Trailer: Pacific Rim (Wonder-Con Exclusive)

Posted on April 29, 2013 by Arleigh

July 12, 2013 will be the date that will go down in otaku history when anime and live-action finally come together to prove that dreams of a live-action versions of some of the most beloved anime titles can work outside the animator’s studio. Guillermo Del Toro may not admit it but this Wonder-Con exclusive trailer for his upcoming Pacific Rim is chock full of anime influences.

Giant mecha aka Giant robots piloted by humans: CHECK

Giant monsters alien or interdimensional in origin: CHECK

Humanity brought to the brink of extinction and living in fortified cities: CHECK

It sounds like the basic outlines for anime of the past 30 or so years. There’s a bit of Neon Genesis Evangelion. There’s definitely a healthy dosage of the Mazinger Z DNA in this film. We can’t forget the classic Voltron that introduced many young people in the West in the 80’s to the joy of ultra-violent anime. Outside of anime there’s the Ultraman versus kaiju live-action Saturday serials that continues to be popular in Japan to this day and was a staple of any growing boy’s entertainment agenda on Saturday mornings.

Whether this film lives up to the hype it’s been gaining since the first teaser was shown late last year is still an unanswered question, but for fans of action anime this film looks like a love-letter to us and everyone else should just hang on for the ride whether they want to or not.

Plus, for those not steeped in otaku culture it has something for you as well: Jax Teller, Luther, Clay Morrow and Charlie “Kitten Mittens” Kelly.

On July 12, 2013 will be the date to cancel the apocalypse.

Source: Joblo Movie Network

Trailer: Pacific Rim (dir. Guillermo Del Toro)

Posted on December 12, 2012 by Arleigh

I think I may have just found my No. 1 most-anticipated film of 2013. It’s a no-brainer really considering my taste in pure, surefire entertainment. Let’s go through the check-list shall we….

Summer blockbuster: CHECK
Guillermo Del Toro directing: CHECK
Live-Action Mecha goodness: CHECK
Kaiju roaring and fighting: CHECK
Giant Mecha fighting and rocket punching: CHECK
GLaDOS doing voice-over work: CHECK and CHECK.

Guillermo Del Toro has been the champion of genre fans and even though the multitude of projects he gets his name attached to never even make it past the concept stage when they do he always goes full-bore, balls-to-the-wall and damn the torpedo forward with his vision. It looks like Pacific Rim he gets to give his fans and those who just want some crack-a-lacka, eyes-going-to-bleed action a chance to watch his vision of giant robots fighting giant monster for the fate of the planet. This film brings me back to my days as a youngling staring wide-eyed in front of the TV watching such classic anime as Mazinger Z and Voltron.

It helps to have GLaDOS providing the voice of the giant “Jaeger” mechas and current badass Jax Teller aka Charlie Hunnam be one of the two main Jaeger pilots. We even get to see Idris Elba acting in hia natural voice. This looks to be a film that just wants to give and give and give. It’s a giver.

Pacific Rim punches everyone in the groin and we’ll love it for doing so on July 12, 2013.

Anime You Should Be Watching: Gakuen Utopia Manabi Straight

Posted on June 29, 2010 by Arleigh

GAKUEN UTOPIA MANABI STRAIGHT!

Anime has been a particular form of entertainment that I have been watching and enjoying for over twenty years, but my exposure to them were kept at older series and OVA’s (Original Video Animation) that were licensed by American companies for U.S. public consumption. I’m talking about series like Voltron and Robotech plus even older ones like Starblazers, Captain Harlock and G-Force. It wasn’t until four-five years ago that I really got into anime that wasn’t made age-appropriate for U.S. public viewing.

I was literally hoarding as much anime series both new and old on dvd and adding them to my collection. It didn’t matter if the series or OVAs were mecha, horror, action, romance, comedy and-or slice-of-life, if someone recommended it to me then I would go out, find it, buy it and then watch it. With my past experiences on mecha, space opera and action anime I thought I would pick up where I left off and gravitate towards similar kinds of anime. To my surprise I actually didn’t like them as much as I thought I would. The sort of anime that I began to really enjoy and want more of were the slice-of-life dramas and comedies like Azumanga Daioh, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Lucky Star and Kanon. While they didn’t have the non-stop kinetic action of series like Code Geass and the umpteenth version of Gundam and Macross, they more than made up for it with some witty and hilarious writing.

My favorite anime falls in the slice-of-life genre. I am talking about Gakuen Utopia Manabi Straight! from animation studio Ufotable. The series takes place in a future Tokyo where the birth-rate has slowed and there’s less and less children attending schools. Within this basic premise we have the character of Manami Amamiya who transfers into the all-girl Seioh Private High School where her vibrant and infectious personality quickly makes her one of the popular girls. She gains a small close-knit of friends from the shy and clumsy Mika Inamori, the athletic tomboy in Mutsuki Uehara, the smart, but emotionally withdrawn Mei Etoh and the eccentric Momoha Odori. Manami (or Manabi as she likes to be called) becomes the impetus for all the adventures these girls go through together as they forge a lasting friendship through good times and bad times.

One doesn’t have to be a girl to enjoy this series. Guys who like it do so because of how it reminds them of their own time in high school with their own buddies and how those bonds of friendships seems to last forever. While some have not the memories of those times will always be fond ones for both men and women who reminisce about them while watching this series. It also has some of the cutest animation with a catchy intro song. The girls’ school anthem is one that just has to be listened to.