Akira: The Life and Death of A Live-Action Remake.

Well, as they say, everything comes to an end. Some endings definitely have more satisfying results than others; but this one is honestly not surprising. Earlier this year, the long-troubled plans to adapt Akira into a live-action film came to an end as Warner Bros. (ahead of their upcoming split from Discovery) chose to not pursue the project further after the director's departure. With that, alongside a brief failed attempt from Sony prior to the early 2000s, is a good enough time to go over the last 25 years of trying. Here is a look at Akira: The Life and Death of a live-action remake.

Let's start with the first attempt from Sony- by the late 1990s and early 2000s; the original film Katsuhiro Otomo and the graphic novels had already established themselves as cornerstones of science fiction. Admittedly, there's not much out there about this version; as it never got too far in development before the rights were picked up by Warner Bros. (a future prospective partner of Netflix or Paramount-Skydance), kicking off a long line of attempts that never made it to varying degrees of faithfulness.

Courtesy: Kodansha

The first of WB's attempts to remake the film took shape in the year 2002, which had Stephen Norrington attached to direct. Norrington had a handful of credits to his name before this, notably the 1998 adaptation of Blade. Unfortunately, the experience he had making 2003's The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen; coupled with the film's poor reception and box office returns (talk persists of a reboot that's more faithful to the graphic novel) caused him to retire from filmmaking. His most recent credit was special effects work a decade ago on the little-known Harbinger Down.

In the year 2008, they tried again with Ruari Robinson at the helm; with the screenwriter of this version being the prolific Gary Whitta; best known for being the co-writer of Rogue One. Though Robinson had not directed a feature-length project at this point in his career; his visual flair and short films did give him potential. Eventually, Robinson left the project to focus on other ventures, with his lone feature film credit being 2013's The Last Days on Mars.

A year after Robinson left, brothers Allen and Albert Hughes took the reins. The movie was then pushed back from 2009 to 2011; with Whitta's script being retooled by Hawk Otsby and Mark Fergus. Here is where things really started to go awry. This incarnation was infamous for the creative liberties it took with the source material; especially the casting. The Neo-Manhattan aspect in particular was reviled, with not even the claims the story would have the city fall under Japanese moguls saving it (two words: "lost decade").

Despite the claims to justify the changes, the response to this version was near-universally negative. Eventually, the Hughes brothers left the project; with the script being retooled yet again by recurring Wizarding World scribe Steve Kloves (just dealing with this event series as it comes, for a number of reasons). For the first few years of the 2010s, this draft had Jaume Collet-Serra attached to direct. Though he had experience with a number of genre films before and since, his dismissive comments about the source material and the entirety of the background that created it were not compelling did not sit well with lots of people. Naturally, not long after this furor; he left the project altogether.

The final attempt came from Taika Waititi, whose mix of both smaller-scale and big-budget productions made him a natural fit. He was also willing to remain faithful to the original manga; even more so than the 1988 animated film (which only covered three of the published volumes). However, between his being in high demand as a filmmaker, the multiple changes in ownership for WB and the industry being rocked by both the pandemic and two strikes in 2023; the rights ultimately lapsed back to Kodansha in June 2025.

That being the case, the impact the original movie had shows that maybe we don't need it (especially given the less-than-stellar results of similar attempts). I'd argue that Stranger Things is likely the best unofficial version in live-action; especially now that it's concluded its five-season run. I will see you all in 2026- Happy New Year everyone.

Pokémon Legends Z-A: Mega Dimension (Switch) First Impressions

Hey everyone- first, apologies in advance for the lack of updates; been an alarmingly busy month and year. Have a feeling that I might take a hiatus near the beginning of 2026. With that in mind, I present my first impressions on the DLC expansion “Pokémon Legends Z-A: Mega Dimension!” Let’s open it up and get started.

A word before I get further into this- if you aren’t sure about opting in; please note that you need to have beaten the main story of the base game in order to access this campaign. I typically don’t opt into story expansions until I beat the main quest anyway (I logged at least 150 hours into the game already, so it was an easy move for me). I won’t give any major spoilers at this time, so here we go.

Picking up where the events of the base game left off, you are tasked with investigating a series of bizarre occurrences taking place in Lumiose City. With the aid of Mega Evolution Successor Korrina, an enigmatic young woman named Ansha and the mischievous Mythical Pokémon Hoopa; a new adventure awaits!

Having logged at least six hours into this expansion so far, my experience has been quite positive. Much of what I’ve already said about the base game applies here as well, so I will focus on the new material. A host of new and returning Mega Evolutions join the game with this expansion. On top of the return of the Hoenn stage 2 Mega Evolutions, I am currently training for the next online season to get the stone for Mega Baxcalibur. I am especially eager to try both versions of Mega Raichu, which recall the cut Gorochu evolution.

Entering the parallel version of Lumiose City (known as Hyperspace Lumiose) has a series of timed challenges to contain returning Pokémon and new Rogue Mega Evolutions; both of which can surpass level 100 for the first time in franchise history. I won’t say who all is new to the club, nor will I say all who gets new Mega Evolution Z variants. I will say I’m going to enjoy this new layer of challenge; as with the next new idea to discuss.

In order to gain entry to Hyperspace Lumiose, you must make and feed Hoopa a variety of donuts. This is an idea I really like, as it reminds me of making other goodies in past games (Poké Blocks in Hoenn, Poffins in Sinnoh, and most directly; Poké Puffs in X and Y). How much time you get for each challenge and how much of a buff your Pokémon get of course depends on what ingredients you add, both berries for flavor and butter for the cooking. 

I have every intent to review this expansion after clearing it; but that will not be until after I do my look at the base game. Both of those will be in 2026, so that will be all for now- seasons’ greetings.

Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road sells 500K at Launch.

Well, this is another pleasant surprise, even if it's not quite the outcome I expected. After the oft-delayed Fantasy Life: The Girl Who Steals Time saw release earlier in the year, another title has emerged after nearly a decade of development at Level-5- the soccer RPG Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road.

Despite spreading to multiple consoles and PC (quietly canceling its 3DS port after the official end of support in 2023), the game has actually sold decently across all formats since launching last week; moving 500,000 units to date. Though critical reception remains scarce (once again, Level-5 chose not to send out review codes); most people who have played it seem to enjoy it.  

While I once again reaffirm I am not a fan of the franchise, I am glad that the lengthy development cycle appears to be the only thing it's sharing with Duke Nukem Forever. Maybe I'll check it out after updates arrive (currently training for the next season of the Z-A Royale, and I opted into Mega Dimensions too),  and there's a sale. That's all for now, and I will see you again soon.

Why Dan Da Dan Worked in the US Where Yo-Kai Watch Didn't

Hey everyone- I have been contemplating how to do this for a while now; and now I have it all figured out. It's interesting how much difference 10 years time can make for fiction, especially with how one franchise a decade ago utterly flopped in its attempts to Americanize itself; and a more recent one instead leaned into its exotic foreign aspects to great success. Here is a look at why Dan Da Dan worked in the US where Yo-Kai Watch didn't.

1. Appreciation over Homogenization

One of my and others' biggest issues with the EN localization of YKW was the attempt to take a concept as intrinsically Japanese as youkai and make it palatable to Westerners; which went about as well as you'd expect. Turning the Japanese New Sakura Town into the flyover country, USA setting of Springdale, Idaho in particular aged less like a fine sake and more like a small fry order stuck between the seats of an '88 Chevrolet Celebrity.

That was a mistake that I'm grateful the people dubbing Dan Da Dan didn't repeat. Not only does it fully commit to its very Japanese take on the paranormal; the setting is indeed intrinsic to the story, visuals, characterization and humor. We'll touch on that last one again in a bit, but two early fights are dependent on the position of the characters near a shrine's "torii gate" as well as the provinces of a Japanese township. It won't be the only time that Dan Da Dan proved to be the anime I wanted YKW to be either.

2. A Much Clearer Target Demographic

As part of a whole slew of hit series to come out of the "dark era" of Shonen Jump; the desire for new stories combined with the typical fan skewing older than past years worked tremendously to the benefit of Dan Da Dan. With this, the debut of the anime from Science Saru was certainly primed to do well. The breakout success the anime got wasn't forced either- it was instead carefully cultivated all around the pacific. Best of all, the age of the audience was firmly established with the 17-plus crowd: let's just say the anime earns its TV-MA rating.

By contrast, YKW never really did nail down whether they wanted to appeal to kids, fans of Japanese culture or even a more general audience. The attempts from Level-5 to appeal to all of them ended up appealing to none of them. No matter what a potential video game adaptation of Dan Da Dan ends up being, it's safe to say it will be M-rated as can be.

3. Humor that embraces the bizarre instead of sanitizing it

Another benefit that Dan Da Dan had in its armory that helped it succeed was fully committing to the offbeat humor that's baked into the concept. Though I certainly am willing to admit YKW wasn't without its weird aspects; I also admit trying to sanitize them was a mistake. A large amount of dated pop culture references in the dub didn't help either. Fortunately, that was not an issue faced by Dan Da Dan at all. On top of a major plot point involving the theft of Okarun's "naughty bits," lots of humor is mined from both the designs and behavior of the various creatures our heroes encounter. Plus, I just find the idea that Momo's grandmother looks and acts like a Japanese delinquent teenager hilarious on its lonesome. 

4. Cultivating an audience over forcing the affair

While the enthusiasm Level-5 had was admirable on a surface level, the attempts to force YKW into being the next big thing ended up having the opposite effect. There was even a plan to bring over the fourth game, but the pandemic and the closure of Level-5 Abby functionally scrapped it. Holy Horror Mansion could work as a spiritual successor, but I would appreciate if they and other devs cooled it with their AI obsession. Maybe Deca Police will work, maybe it won't (I do like games with detective aspects lately). The new Inazuma Eleven seems to finally be keeping to its release date, though given the competition (Hyrule Warriors Age of Imprisonment, Kirby Air Riders and the same week as Black Ops VII); it's got an uphill battle after nine years in the works.

That didn't happen with Dan Da Dan. Instead, the manga and anime took the approach I prefer- releasing and letting people make their own judgment. As word of mouth spread, so did the show's popularity. Even with someone who admits to approaching most works with a mixture of skepticism and cautious optimism, my curiosity was rewarded. Whenever a work makes me feel a multitude of emotions and provokes nigh-endless thoughts, it's done something right no matter the quality.

5. How all the elements are presented

All of the.previous points,  and others I did not mention are all connected to the contrast between how one IP became a huge hit and the other became a pop culture footnote a decade on- how all the elements are presented to audiences.

While Yo-Kai Watch was continually hyped as the next big thing, that has a habit of not always panning out. It certainly didn't for YKW, which even in Japan has functionally been "on hiatus" for a while now. If there's anything I've learned in the last few years, no brand is bulletproof- even Super Sentai is airing its final season after 50 years (I'll wait till Universe Heroes debuts to judge it). Maybe Holy Horror Mansion will work, maybe it won't. I will say this- this "next big thing" malarkey needs to go. 

In contrast, Dan Da Dan grew far more naturally as it went from subculture to pop culture. I myself came up on it by chance one night, and it's become a standout anime in a year full of them. It's more than the second season of Shadowside I never got- it's what I wanted YKW to do when it debuted a decade ago. That is all for now, and I will see you again soon.

So I Finally Watched Dan Da Dan. The Results Pleasantly Surprised Me.

Happy Halloween everyone- now that I have finished the first season; have begun the second ahead of the newly-announced third, and even started reading the manga (in an incredibly rare instance of enjoying it more on the second time around than the first), here is a post showing what I have found from watching the smash hit anime Dan Da Dan.  

From left- Jin "Jiji" Enjoji, Momo Ayase, Seiko Ayase, Ken "Okarun" Takakura, Aira Shiratori and Turbo Granny.

The basic setup is as follows- boy meets girl. He believes in aliens, she believes in ghosts. The two set out one night to prove each other wrong, and instead prove each other completely right. Moreover, the boy; Ken "Okarun" Takakura ends up imbued with the powers of an ancient yokai known as "Turbo Granny" (whose consciousness later ends up inside a maneki-neko plush with all the sass intact), and the girl, Momo Ayase awakens dormant psychic powers after narrowly being probed by aliens for her "banana organs." Her grandmother Seiko (who has been her guardian since the untimely death of Momo's parents) is also a powerful medium in her own right; who ends up being vital to helping the teens deal with a whole slew of very Japanese aliens and paranormal threats. 

I will admit I was skeptical, but unlike some people who dig their heels so far in they're touching the bedrock; I'm not above being proven wrong when the results are better than I imagined.  

The anime comes from Science Saru, a studio who has worked on a number of anime I've enjoyed. Their work here is incredibly impressive, capturing the look and feel of the manga by Tatsu Yukinobu in a way that hooked me with a pleasant surprise. I've always had way better luck choosing my own entertainment than others trying to do it for me. So, I've had great pleasure adding it to my weekend rotation alongside One Piece, Dragon Ball Daima and Bleach: The Thousand-Year Blood War.

There are multiple key elements that I can credit for this anime being an international hit as well as one in its homeland. Wholeheartedly embracing the Japanese takes on aliens and ghosts, the creative fight setups, the offbeat humor (the popular girl, Aira Shiratori faking her ditziness is balanced out with Okarun fittingly having his reclaimed private parts being put back in with a shot below the belt) and surprisingly engaging character drama. Horror fans are an obvious demographic I can attribute to the worldwide success too, as the scenarios are indeed as spooky as they are bizarre.

On top of Momo's childhood friend Jin "Jiji" Enjoji complicating their budding love life, he is a character I was yet again pleasantly surprised by. I won't be getting into all the details right now- but I will give you the short version: he also lost his parents at a young age, but despite growing into a very handsome young man; he's arguably even more "adorkable" than Okarun. He's even yet another character who gets infused with the power of an ancient spirit- wouldn't be the first time somebody was beating the stuffing out of enemies while wearing his underwear on the outside. Though not the first story to use these elements, it's the way they're presented that definitely helped this title become a breakout hit of the "dark era" of Shonen Jump.

In many respects, this anime succeeded stateside in every area Yo-Kai Watch failed in. Some compare it to another take on Shadowside; but I will go a step further and say it's what Level-5 should have done a decade ago- fully embracing the Japanese elements instead of trying to homogenize them. I'm seriously considering expanding on that contrast another time.  

Suffice to say, I'm pleasantly surprised with my experience so far. It's not many works I've experienced where characters can have a bond as a found family after the deaths of their real ones while also having grandmother that looks and acts like a teenage "yankii" who spends the time she isn't fighting spirits drinking, chain-smoking and watching "Shoten." That will be all for now, and I will see you all again in November. Happy Halloween everyone.

Chainsaw Man: The Reze Arc opens at #1 in the US!

Well, looks like Infinity Castle wasn't just a fluke; and there's much more of a market for this than one might think. So, this All Hallow's Eve; we have a rather interesting update.

Following the breakout success of the hit anime and manga (both of which I would like to catch up on), Chainsaw Man: The Reze Arc has seen release in theaters around the world. Though not even the first anime to hit this milestone this year; it's another example of an emerging market for the medium in theaters.

Opening on the weekend of October 24, the movie took in $18 million in the United States from 3,003 theaters. To date, the film has seen considerable commercial success the world over; taking in over $108 million worldwide. Having mentioned horror fans as a key demographic more than once, it's also clear that a similar business model was employed- the production budget was a modest $4 million USD; meaning return on investments is stellar even before promotional costs are considered (definitely saw a solid amount of ads each night).

With this, I will see you all again on Halloween night with something I've had cooking a while.  That's all for now, take care.

Star Wars Visions Season 3 (2025) Thoughts

Happy Halloween everyone- seeing as how this is another year I'm a DIY Jedi Master (with dual-wielding lightsabers), it's nice to know my tastes haven't changed that much in my life. So, let's talk about another great entry in a great spinoff; and open up Star Wars Visions Season 3!

Having seen most of the season thus far, the show once again has a host of unique stories while also expanding on ones from previous seasons. I will go over them briefly now. The season opens on "The Duel: Payback," following from one of the most acclaimed segments of the first season from Kamikaze Douga and Anima. I also heavily enjoyed "The Song of Four Wings" by Project Studio Q; which had some strong magical girl vibes to it. "The Ninth Jedi: Child of Hope" from the esteemed Production IG hints at more to come; and I am eager to see it should the opportunity arise. "The Bounty Hunters" from Studio WIT was also an entertaining approach to one of the most interesting occupations in the saga outside the Jedi order. I'm certainly always game for some John Woo-inspired blaster duels against a corrupt industrialist.

The season concludes with "The Bird of Paradise" from Polygon Pictures; where a young Padawan must master the Force to overcome her vision impairment, and a more experimental short from David Productions simply titled "BLACK."

If I had to choose my favorite episodes of this season, they would be "The Smuggler" from Studio TRIGGER, closely followed by two from Kinema Citrus- "Yuko's Treasure" and "The Lost Ones" (one of the aforementioned stories that expands on the previous seasons).

I will have a couple more treats ready to go before the end of Halloween night. You will just have to wait and see what they are. That is all for now. May the Force be with you all.