Anime
The New Hunter x Hunter Movie Could Feature These Stories
It’s been a bitter-sweet week for Hunter x Hunter fans. The first ever HxH movie has been announced, and was shortly followed by news of Yoshihiro Togashi taking another hiatus from drawing the manga.
Today we focus on the upcoming movie. Its plot, production studio and release date are all unknown at this point. However, Mainichi Shimbun’s website report that the movie will have an entirely original plot, which opens the door for many interesting possibilities. Although movies in the shounen genre are usually big hollow fillers, HxH is different than most other shounen title in that a huge chunk of it was never explored in the anime and was only hinted at in the manga. Below are four possible scenarios for the movie that might make it canon material despite featuring stories not adapted directly from the manga. Do note that this post assumes you’ve watched the old 90s anime or read the manga. There will be spoilers.
My Spider Senses are Tingling
Oh Kurapika, how the mighty have fallen. You stole the show during the York Shin arc, and blended well in one of the series’ darkest of hours. For a time it seemed like Hunter x Hunter will be filled with blood, revenge and eyeballs. But then, after encountering the Spiders’ leader Chrollo, Kurapika massacre comes to an early end. In the wink of an eye Hunter x Hunter leaves Kurapika behind and moves to focus on Gon and Killua’s adventures, never to show Kurapika again. That is, until the picture above appeared in the manga last week. More than a year (in story time) has passes since Kurapika was phased out from the main HxH storyline. Could this new upcoming movie be a continuation of his revenge against the spiders? Or maybe a side-story adventure explaining how did so many Kurta clan eyeballs have come to his possession? It certainly seems like a dark route worth exploring.
The Magician and the Tent 
One of HxH’s most nefarious and beloved characters is the murderous magician Hisoka. Hisoka’s personality is as twisted as they come – a pedophile, a narcissist and a skilled schemer, all in one. But how did Hisoka come to possess such a strange personality? People sure don’t turn out that way in a natural manner. Wouldn’t you love to see a movie specifically dedicated to Hisoka’s youth? Perhaps one that culminates in him murdering one of the spiders and joining their ranks?
The Adventures of the Worst Father Ever 
Ging is one of HxH’s less explored characters. The only things we know for sure about him is that he’s Gon’s father, that he’s a powerful hunter and that he failed at the mission he set forth to accomplish when he left Wail island so many years ago. If you’ve read the manga you also might know by now that he’s the worst father ever. But this doesn’t change the fact that his history is foggy and mysterious. How did he become a hunter at such a young age? Why the heck did he create Greed Island? And how come he ended up leaving his son right after his wife (Gon’s mother) had died?
These are all intriguing questions, but even if you aren’t interested in Ging as a person surely you’re interested in seeing just what Nen powers he uses? Or maybe how he met and trained Kaito? A voyage down memory lane to his early life might shed light on these unknown parts of the HxH history.
Journey to the East 
After being cursed by Kurapika’s Judgment Chain, the Phantom Troupes (also known as the Spiders) leader Chrollo is left alone, never the be mentioned again. Per the prophecy he was given Chrollo travels to the east in search of a way to remove the curse. It is later hinted that he discovers Greed Island, which is indeed located to the east, and enlist Hisoka to help him find a Nen remover. Hisoka finds a Nen remover…and then things starts to get strange. Nor the anime nor the manga show what happens after that. Chrollo is thoroughly forgotten by both Hisoka and the spiders. In fact, some of the spiders make an appearance during the Ant arc later on, and they don’t seem to miss of care about their long-gone leader. Could the new movie shed light on Chrollo’s destiny? Will he be cured of his curse only to enroll in a battle to the death with Hisoka? Or will Kurapika pop up for a final confrontation with this darkly clad mass murderer?
Four possibilities, all of them worth exploring in this upcoming movie. What do you expect from the movie? Do you have your own original ideas about the movie’s plot? Do you have a preferred and yet unexplored character you’d like to see featured in it?
Black Rock Shooter (TV) Is Surprisingly Good
Black Rock Shooter is not your typical anime series. The idea for BRS came from the artwork used in a music video. The artwork was apparently so popular it brought forth a slew of dolls and figurines. And then, in 2010, BRS broke from the realm of otaku-affiliated toys to the TV screen in a single episode OVA which was called, surprisingly enough, Black Rock Shooter. Perhaps more surprising was the fact that this OVA was released simultaneously in Japan and the U.S., and was a DVD-Blu-ray combo with two Nendroid Puchi (petite) dolls attached to it.
The OVA told the story of Kuroi Matou, a cheerful and carefree junior high student who approaches a transfer student named Takanashi Yomi and become her first friend. While the story’s main focus stayed on Matou, a mystery figure called Black Rock Shooter was shown fighting in a strange apocalyptic world from time to time. After Yomi disappears without a trace Matou discovers that this apocalyptic world is somehow connected to their own and that her friend was absorbed by her alter-ego from that world.
The OVA proved to be lacking. With no prior information to go by other than the artwork and music video it turned into an artistic experiment with little in terms of plot or sophistication. The life of Matou and Yomi were hardly ever interesting, and the entire impact of the OVA rested on multiple short scenes where Black Rock Shooter fought in the artistically provoking apocalyptic world.
More than a year has passed since then, and now a revamped TV series by the same name is being broadcasted. I decided to check it out and see if the series manages to bring a bit more sophistication into this plastic-oriented franchise.
I was pleasantly surprised by what I saw. The show basically took the premise of the OVA, extended it and made it more sophisticated and intriguing. The new series focuses on the emotional aspect of junior high student life. The apocalyptic world of Black Rock Shooter still exists, but here it represents the emotional strifes of the teenage girls in the series. Each troubled teenager is represented by a fighter in the apocalyptic/emotional world, and if they have an emotional confrontation in the real world their alter-ego fight it out in the emotional world. There is a deep connection between the characters and their fighting alter-egos, but it’s only reveled near the end of the series. Suffice to say that if an alter-ego is defeated in the emotional world it’s character in the real world is drained of all emotions regarding the conflict at hand. And Black Rock Shooter is an emotional series indeed. In a smart move, the series tries to shock you with just how intense and insane the emotions of a teenager can be. Although Matou is still at the center of attention, the TV series show multiple views of certain conflicts and more characters are added as time goes by. The show also introduces us to an evil badass school counselor. I’ve never thought I’d see that one coming.
The art style has greatly improved from the OVA. Sadly, the main character designs remain simple to a fault, but are nonetheless more detailed than before. The emotional world, on the other hand, has been reborn in an amazing way. This world is now represented entirely in CG and looks quirk and colorful as it is sinister and surreal. It’s a delight to watch Black Rock Shooter fight in this world, and although the real world is a bit more intriguing this time around, the emotional world is what makes the show the interesting and artistic feat that it is.
If, like me, you were dissapointed by the OVA and hesitated whether or not to watch the series, I promise you it is a much more rewarding viewing experience. I look forward to seeing how the story will wrap up in the following weeks. I’m also eager to see how the Blu-ray will look like.
So what exactly is Fate/Unlimited Blade Works? (spoiler-free)
With Sentai Filmworks’ latest acquisition of the Fate/Unlimited Blade Works movie the entire line of Fate-related anime adaptations is now licensed in the U.S. In fact it is surprising that this movie wasn’t licensed up until now, considering that the original fate/Stay Night series (released by FUNimation Entertainment between 2006-2008) sold very well in the U.S. Even the obscure fighting game Fate/Unlimited Codes and the generic Fate/Extra made it to the west.
Arguably though, it was Aniplex of America’s decision to release Fate/Zero in the West that prompted Sentai to rise to the challenge and license Fate/Unlimited Blade Works.
But what is this movie really about? Is it a new story that takes place before or after Fate/Stay Night? Is it just a recap movie? Or is it something different altogether?
The answer is simple, and I’m going to provide it without revealing any spoilers. Fate/Unlimited Blade Works is the name of the second route in the Fate/Stay Night game. The original Fate/Stay Night game had three routes, two of which were not available when you started the original game. Upon playing the game for the first time only the initial route was available. This route was named Fate/Stay Night (big surprise here huh). This one plays exactly like the Fate/Stay anime, minus one obscene scene that was replaced by a roaring dragon in the anime…
Upon completing this route you were given the choice to start a new game in which several new optional scenes took place. If you made the appropriate choices during those scenes the story would then branch off from the Fate/Stay route and enter a different route called Fate/Unlimited Blade Works. This route was different from the initial route in three important ways: the outcome of some of the battles between the Servants was different, Shiro (Saber’s novice master) took part in the actual fighting instead of just playing a supportive role, and the story revealed who Archer (Rin’s servant) really is.
So while Fate/Unlimited Blade Works is part of the Fate/Stay Night timeline it is in fact a retelling with enough meat on it to appeal to those who know the original series like the back of their hand. The movie can’t really cram the story of the original Fate/Stay Night route, so those who haven’t see the anime will be lost in terms of plot and characters. This movie is all about battles and revelation regarding characters which you are already supposed to know and care about from previous Fate iterations.
The original game that started it all. Ironically Fate/Stay Night was
never released in the U.S. and has no legal English translation.
But what does the name Unlimited Blade Works mean?
Well, it certainly isn’t meaningless as Stay Night was (seriously, why give the game a name with no in-game meaning?). While the name Unlimited Blade Works has a meaning (and we are still in the spoiler-free zone here folks) it is also a little weird name to begin with. You see…there is no Unlimited Blade that Works. The developers of the game had “difficulties” in translating their thoughts into English. The name actually means Unlimited Bladeworks. Think about clockworks – the inner workings of a mechanical clock. Now replace the clock part with swords and make it work with unlimited swords. What you get is Unlimited Blade Works – a Noble Phantasm that only appears in this route of the game and gives it its name.
And that’s it really. I hope this information answers any question you had about this upcoming release. If, by any chance, you are interested in the third route of Fate/Stay Night…let’s just say you’ll have to play the game in order to see it. The third route is called Heaven’s Feel. Unlike the two earlier routes in the game Heaven’s Feel has zero potential to become an anime due to the fact that it is nothing but a gore fest filled with sex and crawling insects. Whether or not this is exactly what you wanted from the Fate franchise to begin with is none of my business.
.hack//Quantum released today. Will be reviewed soon.
Hi everybody. This post is just a quick heads up to inform you that I intend the review .hack//Quantum as soon as possible. I did pre-order the title and it was shipped about 4 days ago, but it takes forever for these stuff to arrive at my place (I live in a pretty far away place). For now I’ll leave you with the cover art of the Japanese limited edition release. I wonder why FUNimation chose the cover art of the regular edition over this one?
Why you should care about Media Blasters’ hurdles
As you may have heard according to Robert’s Anime Corner, Media Blasters will not be publishing the 2nd volume of Bakuman on DVD and the Ikki Tousen: Great Guardians Complete DVD Boxed Set. This announcement, coupled with Media Blaster’s decision to lay off 60% of its staff in January, poses real questions regarding the sustainability of the company. You needn’t be a Bakuman or an Ikki Tousen fan to understand why these are bad news, very bad news. 2012 already saw the closure of Bandai USA, and although it was a hushed closure with seemingly little ripples (caused mainly by fans of ongoing/newly licensed series which were suddenly dropped) it will prove to be a huge loss when Bandai’s back catalog runs dry. Suddenly all those series you’ve “saved for later” will go OOP. This is the tough reality behind Bandai USA’s closure and, although I hope I’ll be proven wrong, Media Blasters seems to be heading down this rocky road as well.
Media Blaster has been keeping a low profile for the last couple of years. It abstained from fighting over new licenses, rearing its head once in a while to release a new volume of the The Twelve Kingdoms, a new Queen’s Blade bundle or another “remastered” version of Magic Knight Rayearth (seriously, there are about five different DVD bundles of this thing and none of them are genuinely remastered). So one wouldn’t have been surprised if Media Blasters decided to phase out old licenses or fail to acquire hot upcoming titles. However, cutting series after a single DVD (in the case of Bakuman) or failing to release them completely (Ikki Tousen: Great Guardians) is baffling. These are both short series that could have easily made a quick buck for Media Blasters. Failing to monetize these titles can be a big mistake.
I’ve read a lot of opinions from laid back people, people who believe that even if Media Blasters closes down it won’t be that bad of a thing. These people cling to bigger companies like VIZ and FUNimation for salvation, firmly believing that those companies will rescue everything Media Blasters throws their way or discontinue. Well, I beg to differ. Sure, FUNimation rescued a lot of series following the bursting of the anime bubble, but that was back when things sounded nice and easy. Now FUNimation is caught up in a lawsuit pertaining…yep, you guessed it – FUNimation’s decision to rescue series from the late Geneon. Moreover, FUNimation has in fact yet to release most of these titles from lack of materials. Does this sound to you like a company with the money and time in its hands to rescue yet another batch of series? And VIZ? Are you sure you want a company that is infamous for dropping series halfway to rescue your beloved series?
The bottom line of all this talk is – if you like a title, support it by buying it now or when it’s available. Fantasizing about some almighty company coming to the rescue when the forsaken fans need it to isn’t going to help sustain our beloved anime industry. Media Blasters isn’t going anywhere just yet. As of this time, Media Blasters hasn’t even officially confirmed the information regarding the infinite delays of the Bakuman DVDs or Ikki Tousen. Maybe it is us, the worried fans, who came up with the crazy idea that Media Blasters is having some unknown monetary problems. I would love to still be able to purchase the Bakuman BD set come May, even if the DVDs are discontinued. Media Blasters might not be at its peak as a company, but its loss will be bitter nonetheless. Try not to actively bring about this loss.
Why I won’t be reviewing ef – A Tale of Memories
This post is a shameless plug meant only to persuade you to buy ef – A Tale of Memories on Blu-ray. I strongly believe each and every one of you should buy this series. It was released in the U.S. by Sentai Filmworks yesterday and is worth every dollar spent on it. But I won’t be reviewing it here, nor will I be buying it myself. Why? Because of this:
This picture depicts the ef – A Tale of Memories Blu-ray Limited Box which was released in Japan on December 26, 2008. I preordered this box and is the proud owner of it since December 25, 2008. It is without a doubt the best way to own ef, as it comes with a commentary track for every episode in the series (essentially meaning you have 24 episodes in the series instead of only 12) as well as an art book , a sturdy wooden box and a copy of Chihiro’s book (!!!). What this wonderful limited edition doesn’t have is English subtitles. So while I’m satisfied to no end with the edition I’ve got I cannot review it for Anime Reviews. And that’s a problem, because ef – A Tale of Memories is one of my top five anime series of all times and would have, without a doubt, gotten a pure 10/10 score from me. It’s frustrating, but I’ll have to leave reviewing this masterpiece to other websites. What I can do is give those who’ll read the other reviews and be on the fence about this title a small push. If you find the premise of ef – A Tale of Memories to be interesting do not be afraid to pick it up. And than recommend it to your friends.
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