We got the opportunity to review Ryoma! The Prince of Tennis - Decide movie from 2022. The movie is a continuation of the series Prince of Tennis which includes a manga series, anime series, and several anime movies. The story of the series follows tennis prodigy Ryoma who is the son of a famous retired professional tennis player that is a legend.
If you were one of the fans of the original Cowboy Bebop that was skeptical that it could be easily adapted to live-action, consider yourself vindicated. From the outset of this project, adapting a beloved science fiction anime to live-action would have been a tall order that would have demanded a budget to match. Add Netflix’s Cowboy Bebop to the list of flawed live-action adaptations whose ambition exceeded the budget and, at times, the talent. It wouldn’t be the first time this had happened. Just ask the folks who tried to adapt Akira, or to the earlier iterations of Dune. Perhaps this will go down as another unremembered lesson on how animation can be a better medium for a more economic budget. It’s not a completely unmitigated disaster, but the shadow cast by the original will often eclipse this adaptation.
Often described as the gateway drug into anime for those who grew up in the early 2000s, Cowboy Bebop is a neo-noir sci-fi that takes place in the year 2071 and follows a ragtag misfit crew of bounty hunters, known as cowboys, aboard the spaceship Bebop. After 20 years, Cowboy Bebop is back in what hopefully is a faithful live action adaptation that can satisfy existing audiences and bring new ones into the fold.
You collect a lot of hats in Kena: Bridge of Spirits. Kena assumes the role of Spirit Guide, adventurer, and friend of furry little spirits known as the rot. Kena will adventure through a vast forest and many mountain shrines to uncover the secrets behind her forgotten village.
After seeing it on a hololive-EN livestream, my curiosity got the best of me when it came to wanting to play the Frog Detective series. While I missed the original launch of the series back in 2018, as a fan of visual novels, and 90s adventure games, the quirky blend of witty writing and children’s style illustration immediately drew my attention and I’m glad it did. After having played through the first two games, I can say that this series is a fun and wholesome way to spend a few hours engaging with the series' colorful cast of anthropomorphic characters and of course the detective himself.
I have always had a love-hate relationship with the Disgaea series. At its core, the series has deep and addicting strategy RPG mechanics and more ways than ever to max out your characters to create the most elite party to rule the netherworld. Disgaea 6: Defiance of Destiny expands all of this and more to its absolute limit. Did I forget to mention the new level cap is 99,999,999?
There is a moment in Sailor Moon Eternal where Chibusa (Sailor Chibi Moon) wishes to be an adult while her mother Usagi (Sailor Moon) jests it must be nice being a spoiled child. Chibiusa insists she wants to be an adult so Mamoru (Tuxedo Mask) will look at her as a woman. If you are confused at this point, you will need to watch Sailor Moon Crystal to understand the nuances of the story. Eternal is here to give a condensed adaptation of the Dream arc of Naoko Takeuchi’s renowned Sailor Moon manga or as some veteran Sailor Moon fans remember as Sailor Moon SuperS. On that level, Eternal succeeds in condensing SuperS into two films while giving Sailor Moon a fresh visual update.
Fate/stay night: Heaven's Feel III. spring song - In Which We Feel a Feel
Written by Brian Lee
COVID19 has made Japanese events in America complicated, to say the least. A lot of conventions and concerts have been delayed or canceled outright. Such is the situation with spring song, the final movie of the Heaven's Feel trilogy. The formal name is Fate/stay night: Heaven's Feel III. spring song (quite the mouthful). Originally set to premiere at the end of March in Japan, it was eventually released in mid-August. Its American debut was set for April until things began getting worse across the globe. This November, Aniplex decided to hold a limited number of screenings across America. There are still two more screenings for Saturday, 11/21, and Sunday 11/22, if you're so inclined. This article won't be quite a review of the movie but more an expression of feelings.
Sentai is re–releasing all 54 episodes of Negima in a seven disc Blu-ray box set. Originally based on a manga written by Ken Akamatsu, Negima follows the story of 10-year-old Negi Springfield as he deals with a chaotic relationship now that he is appointed as the homeroom teacher of a class of 30 middle school girls. He does this while keeping the fact that he is a wizard, a secret.
Eastern Exorcist is a new side scrolling action RPG that is still in Early Access. Nevertheless, there is still much to appreciate with the three chapters worth of gameplay currently on offer. You play the role of Lu Yunchuan, a Taoist Exorcist who hunts demons and evil spirits in a fantasy version of ancient China. Your first mission goes horribly wrong, two-thirds of your fellow exorcists are killed, and you are expelled from your order in disgrace. Your last task is to take the ashes of your dead comrades home to their villages where they were born so that they can be laid to rest. Unfortunately, in this world demons and evil spirits have run amok and Lu gets forced into saving said villages and exorcising evil.
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"What was the last memorable summer you had?” Key’s latest visual novel Summer Pockets was originally released in 2018 and is their newest entry in the company’s long history of producing nakige-style (moving players to tears) games. Having been officially released on Steam earlier this year, Summer Pockets revolves around the main character Hairi Takahara and his summer visit to the island of Torishirojima to escape his painful past. On his first day there, he meets a young girl who will shape his destiny for the better. If that sounds similar to some of their previous games, that’s because it is.
Originally airing in Japan from July 2019 to September of the same year the anime The Demon Girl-Next-Door has finally gotten an American release.
Almost a decade has passed, the Sakura Wars franchise finally has a new game release outside of Japan. Sakura Wars (2019) takes place in an alternate 1940s (about a decade after So Long My Love) where Taisho Democracy endured and technology evolved into steampunk with airships, steam powered machines, and Edwardian opulence. The game seeks to be a soft reboot for the venerable franchise that has largely been forgotten aside from the iconic opening tune for older anime fans. For those new to the Sakura Wars franchise, it was a traditional dating sim game with tactical RPG elements stapled on. In the new Sakura Wars, the tactical RPG gameplay is replaced with a hack and slash fighting game akin to Dynasty Warriors. After a lengthy absence, has Sakura Wars delivered on a successful reboot, or is this a short and pleasant reminder of the Playstation 2 era of video games?
You wield a lot of guns and gadgets in Doom Eternal. DOOM Slayer assumes the role of a one-man army and so much more transforming into an even more powerful badass. New features, environments, and great gameplay mechanics refresh and greatly improve the feeling of being unstoppable in DOOM Slayer's second journey, and only a few control and storyline issues slow it down.