A promo for the upcoming sequel to Darker than Black showed up on the internet recently. Being a 15 second promo, there isn't really much to it, but the animation looks top notch and what little story I've gathered from the video seems interesting. I'll definitely be watching it when October roles around. Check out the promo.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Hero of the Week: Arystar Krory
D.Gray-man may be on hold, but that won't stop us from talking about the series' naive but badass vampire exorcist. I could only be talking about the man with the blood sucking innocence, Arystar Krory.
Believed to be a villain at first, Krory is blamed for the disappearances of several villagers in a little town in Romania. After finding out his lover was the true villain, he becomes an exorcist, aiding Allen and the group on multiple occasions. As he struggles to get used to his new life as an exorcist and without the woman he loved, Eliade, we are treated with some amusing scenes all while learning of the hidden depth of the young vampire.
He also isn't too shabby in a fight. He has a surprisingly versatile fighting style. With his ability to suck the blood of the akuma as well as inject his friends with an antidote to those infected with the akuma virus. Of course this isn't all he can do as seen in his fight against Jasdevi. Take a look.
Did you just see that!? Even after being trapped by an iron maiden, he had his blood leave his body and REFORM AS A BODY OF BLOOD! Not only is that one of the most painful and badass things in the world; it's also one of the most unique powers in the history of shonen.
With D.Gray-man returning soon, I hope to see more of Krory. He may have already had his time in the spot light, but that doesn't mean the spotlight won't come back for him. Let's hope when that happens, his blood form will make another appearance.
Believed to be a villain at first, Krory is blamed for the disappearances of several villagers in a little town in Romania. After finding out his lover was the true villain, he becomes an exorcist, aiding Allen and the group on multiple occasions. As he struggles to get used to his new life as an exorcist and without the woman he loved, Eliade, we are treated with some amusing scenes all while learning of the hidden depth of the young vampire.
He also isn't too shabby in a fight. He has a surprisingly versatile fighting style. With his ability to suck the blood of the akuma as well as inject his friends with an antidote to those infected with the akuma virus. Of course this isn't all he can do as seen in his fight against Jasdevi. Take a look.
Did you just see that!? Even after being trapped by an iron maiden, he had his blood leave his body and REFORM AS A BODY OF BLOOD! Not only is that one of the most painful and badass things in the world; it's also one of the most unique powers in the history of shonen.
With D.Gray-man returning soon, I hope to see more of Krory. He may have already had his time in the spot light, but that doesn't mean the spotlight won't come back for him. Let's hope when that happens, his blood form will make another appearance.
Monday, August 3, 2009
Anime of Fall 2009
We may have more than a month left in summer, but that doesn't mean we can't be excited for the fall anime season. As usual, the list is plagued with what will most likely end up as crap, but there are a few highly anticipated titles and some possible hidden gems. Take a look.
I've already said how excited I am for Fairy Tail finally getting an animated adaptation. The rest of the list doesn't really have anything mind blowing, but there are definitely a few shows I'll check out. Despite my overall dislike of Inuyasha, it was a part of my childhood (AKA teen years) when it appeared on Adult Swim. I'll probably watch it for the completionist in me. I'll also look into the Darker than Black sequel as I enjoyed the first one but I don't expect it to be anything special. Letter Bee and 11eyes might be cool but I'm going in with low expectations.
So yeah, Fairy Tail seems to be the highlight of the season, and personally, that's all I need. I'll have more when the season actually starts.
I've already said how excited I am for Fairy Tail finally getting an animated adaptation. The rest of the list doesn't really have anything mind blowing, but there are definitely a few shows I'll check out. Despite my overall dislike of Inuyasha, it was a part of my childhood (AKA teen years) when it appeared on Adult Swim. I'll probably watch it for the completionist in me. I'll also look into the Darker than Black sequel as I enjoyed the first one but I don't expect it to be anything special. Letter Bee and 11eyes might be cool but I'm going in with low expectations.
So yeah, Fairy Tail seems to be the highlight of the season, and personally, that's all I need. I'll have more when the season actually starts.
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Beelzebub
Normally I wouldn't read a series this early in it's serialization, but I had an hour to kill so I breezed through the 23 available chapters of this action-comedy.
The premise is mostly original. The main character, Oga, finds the son of the devil king and is forced to take care of the child as a catalyst until he destroys the human race. Considering Oga's constant fighting and less than stellar attitude toward humanity, he is the perfect catalyst and isn't too shabby as a parent. Since he isn't crazy about the idea of taking care of the devil's kid, the only solution is to find someone stronger and more evil than himself. Being from a delinquent school, he has plenty of candidates to choose from, but unfortunately goes through most of them somewhat quickly. With more delinquents after him each day and him taking them down with relative ease, there's no telling if he'll ever get his wish.
Since there have only been 23 chapters, there hasn't been an epic defining arc yet nor has there been a major villain that lasted more than 3 chapters. It seems like things are heating up as a major delinquent capable of taking down hundreds has appeared but the fight hasn't started yet. With Oga gaining demonic power, there's no telling if the series will reach DBZ levels of insanity but it's definitely possible. I'll have more on the series once we get further in.
The premise is mostly original. The main character, Oga, finds the son of the devil king and is forced to take care of the child as a catalyst until he destroys the human race. Considering Oga's constant fighting and less than stellar attitude toward humanity, he is the perfect catalyst and isn't too shabby as a parent. Since he isn't crazy about the idea of taking care of the devil's kid, the only solution is to find someone stronger and more evil than himself. Being from a delinquent school, he has plenty of candidates to choose from, but unfortunately goes through most of them somewhat quickly. With more delinquents after him each day and him taking them down with relative ease, there's no telling if he'll ever get his wish.
Since there have only been 23 chapters, there hasn't been an epic defining arc yet nor has there been a major villain that lasted more than 3 chapters. It seems like things are heating up as a major delinquent capable of taking down hundreds has appeared but the fight hasn't started yet. With Oga gaining demonic power, there's no telling if the series will reach DBZ levels of insanity but it's definitely possible. I'll have more on the series once we get further in.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Hero of the Week: Onigiri
This week brings us another high potential character that no one takes seriously. It's the pig of Kogarasumaru. I'm of course talking about the most perverted character in Air Gear, Onigiri.
He's rude, stupid, perverted, and rides on one air trek on his head upside down so he can look up girl's skirts. If that isn't commitment, I don't know what is. He takes pride in his perverted ways, not letting anyone out-pervert him. Considering how perverted the whole series is, that's saying something.
Of course Onigiri's perverted nature is just one aspect of this surprisingly versatile character. Yes, it may be a big part of his fighting and riding style, but he has shown that he is a great rider on his own. He is shown on a few separate occasions he has what it takes to fight on par with a road king. Whether his motivation lie in the sight of panties or in his own imagination is irrelevant if he can get the job done. No matter how unconventional his fighting style and use of sweat is, his battles are always entertaining albeit not really serious.
I hope to see more of Onigiri's wacky battle tactics soon, and being right in the middle of an Air match, I see that happening within the next few chapters. Let's hope he wins!
He's rude, stupid, perverted, and rides on one air trek on his head upside down so he can look up girl's skirts. If that isn't commitment, I don't know what is. He takes pride in his perverted ways, not letting anyone out-pervert him. Considering how perverted the whole series is, that's saying something.
Of course Onigiri's perverted nature is just one aspect of this surprisingly versatile character. Yes, it may be a big part of his fighting and riding style, but he has shown that he is a great rider on his own. He is shown on a few separate occasions he has what it takes to fight on par with a road king. Whether his motivation lie in the sight of panties or in his own imagination is irrelevant if he can get the job done. No matter how unconventional his fighting style and use of sweat is, his battles are always entertaining albeit not really serious.
I hope to see more of Onigiri's wacky battle tactics soon, and being right in the middle of an Air match, I see that happening within the next few chapters. Let's hope he wins!
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Marvel Anime (AKA Bishonen Wolverine)
I've always had a weird relationship with western comics. The metaverse approach with thousands of stories going on at once was always incredibly intimidating to me. In a way, east vs. west for comics is the same as it is for video games; linear vs non-linear. It seems my alignment in gaming carried over to my interest in comic books.
Fortunately, us manga/anime fans with little interest in American made super heroes can enjoy a story stylized in our medium of choice. At Comic-con earlier in the week, two of the upcoming Marvel anime series were shown off in teaser form. Check out the Iron Man one.
I think it looks pretty good. I've always enjoyed the concept of Iron Man and I feel like this is a good way to really get into his world.
The Wolverine teaser also looks pretty cool...at least the action does. Unfortunately, long time fans of the century+ old Canadian anti-hero won't like the total bastardization of his design. Take a look.
Since these are only animation tests, long time fans won't have to worry just yet. Supposedly Wolverine will be based off an 80's iteration. Despite the completely inaccurate setting, the animation in both teasers looks fantastic and would be pretty damn impressive if it was that consistent. I'll have more on this closer to release next year.
Fortunately, us manga/anime fans with little interest in American made super heroes can enjoy a story stylized in our medium of choice. At Comic-con earlier in the week, two of the upcoming Marvel anime series were shown off in teaser form. Check out the Iron Man one.
I think it looks pretty good. I've always enjoyed the concept of Iron Man and I feel like this is a good way to really get into his world.
The Wolverine teaser also looks pretty cool...at least the action does. Unfortunately, long time fans of the century+ old Canadian anti-hero won't like the total bastardization of his design. Take a look.
Since these are only animation tests, long time fans won't have to worry just yet. Supposedly Wolverine will be based off an 80's iteration. Despite the completely inaccurate setting, the animation in both teasers looks fantastic and would be pretty damn impressive if it was that consistent. I'll have more on this closer to release next year.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Anime Related Stuff on Conan? +1 for Mainstream Acceptance
Last Night on Conan, there was a segment about how he and Andy visited an anime studio. While they do poke fun at the medium a little bit, it isn't anything horrible and is definitely giving the medium more exposure. And like most stuff Conan-related, it's downright hilarious. Check it out.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Hero of the Week: Lambo
This week's character is the young mafioso from the Bovino family. I'm of course talking about the lightning wielding bull, Lambo.
Lambo is an interesting character. He's actually 3 in 1. With the aid of the 10 year bazooka, he can summon his future self from 10 years in the future or 20 years in the future with a second use.
Lambo's youngest form does have much of a role in the battles. Despite his trigger happy attitude and endless supply of grenades, he is nothing more than adorable comic relief. Yeah, he may be the weakest member of the Vongola family (this could change with his box weapon) but he definitely knows how to lighten the mood. Hyperactive and annoying like all kids, 5 year old Lambo is the epitome of hilarious and cute.
After using the bazooka once, 15 year old Lambo shows up. Despite his increased power and intelligence, he still serves little more than comic relief. He may have adapted a "cooler" demeanor, but he's still the same crybaby from 10 years prior. His run-ins with Bianchi (mistaking him for her ex-boyfriend) make for some hilarious scenes that usually end up with the poor Bovino getting hurt.
Using the bazooka twice gets us the incredibly badass and arguably the most powerful character seen so far, 25 year old Lambo. The comic relief is thrown out the window as the lightning imbued hero adapts a "takes no shit" personality. Just take a look at his first and only fight so far (badassery starts around 0:58)
Powering up significantly and gaining red lightning, it's amazing to think this character was once a crybaby that complains every other minute in a normal episode/chapter.
Unfortunately, Lambo has been neglected for quite a while now. Now that he has what is possibly one of the stronger box weapons, we should see him get a bit more screen time but we have no idea what happened to the bazooka or even if the 15 and 25 year old versions will show up. I'm hopeful we'll see the badass 25 year old Lambo again.
Lambo is an interesting character. He's actually 3 in 1. With the aid of the 10 year bazooka, he can summon his future self from 10 years in the future or 20 years in the future with a second use.
Lambo's youngest form does have much of a role in the battles. Despite his trigger happy attitude and endless supply of grenades, he is nothing more than adorable comic relief. Yeah, he may be the weakest member of the Vongola family (this could change with his box weapon) but he definitely knows how to lighten the mood. Hyperactive and annoying like all kids, 5 year old Lambo is the epitome of hilarious and cute.
After using the bazooka once, 15 year old Lambo shows up. Despite his increased power and intelligence, he still serves little more than comic relief. He may have adapted a "cooler" demeanor, but he's still the same crybaby from 10 years prior. His run-ins with Bianchi (mistaking him for her ex-boyfriend) make for some hilarious scenes that usually end up with the poor Bovino getting hurt.
Using the bazooka twice gets us the incredibly badass and arguably the most powerful character seen so far, 25 year old Lambo. The comic relief is thrown out the window as the lightning imbued hero adapts a "takes no shit" personality. Just take a look at his first and only fight so far (badassery starts around 0:58)
Powering up significantly and gaining red lightning, it's amazing to think this character was once a crybaby that complains every other minute in a normal episode/chapter.
Unfortunately, Lambo has been neglected for quite a while now. Now that he has what is possibly one of the stronger box weapons, we should see him get a bit more screen time but we have no idea what happened to the bazooka or even if the 15 and 25 year old versions will show up. I'm hopeful we'll see the badass 25 year old Lambo again.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Afro Samurai Ressurection Up for Emmy
Few days late on this one but it's pretty cool. Afro Samurai: Resurrection has been nominated for an Emmy. I know this isn't the first anime movie that has been graced with such an honor, but it's still a pretty big deal. Anime being in the spotlight will only help its mainstream appeal. Let's hope it wins.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Lot of Anime Continuations Lately: Black Lagoon getting 3rd Animated Project
I never finished Black Lagoon, but I will say it was one of the most stylish and badass series I've seen. It just...wasn't really going anywhere. Well, with the announcement of a new OVA, maybe I should pick it up again to see if anything really happened. If I do, I'll probably have impressions for you guys.
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