Prince of Stride: Alternative Episode 1 Review

Prince of Stride: Alternative Episode 1 Review

Nana Sakurai love Stride, the street-running team sport. She chooses to enter Honan Academy, based on an awesome internet video she saw of the Honan Stride Club. However, choosing an academic path based on an internet video may not have been a good idea

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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.

 

Ultimate Otaku Teacher Review

Ultimate Otaku Teacher Review

 Junichirō is a young man obsessed with manga, anime, and games. He was a young genius who published papers in the journals Nature and Science when he was only 17. However, after graduating college, he became a NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) absorbed in his anime blog. Unable to watch Kagami throw away his life, his sister Suzune gets him to work at the Ichō Academy she attends. The head of the school's board, Koyomi Hiiragi, assigns Kagami to his new life as a teacher.

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Looks Great, Sounds Awesome! JBL Xtreme Bluetooth Speakers

Looks Great, Sounds Awesome! JBL Xtreme Bluetooth Speakers

The JBL Xtreme is equiped with bluetooth connectivity, allowing you to connect most modern devices without a cable (including cell phones) for playing your music and podcasts. You can also take calls and share it over speakerphone during Thanksgiving dinner and let everyone hear grandma say hi. And believe me, everybody will hear her say hi.

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X-Men retro Animated Short

Image Credit: Joel Furtado                                      …

Image Credit: Joel Furtado                                          
 

Canadian animator Joel Furtado has created an animated short that combines the '90's X-Men aesthetic with the style of a retro video game. The short, which is just the latest example of nostalgia for the '90's X-Men cartoon, can be seen here.
 

X-men: Danger Room Protocols - "Intro" Disclaimer X-men: Danger Room Protocols and the following presentation is in no way affiliated with Marvel or Fox Studios. Characters remain the property and copyright of their respective owners.This is a fan series intended for private use only and not a commercial product.

The short is an introduction to Furtado's planned fan series X-Men: The Danger Room Protocols which will pit various X-Men against some of the team's biggest vilains in scenarios created by Professor X's notorious training simulator the Danger Room. The planned 18-episode series will debut on YouTube on January 19.

source: Newsarama
 

Invincible Ironman #6 gives you clues to Civil War 2 (Preview)

image credit: Marvel 

image credit: Marvel
 

Hey O&G fans Invincible Iron Man #6 is out today. This issue is big because readers will get clues on might be the cause of Civil War 2. here is a press release from Marvel and a look at the Variant Covers and pages:

Strap in, suit up and hold on, because the second arc of the flagship Marvel title starts here! Today, Marvel is please to present your first look inside INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #6 – the explosive first chapter of “The War Machines”! Blockbuster creators Brian Michael Bendis and Mike Deodato unite to bring you the next chapter in Tony Stark’s life. All is not right within the house of Stark as he uncovers threats from within and threats from without. Now, he must delve into the nooks and crannies of his international organization to discover the truth. And he’s bringing a friend: James “Rhodey” Rhodes – the War Machine! Plus, the first big clues to 2016’s CIVIL WAR II begin here! Don’t miss the kickoff to the exciting new storyline and a perfect jumping on point this February in INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #6!




Retro Game Look Back: Super Star Wars

Retro Game Look Back: Super Star Wars

Super Star Wars is a 1992 video game for the Super NES based on the 1977 film Star Wars and re-released on theVirtual Console in 2009. It is the SNES equivalent of the Star Wars NES game. Super Star Wars features mostly run and gun gameplay, although it has stages which feature other challenges, such as driving a landspeeder or piloting an X-wing. It also features multiple playable characters with different abilities.

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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