Today I share another sad piece of anime news.
It seems that Makiko Futaki, a longtime Studio Ghibli animator has passed away at age 57.
Futaki played a large part in Spirited Away and Akira, two of my favorite anime films and two of my all-time favorite movies. While her legacy will be survived by her work until her final credit on When Marnie Was There; the news still saddens me deeply as a fan of the studio and the medium.
Even as I celebrate my mother's 54th birthday today, I wish Futaki's friends and family the best in this difficult time. May she rest in peace.
Tuesday, May 31, 2016
Thursday, May 26, 2016
Mighty No.9 Trailer: A "Masterclass" in How Not to Market a Video Game.
Hello again. I had some other pieces in mind for this week; but a combination of being busy finishing up my CWE class and something coming up last night have caused me to venture outside my usual comfort zone once again.
It seems that Mighty No.9 is finally coming out on June 21 for PS4, Xbox One and Wii U. That's the good news. The bad news is an utterly abysmal trailer has been released to sell it; the latest of many setbacks for the Kickstarter-funded game.
While the trailer is full of generic narration and meaningless buzzwords; one line actually is causing me to write about something I normally wouldn't. The narrator (who sounds suspiciously similar to the infamous "Mr. Caffeine") likened the title character's special abilities to "making your enemies cry like an anime fan on prom night." To say that I'm insulted at such a statement would be putting it lightly.
First of all, I've never considered prom to be all that essential to my social status. In fact, I'm once again deliberately choosing not to go to some formal events planned in my area in favor of seeing X-Men Apocalypse instead (once again, I lament I don't have my computer working to do another recap of the X-Men anime like I did for Days of Future Past).
Second, and more importantly; this kind of advertising seems to have shot them in the foot, given how the title character has a distinct anime style to him; as does the game itself. I'm still interested, but this kind of nonsense wants to make me have Kamina punch narrator in the face.
In fact, the backlash has been immediate and immense; with a number of dislikes surpassing the number of likes on YouTube by an almost eight to one margin.
I still plan on getting the game; depending on how it does amid this latest setback (not counting the numerous delays it's faced). Even so; to put it succinctly, this trailer is a "Masterclass" of garbage, to the point where the Japanese developers have openly bashed it on Twitter with many outraged fans joining in.
I strongly encourage everyone to speak their mind about this; since it's honestly a contender for some of the worst video game advertising I've ever seen. It's up there with the infamous "baby" spot for the PS3; it is that bad. See you space cowboy.
It seems that Mighty No.9 is finally coming out on June 21 for PS4, Xbox One and Wii U. That's the good news. The bad news is an utterly abysmal trailer has been released to sell it; the latest of many setbacks for the Kickstarter-funded game.
While the trailer is full of generic narration and meaningless buzzwords; one line actually is causing me to write about something I normally wouldn't. The narrator (who sounds suspiciously similar to the infamous "Mr. Caffeine") likened the title character's special abilities to "making your enemies cry like an anime fan on prom night." To say that I'm insulted at such a statement would be putting it lightly.
First of all, I've never considered prom to be all that essential to my social status. In fact, I'm once again deliberately choosing not to go to some formal events planned in my area in favor of seeing X-Men Apocalypse instead (once again, I lament I don't have my computer working to do another recap of the X-Men anime like I did for Days of Future Past).
Second, and more importantly; this kind of advertising seems to have shot them in the foot, given how the title character has a distinct anime style to him; as does the game itself. I'm still interested, but this kind of nonsense wants to make me have Kamina punch narrator in the face.
In fact, the backlash has been immediate and immense; with a number of dislikes surpassing the number of likes on YouTube by an almost eight to one margin.
I still plan on getting the game; depending on how it does amid this latest setback (not counting the numerous delays it's faced). Even so; to put it succinctly, this trailer is a "Masterclass" of garbage, to the point where the Japanese developers have openly bashed it on Twitter with many outraged fans joining in.
I strongly encourage everyone to speak their mind about this; since it's honestly a contender for some of the worst video game advertising I've ever seen. It's up there with the infamous "baby" spot for the PS3; it is that bad. See you space cowboy.
Thursday, May 19, 2016
RIP Yuko Mizutani: 1964-2016
It is with great sadness that I report the passing of Yuko Mizutani; who has died of breast cancer at age 51.
Mizutani was well-known as an anime voice actress, with roles including work in Zeta Gundam and the Mega Man X series video games. She was also the original voice of Sora Takenuchi in Digimon Adventure; making her one of several alumni associated with the series to pass on.
So, as I leave; I wish the best to her friends and family in this difficult time. May she rest in peace.
Mizutani was well-known as an anime voice actress, with roles including work in Zeta Gundam and the Mega Man X series video games. She was also the original voice of Sora Takenuchi in Digimon Adventure; making her one of several alumni associated with the series to pass on.
So, as I leave; I wish the best to her friends and family in this difficult time. May she rest in peace.
Tuesday, May 17, 2016
Yo-Kai Watch Six Months Later: Can the Sequels Survive? Also, My Updated Thoughts.
Hello again. Civil War is still breaking box office records; easily shaking off the stigma of the controversial comic book storyline on which it was based. I'm probably going to be going again soon; since barring The Nice Guys, a lot of the competition looks terrible (looking at you, Angry Birds).
Even so, I've just been informed of something I feel I should address; especially with my computer still not working (even though I'll be calling Apple again this week, it's highly unlikely I'll have it working to get you something for X-Men Apocalypse on another episode of the X-Men anime). Despite the fact that the Yo-Kai Watch franchise hasn't been the massive hit many were expecting; Nintendo has determined that the game has enough of a cult following to release the sequels; as "Yo-Kai Watch 2: Bony Spirits and Fleshy Souls" on September 30 in the US; with a second season of the anime later this month as well as more merchandise.
Once again, there's no easy way for me to type this: I am just not that big a fan of the whole thing. I have written several pieces to illustrate how I don't like it. However, I must also point out that anyone expecting me to just stop writing about it for the purpose of countering the praise it's gotten has clearly come to the wrong place.
That said; my initial reaction towards the release here may have been a bit excessive. While I have no
intention of rewriting or deleting any of the material I've done on this blog, I will at least admit that I could have explained my feelings better.
That's not to say that I still don't have issues with Yo-Kai Watch; by any means. I still believe the anime is among the weakest "mons" series I've looked at. Even after 119 episodes and 2 movies; the flashy animation is the only real factor I can praise. Otherwise, the stories make no sense to me and
the characters are little more than one joke and a load of toys. Although the dub has some fans; I am not among them for how corny the jokes are (such as dated references to Adam-12; which I barely understand even as someone who references The Big Lebowski a lot) and how stiff the voice acting is (even the normally lively Johnny Yong Bosch seems as wooden as the lumberyard at Home Depot).
The manga is decent, even if there are better ones that involve Yokai in some way (such as the late Shigeru Mizuki's classic "GeGeGe no Kitaro;" which I might cover some anime of around Halloween).
Now comes the part where I must once again address the video games. Even if the original game has only sold around 130,000 copies in six months (with some unconfirmed reports hovering around 200,000); Nintendo is staking much more with the sequels, which suggests there's enough of a following to grow on even if the series definitely hasn't become "the next Pokemon" many tried to hype it as. I've pointed out that was a mistake; as was launching the game against Call of Duty: Black Ops III. Jibanyan had chocolate bars. The Black Ops guys had automatic weapons. It was no contest which one was more appealing to those outside the cult following that were interested in the game.
As such, I'm going to have to once again bring up this analogy I had around this time last year: I went into Batman V Superman expecting to like it, and my expectations were not only met, but by all means exceeded.
By contrast, Captain America: Civil War managed to take a highly controversial comic storyline and turn it into an engaging, deep and highly entertaining film even with the weight of the franchise's pedigree on its shoulders.
It remains to be seen how the sequels will do; even if they did officially kickstart the series in Japan. There's no guarantee the same thing will happen here, so we'll see.
So, with all this on the table; I'm finally caving and getting a used copy of the game after I preorder Pokemon Sun and Moon. I'll address my take on the rivalry another time. As for the anime: I still have a few episodes and the first movie on my hit list; but all that can wait until my computer fixed. You probably won't see them until after I do more of the Pokemon movies (including the Volcanion movie, which will be done after it's dubbed in English). See you, space cowboy.
Even so, I've just been informed of something I feel I should address; especially with my computer still not working (even though I'll be calling Apple again this week, it's highly unlikely I'll have it working to get you something for X-Men Apocalypse on another episode of the X-Men anime). Despite the fact that the Yo-Kai Watch franchise hasn't been the massive hit many were expecting; Nintendo has determined that the game has enough of a cult following to release the sequels; as "Yo-Kai Watch 2: Bony Spirits and Fleshy Souls" on September 30 in the US; with a second season of the anime later this month as well as more merchandise.
Once again, there's no easy way for me to type this: I am just not that big a fan of the whole thing. I have written several pieces to illustrate how I don't like it. However, I must also point out that anyone expecting me to just stop writing about it for the purpose of countering the praise it's gotten has clearly come to the wrong place.
That said; my initial reaction towards the release here may have been a bit excessive. While I have no
intention of rewriting or deleting any of the material I've done on this blog, I will at least admit that I could have explained my feelings better.
That's not to say that I still don't have issues with Yo-Kai Watch; by any means. I still believe the anime is among the weakest "mons" series I've looked at. Even after 119 episodes and 2 movies; the flashy animation is the only real factor I can praise. Otherwise, the stories make no sense to me and
the characters are little more than one joke and a load of toys. Although the dub has some fans; I am not among them for how corny the jokes are (such as dated references to Adam-12; which I barely understand even as someone who references The Big Lebowski a lot) and how stiff the voice acting is (even the normally lively Johnny Yong Bosch seems as wooden as the lumberyard at Home Depot).
The manga is decent, even if there are better ones that involve Yokai in some way (such as the late Shigeru Mizuki's classic "GeGeGe no Kitaro;" which I might cover some anime of around Halloween).
Now comes the part where I must once again address the video games. Even if the original game has only sold around 130,000 copies in six months (with some unconfirmed reports hovering around 200,000); Nintendo is staking much more with the sequels, which suggests there's enough of a following to grow on even if the series definitely hasn't become "the next Pokemon" many tried to hype it as. I've pointed out that was a mistake; as was launching the game against Call of Duty: Black Ops III. Jibanyan had chocolate bars. The Black Ops guys had automatic weapons. It was no contest which one was more appealing to those outside the cult following that were interested in the game.
As such, I'm going to have to once again bring up this analogy I had around this time last year: I went into Batman V Superman expecting to like it, and my expectations were not only met, but by all means exceeded.
By contrast, Captain America: Civil War managed to take a highly controversial comic storyline and turn it into an engaging, deep and highly entertaining film even with the weight of the franchise's pedigree on its shoulders.
It remains to be seen how the sequels will do; even if they did officially kickstart the series in Japan. There's no guarantee the same thing will happen here, so we'll see.
So, with all this on the table; I'm finally caving and getting a used copy of the game after I preorder Pokemon Sun and Moon. I'll address my take on the rivalry another time. As for the anime: I still have a few episodes and the first movie on my hit list; but all that can wait until my computer fixed. You probably won't see them until after I do more of the Pokemon movies (including the Volcanion movie, which will be done after it's dubbed in English). See you, space cowboy.
Thursday, May 12, 2016
Pokemon Sun and Moon Coming in November to Nintendo 3DS.
So, I saw Civil War last night; and I absolutely loved it. Even though I'm unfamiliar with the comic on which it was based (though I'm well aware of the controversy it has), I can say that it's easily Marvel's best film yet. Black Panther is an utter badass, and Tom Holland's portrayal of Spider-Man is easily my favorite version of the character on film so far. I would definitely recommend seeing it; and I plan on going again soon.
Even so, there is another matter on my mind besides the summer movie season having begun. This past Tuesday; the release date of the highly anticipated Pokemon Sun and Moon was revealed along with the starters and the first gameplay footage. The game will be launching on Nintendo 3DS in November; with the US and Japan getting the game simultaneously on November 18, along with other territories; while the UK will be getting it a few days later.
Personally, I think the new starters look very nice. While Rowlet; a sort of grassy owl that resembles environmentalist icon Woodsy Owl has become a sort of ensemble darkhorse in the same vein as Snivy in Unova (note: one of my planned recaps when my computer is fixed will be addressing how I don't really identify with the current trend of throwing shade at Generation V); my plan is as follows: I plan to start with fiery cat Litten in Sun, and water show ready seal Popplio in Moon.
The gameplay also briefly showed off the tropical paradise of the Alola region; which seems to based on the Hawaiian islands. While the games and the adaptations have previously dabbled with "island hopping" to many areas; this is the first one that outright focuses on it. The graphics look improved on the already impressive X and Y engine; and there is a host of new characters and a possible expansion on the character customization from X and Y. While the player character outfits definitely look more suited for the tropical climate; they still show off a quasi-90s aesthetic that recent incarnations seem to be taking advantage of. I'm looking forward to seeing what sorts of outfits I can deck out my character with (not to mention to see what other options they have for hair colors, eye colors and skin tones).
So, with the announcement being something that's got me pumped; I want to preorder the games as soon as I can. Not only did the US trailer reward my loyalty as a fan, the Japanese trailer brought me to tears of joy, depicting a young man from Japan moving to Hawaii and making new friends as he plays the game for the first time. I encourage everyone to let me know what they think of all this. Bang.
Even so, there is another matter on my mind besides the summer movie season having begun. This past Tuesday; the release date of the highly anticipated Pokemon Sun and Moon was revealed along with the starters and the first gameplay footage. The game will be launching on Nintendo 3DS in November; with the US and Japan getting the game simultaneously on November 18, along with other territories; while the UK will be getting it a few days later.
Personally, I think the new starters look very nice. While Rowlet; a sort of grassy owl that resembles environmentalist icon Woodsy Owl has become a sort of ensemble darkhorse in the same vein as Snivy in Unova (note: one of my planned recaps when my computer is fixed will be addressing how I don't really identify with the current trend of throwing shade at Generation V); my plan is as follows: I plan to start with fiery cat Litten in Sun, and water show ready seal Popplio in Moon.
The gameplay also briefly showed off the tropical paradise of the Alola region; which seems to based on the Hawaiian islands. While the games and the adaptations have previously dabbled with "island hopping" to many areas; this is the first one that outright focuses on it. The graphics look improved on the already impressive X and Y engine; and there is a host of new characters and a possible expansion on the character customization from X and Y. While the player character outfits definitely look more suited for the tropical climate; they still show off a quasi-90s aesthetic that recent incarnations seem to be taking advantage of. I'm looking forward to seeing what sorts of outfits I can deck out my character with (not to mention to see what other options they have for hair colors, eye colors and skin tones).
So, with the announcement being something that's got me pumped; I want to preorder the games as soon as I can. Not only did the US trailer reward my loyalty as a fan, the Japanese trailer brought me to tears of joy, depicting a young man from Japan moving to Hawaii and making new friends as he plays the game for the first time. I encourage everyone to let me know what they think of all this. Bang.
Thursday, May 5, 2016
General Update-Cinco De Mayo 2016
Hello again. Due to the fact that my computer is still out of commission; I thought I would let you all know how things are going.
I'm just about caught up with my backlog of One Piece, having caught up with my DVR episodes of Thriller Bark. By that proxy, I'm still moving along with Pokemon XY and Z; having just finished the rematch between Ash and Diantha this morning. While not what I expected, it was at least better than the Ash VS Alan battles we've had so far.
As for Yo-Kai Watch: I had to drop the ban hammer on someone who made a comment on one of my recaps; an act I took no pleasure in doing, despite what they might think. Even so, with the European launch also underperforming (while France may be one of the few bright spots in the franchise's poor performance outside Japan, the UK launch of the game debuted at number 8, with the new Ratchet and Clank leading the charts instead); I am mulling over further recaps of the series once I have my computer fixed. I have a couple episodes I've been wanting to do for some time; several episodes in my "maybe" pile, and I definitely want to do the first movie. To say I was less than pleased when I found out the sequel outperformed Star Wars: The Force Awakens in Japan would be putting it mildly.
Before I go have dinner with my family tonight and go see Civil War this weekend; I must also point out anyone expecting me to stop watching things for the purpose of criticizing them has clearly come to the wrong place. That said, given how the US release of the game has barely sold 130,000 copies in roughly six months; I may finally cave and get a used copy soon. My plan is still the same: because the anime left a bad impression on my view of Nate, I'm going to play as Katie instead. It's also telling that despite the marketing push, the anime has not performed well, and the merchandise has also sold poorly in my area. There is talk of a second season and further waves of toys; but despite Level-5 being interested in localizing the sequels, news of any confirmation has been highly conspicuous by its absence. Despite the planned third game moving to a more Western setting; the 20th anniversary of Pokemon has largely eclipsed the hype in the west.
In short, many expected Yo-Kai Watch to be the next Pokemon the same way it has been in Japan. It wasn't. For comparison, the Virtual Console releases of Red, Blue and Yellow have sold a combined 1.5 million downloads; and hype for Sun and Moon remain high (not to mention the leaked footage of Pokemon Go being well-received even if it lacks the mind-blowing feelings of the viral trailer).
Many are even concerned about the future of the franchise; despite Hino's desire to localize the sequels.
I'm personally not expecting anything else until E3 at the earliest, so I'm not going to write any more Yo-Kai Watch recaps until the show; despite the fact that Nintendo's plan is to focus primarily on Zelda U and the NX, both of which have been pushed to 2017. Even as someone who's not a fan of the franchise; I simply cannot spin this into a positive the way the fans can. Sometimes I'm annoyed, other times I have to report the realities of the industry.
So, I hope everyone enjoys their Cinco de Mayo all the same. I have to work more on my CWE class anyway. Bang.
I'm just about caught up with my backlog of One Piece, having caught up with my DVR episodes of Thriller Bark. By that proxy, I'm still moving along with Pokemon XY and Z; having just finished the rematch between Ash and Diantha this morning. While not what I expected, it was at least better than the Ash VS Alan battles we've had so far.
As for Yo-Kai Watch: I had to drop the ban hammer on someone who made a comment on one of my recaps; an act I took no pleasure in doing, despite what they might think. Even so, with the European launch also underperforming (while France may be one of the few bright spots in the franchise's poor performance outside Japan, the UK launch of the game debuted at number 8, with the new Ratchet and Clank leading the charts instead); I am mulling over further recaps of the series once I have my computer fixed. I have a couple episodes I've been wanting to do for some time; several episodes in my "maybe" pile, and I definitely want to do the first movie. To say I was less than pleased when I found out the sequel outperformed Star Wars: The Force Awakens in Japan would be putting it mildly.
Before I go have dinner with my family tonight and go see Civil War this weekend; I must also point out anyone expecting me to stop watching things for the purpose of criticizing them has clearly come to the wrong place. That said, given how the US release of the game has barely sold 130,000 copies in roughly six months; I may finally cave and get a used copy soon. My plan is still the same: because the anime left a bad impression on my view of Nate, I'm going to play as Katie instead. It's also telling that despite the marketing push, the anime has not performed well, and the merchandise has also sold poorly in my area. There is talk of a second season and further waves of toys; but despite Level-5 being interested in localizing the sequels, news of any confirmation has been highly conspicuous by its absence. Despite the planned third game moving to a more Western setting; the 20th anniversary of Pokemon has largely eclipsed the hype in the west.
In short, many expected Yo-Kai Watch to be the next Pokemon the same way it has been in Japan. It wasn't. For comparison, the Virtual Console releases of Red, Blue and Yellow have sold a combined 1.5 million downloads; and hype for Sun and Moon remain high (not to mention the leaked footage of Pokemon Go being well-received even if it lacks the mind-blowing feelings of the viral trailer).
Many are even concerned about the future of the franchise; despite Hino's desire to localize the sequels.
I'm personally not expecting anything else until E3 at the earliest, so I'm not going to write any more Yo-Kai Watch recaps until the show; despite the fact that Nintendo's plan is to focus primarily on Zelda U and the NX, both of which have been pushed to 2017. Even as someone who's not a fan of the franchise; I simply cannot spin this into a positive the way the fans can. Sometimes I'm annoyed, other times I have to report the realities of the industry.
So, I hope everyone enjoys their Cinco de Mayo all the same. I have to work more on my CWE class anyway. Bang.
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