about Marvel’s latest news.
 
Also, join Marvel this year at San Diego Comic-Con and for more on Marvel’s latest announcements please visit Marvel.com. Join the conversation on Twitter with #MarvelSDCC and don’t forget to follow us at @Marvel.
 
 
 



 

Nomino Review

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Nomino is a new game app created by actor Dulè Hill, Talitha Watkins and Designer Rochelle Thwaites. The concept of this game is really unique. It takes the popular practice of posting photos online, then changes it into an interactive game. This challenges users to identify the subject of the photo or video in order to earn coins. The more coins you earn, the more you have to get  a prize. I've played the game for a few and I find it a bit challenging. The picture that was put up was random which made it even more challenging. However at the same time it's easy to answer. The reason for this is anyone can cheat on this game by Googling the answers. I highly suggest that they tweak the game a little. Maybe they can add a time limit so users won't have a chance to cheat. 

Overall this game is user friendly. However I just wish in the beginning of the game, they add a quick tutorial on how to use the app. The concept of earning points and getting prizes is great. However it will be better if there's more prizes. I know that the app is still young and has a lot more potential. I just can't help but think that they need to update the layout of the app. The layout needs to have the flow of the image and video go continually.

 After playing the game for almost a couple of hours. I only accumulate almost about 8,000 coins. This means I only averaged on answering 11 questions a day. That's why I really recommend that they give more rewards, or winning prizes for this game. Getting 395,000 points meant I have to average 24 questions a day. That being said the game will get iterating and people will lost interest on playing.

Nomino is available for iPad and iPhone in the AppStore, an Android version of Nomino is slated for release in mid-July.

Final Grade - 8/10

6 Tanks for a Batcave Worthy Workout

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Going to the gym is hard enough so why not wear a shirt that inspires you to push just a little harder! Here are a few Batman themed tanks to take your workout to the next level courtesy of www.lookhuman.com ...
2408whiblk-w484h484z1-7562-the-dark-knight.jpg
2408whiblk-w484h484z1-28839-the-batman-list.jpg


2408blk-w484h484z1-27901-your-workout-must-be-more-severe.jpg
2408atg-w484h484z1-27948-swole-bane.jpg

Affluenza Review

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Affluenza is defined as a psychological malaise supposedly affecting wealthy young people, symptoms of which include a lack of motivation, feelings of guilt, and a sense of isolation. The movie follows four teenage stereotypes. Fisher Miller, is the outsider desperately trying to find a way to fit in. His ‘in’ to the group is a young man who recently entered the affluent elite himself, Dylan Carter. Dylan was the outsider his whole life until his mother married into the exclusive world of mansions and lavish parties. He bribes Fisher with a college recommendation to help him get Kate Miller, Fisher’s cousin, to fall as deeply in love with him as Dylan is with her. Kate, however, is already dating Todd, the rich douchebag who treats her horribly.
Sig de Miguel and Stephen Vincent did an incredible job casting these obnoxious teens. They found actors who not only gave their character depth but also worked incredibly well off each other. Ben Rosenfeld, Boardwalk Empire series regular, in the lead role as Fisher has a unique sensibility that makes you believe he is a little quirky yet still has the charm to not only wiggle his way into ‘high society’ but also created a mysterious suave magnetism that entices the ladies.  Rosenfeld had great onscreen chemistry with Greg Sulkin, from MTV’s Faking It, who plays Dylan Carson. He is a prime example of someone who could have everything but only wants what he can’t have. Sulkin also adds vibrant colors to the stereotypical love sick puppy dog, especially the desperate anger when he confronts Todd Goodman Kate’s ‘real’ boyfriend played by Grant Gustin, The Flash CW. In contrast to Barry Allen aka The Flash, Todd is an entitled overly judgemental boyfriend who never missed an opportunity to be patronizing or harsh to Kate. Gustin portrays his in a way that audiences still hate him but they also sympathize with him.
Despite some truly dynamic performances Affluenza just misses the mark. They set it up with immense potential but it seemed like screenwriter Antonia Macia and director Kevin Asch dropped the ball and missed a huge opportunity. The movie is set in the summer 2008 during the stock market crash. It seemed Affluenza would examine what happens to these teens when the wealth and exorbitant lifestyle they have come accustom to has been ripped from beneath them. Instead however it revolves around the trivial and typical downfall of teenage love.


If the woes of unrequited prepubescent love in Long Island with lavish parties, drugs and self destructive decisions sounds captivating Affluenza is the movie to see. It is available in select theatres as well as on demand on Itunes and Amazon.
Final Score: 2/5