Otakus & Geeks Essential Anime Episode 11: Now & Then, Here & There

By Justin D Williams

Shuzo "Shu" Matsutani, a rambunctious adolescent kendo student, encounters a mysterious girl named Lala-Ru in an abandoned factory near his home. When she's captured by hostile mecha, Shu is taken with her to another world, to the unfortunately named fortress-ship Hellywood, ruled by the psychotic King Hamdo. The apparently ancient Lala-Ru can produce vast quantities of water, which Hamdo desires. Shu is imprisoned, beaten, and tortured before being inducted into Hamdo's army of child-soldiers. He doggedly insists that he must protect Lala-Ru, despite her great powers. They escape Hellywood, wander through the desert, and reach a pueblo-like village where they defeat Hamdo. The rambling storyline recalls both El Hazard and Escaflowne. What sets Now and Then apart is the gritty realism of the violence: unlike other anime characters, Shu seems to feel real pain when Hamdo's thugs beat him. Although the rape of the Earth girl Sara is suggested rather than depicted, she has to decide whether to keep or abort the child. These depictions of the brutality of war give Now and Then a grim power many better-written and better-animated series lack. The most interesting segment on the "bonus disc" juxtaposes the animated version of the final episode with the storyboards. "From Then to Now" includes clips from the audition tapes of the actors playing Hamdo (Jack Taylor) and Shu (a surprisingly burly Ed Paul) along with interviews and standard behind-the-scenes footage of the recording sessions. Rated 16 Up for considerable violence, minor profanity, adult themes

Otakus & Geeks Essential Anime Episode 10: Street Fighter II The Animated Movie

By Justin D Williams

Get your quarters ready, because the world's top fighters are about to go head to head in this explosive animated adaptation of the classic Street Fighter II arcade game! M. Bison's plan to crush those who would oppose his organization, Shadowloo, is simple: brainwash the strongest martial artists around with his dreaded psycho power, and turn them into living weapons! To stop him, Interpol agent Chun-Li must team up with Major Guile of the United States Air Force, but that's no small feat. They'll have to put aside their differences and learn to work together, and fast. Bison is closing in on Ryu, a traveling vagabond said to be the best fighter in the world. Fortunately (or not), Ryu is a hard man to find, but the same can't be said of his eternal rival, Ken. And it might just be through Ken that Bison will get what he wants! Can the World Warriors beat Bison to the punch? See the action (and we mean all the action!) in Street Fighter II the Animated Movie, presented for the first time ever entirely uncut!

Otakus & Geeks Essential Anime Episode 9: Elfen Lied

By Justin D Williams

Lucy is a special breed of human referred to as "Diclonius," born with a short pair of horns and invisible telekinetic hands that lands her as a victim of inhumane scientific experimentation by the government. However, once circumstances present her an opportunity to escape, Lucy, corrupted by the confinement and torture, unleashes a torrent of bloodshed as she escapes her captors.

During her breakout, she receives a crippling head injury that leaves her with a split personality: someone with the mentality of a harmless child possessing limited speech capacity. In this state of instability, she stumbles upon two college students, Kouta and his cousin Yuka, who unknowingly take an injured fugitive into their care, unaware of her murderous tendencies. This act of kindness will change their lives, as they soon find themselves dragged into the shadowy world of government secrecy and conspiracy.

“Sonic Forces: Speed Battle” Makes Its Global Debut

Posted by Ashley Williams 

Today SEGA ® Networks, Inc. launches Sonic Forces: Speed Battle, the much-anticipated real-time multiplayer game that pits players against opponents from around the world in action-packed battles. Sonic Forces: Speed Battleis now available to download for free (with rewarded ads and in app purchases) from the App Store™ for iPhone™ and iPad™* - and it’s already optimized for the iPhone X™. Additionally, the game is coming to Google Play™ for Android™ devices on November 16, 2017**.
 
Developed by HARDlight™, the UK-based studio known for Sonic Dash™, Crazy Taxi™: City Rush, and Sonic Jump™, Sonic Forces: Speed Battle features 15 playable characters from the upcoming Sonic Forces™ console game, including fan favorites like Classic Sonic, Knuckles, Amy, and Omega, as well as lesser-seen characters like Zavok, Metal Sonic, and Chaos. At launch, the game offers 12 tracks, set across three unique environments, two of which were inspired by the Sonic Forces console game. Players can build a roster of characters, leveling up their squad in an effort to battle their way up global and regional leaderboards.
 
“With its fast-paced multiplayer action, Sonic Forces: Speed Battle continues our vision of bringing entertaining, high-quality titles to the mobile space,” said Takashi Iizuka, VP of Product Development of SEGA of America™. “We look forward to seeing how fans respond to the unique runner style and competitive gameplay.”
 
“With our combined experience making racing games and runners, in Sonic Forces: Speed Battle, we set out to make a battle racing game that is - above all things - fun to play, and we couldn’t be happier with the result.” said Chris Southall, who heads up HARDlight. “Each game sees you matched with three close rivals to compete online in fast-paced, real-time, first-across-the-line battles. Use skill and strategy to navigate the exciting arenas of play, collecting and deploying items on the track to thwart your competitor’s progress. There’s a wide variety of power-ups and characters that we are sure will keep fans delighted as over time they fight to win and rise through the ranks, accessing ever more challenging levels.”
 
Download Sonic Forces: Speed Battle now to satisfy your need for speed and - if you’re any good - victory!

For those who want a double dose of Sonic Forces, the console game - a fast-paced action platformer - will launch on November 7th, 2017 for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.
*Sonic Forces: Speed Battle is not currently available in Japan, Korea, or Mainland China
 
** Although Sonic Forces: Speed Battle is now only available on iOS, the dev team is hard at work to perfect the experience for a vast number of Android devices and will be ready to launch on the Google Play Store on November 16th, 2017.