Pokémon Sun and Moon Marshadow Event coming to US, Brock and Misty to reappear in Sun and Moon series.

Hello everyone. First off: Happy Labor Day weekend. Second, I am underway with some of my plans from September onward, including my FLCL marathon and my double feature of the Victini movies for my Pokémon movie marathon. However, when a development like this takes hold, I am essentially duty bound by how I started this blog to write about it.

To close out this month, I will address some developments in the remaining days to Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon that I found out about earlier. It seems that Marshadow, a legendary Pokémon from Generation VII will be officially distributed in the US at Gamestop starting on October 9. The Pokémon was previously distributed in Japan to tie into its role in Pokémon The Movie: I Choose You, and cannot be obtained through normal gameplay.

Official artwork for Marshadow.

Now, and much more notably; is something that will show up in two future episodes of the Sun and Moon series: on the episodes airing on September 14 and 21, Ash and his classmates will be going to the Kanto region for a school trip, and the episodes will see the return of Ash's original companions Brock and Misty, known in Japan as Takeshi and Kasumi.

The more things change...

The more they stay the same.

While I plan to include my thoughts in a more detailed manner in a future post before the episodes air in Japan, I am very interested in how the events will play out. In addition to the designs showing off the unique art style of the Sun and Moon series as well as the episodes including potential mega evolution battles with Misty's Gyarados and Brock's Steelix, it will be a delight to see them again after all these years. As for any potential detractors, such as people on Kotaku who are still under the impression the new movie had the characters "erased" and the series' history "rewritten" (which is still wholly untrue and factually inaccurate, and another key reason why I don't take them seriously), they do not concern me. One such commenter, who I shall only refer to as "Mitch Connor" for the sake of argument here, said that he "finds it hard to care about the series" in its current state after certain events. Well, I find it hard to care about fans that react that way; as it reinforces a negative stereotype that I used to be part of when I was younger, and I have spent a lot of my subsequent fandom trying to move past it.

As for anything about "alternate realities:" I personally don't think it's as bad as many are suggesting. In fact, I often cite Batman as example as how a character can have many unique versions in this scenario. It's the reason why one version can be dancing to 1960s pop music in Warhol-esque environments and another fights parademons alongside Wonder Woman, the Flash, Aquaman and Cyborg in the absence of Superman and Green Lantern.

My point is: just because a franchise keeps going on past your initial fandom of it doesn't mean you can't keep finding things to enjoy from it. It's the reason why even though the original Star Trek is among one of my favorite TV shows ever; I am very excited for what Discovery potentially has to offer. It's also the reason why I'm looking forward to see not only how Star Wars: The Last Jedi follows the story of the previous films, but also see what it can bring to the table on its own. As such, I will be approaching these episodes from both the perspective of a longtime fan and someone who's eager to see what new material can come from the crossover of old and new. The Sun and Moon series has been one of the most unique takes on the series in years, and even though it could go in any direction from here; I will be there. As for looking at the episodes for this blog: I might consider it in the near future, but first I want to get finished with some of the other stuff I'm working on.

With 76 days to Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon as of this writing, I will end this month a good note as I work on what I've got planned for the rest of this year. That will be all for now. Bang.

Yo-Kai Watch 2: Psychic Specters Launches Next Month. Good luck, Level-5: you'll need it.

Well, I just got back from running an errand out of town. In addition to my other material I have planned for September, I am pleased to say that I was able to make more of a dent in my preorders of Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon; and I am more than halfway paid off with them. My plan is to get the remaining bit of money paid off before they launch on November 17.

That said, (sighs), I will also point out that we are one month away from the US release of Yo-Kai Watch 2: Psychic Specters. While I'm not writing a eulogy for the series outside Japan just yet, Bony Spirits and Fleshy Souls have stalled out at 160,000 copies sold in the US after 11 months on the market. One consolation is that the sequels have matched this figure in Europe in less than half that time; so with Psychic Specters launching simultaneously in America and Europe, it could be another way to see how they will do.

Even as someone who's not the biggest fan of the franchise, I admit there is potential for it to grow. It's been roughly two years since the series left Japan; it has a way to go to be more than it is. Again, I submit that even after 185 episodes, having a Yokai trick Keita into giving his clothes to Fumiko is far from your "A" material. At the very least, there is some comedic suffering I can get out of an 11-year-old being seen in his underwear; Inaho's mugging be damned.

I also concede Fleshy Souls was an improvement over the first Yo-Kai Watch. While it's definitely not in the same league as Pokémon Sun and Moon or Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch (got my PS3 hooked up again, going to play more of it to get ready for the sequel), there are just enough changes to make the experience a bit more enjoyable. Still, even though I did beat the main quest this time; I once again had no problem trading the game back in towards Ultra Sun and Moon.

I will also address some other things I haven't brought up before, since I still have no idea how bringing over more of the anime and toys will do, given how Disney XD hasn't been advertising the show as much as Marvel's Spider-Man, the new Duck Tales or Pokémon The Series: Sun and Moon. Both my closest Gamestop and Walmart have also had trouble moving the merchandise despite several markdowns. There's even been reports of runoff being shipped to the toy section at Dollar Tree some places, which is usually a sign that an IP has entered its death knell. I know Pokémon went through this for a bit, but it got a second wind when the Game Boy Advance made way for the DS; and it's been consistently popular ever since. I don't know if Yo-Kai Watch can pull something similar off, since the series' disappointing performance outside Japan coincides with declining sales there, while other series have remained steady such as Dragon Ball, One Piece and Mobile Suit Gundam.



This article talks about some of the concerns some of the fans have faced, as well as addressing many fans with alternative lifestyles and the idea of a head canon. While I don't know about anything like that or making characters below the poverty line, mine is much simpler as an outsider (can't go so far to say I'm a fan). Mine would keep some comedic elements, but balance them out with more nightmare fuel. I'd also be taking some liberties with the characters; but not too many that people would start asking me more weird questions such as one individual who shall only be referred to as "Nelson Muntz" here for the sake of argument from here on. I will not address them by name, since no matter what I've said about the series, it never satisfied them.

Nathan Adams (Keita Amano in Japan) would be a sort of analog for Peter Venkman, less concerned about being "average" and more of a deadpan but comically snarky individual; one characterized in the Ghostbusters 'verse by both Bill Murray and the late Lorenzo Music.

Barnaby "Bear" Berenstein (Gorota "Kuma" Kumashita in Japan) would be rendered akin to Ray Stantz: he would possess a since of idealism and childlike wonder. Even though his persona and appearance give off the aura of a tough guy, he still has some "cute" quirks such as eating massive amounts of sweets, watching tokusatsu series meant for younger age groups and wearing underpants with teddy bears all over them (matching his namesake). He would definitely representing the childlike sense of awe that Dan Akryoyd and Frank Welker portrayed.

Edward "Eddie" Archer (Kanchi Imada in Japan) would be my stand-in for Egon Spengler. An eccentric but intelligent individual who'd be a key aid to every situation; and I would keep some of his technical skill and affluence. His setup at home would be ideal for playing Warcraft on long weekends, and has a private theater where he could easily verify a claim he makes of having seen Terminator 2 more than 200 times. He would be the ideal man to carry the torch from Maurice Lamarche and the late Harold Ramis.

Katie Forester (Fumiko Kodama in Japan) would definitely be a blend of Janine Melnitz and Winston Zeddemore: a grounded realist who takes everything in stride; even if it's stuff as weird as a dead cat with an affinity for chocolate bars and a ghost that looks like Stay-Puft's sloppy seconds. Given how weird things already are in society, she can believe anything they need to.

Still, it's all going to be on Level-5 and Nintendo. Even though the fans try to tell me not to worry about the series in the US, it's not that simple when the sequel games only sold a fraction of what they did in Japan, let alone the massive hits of Final Fantasy XV and Pokémon Sun and Moon. There's going to be another scenario like this very soon. Even if I were to remove Ultra Sun and Moon and the Virtual Console releases of Gold and Silver, there's still Metroid: Samus Returns, Super Mario Odyssey, the Frozen Wilds expansion for Horizon: Zero Dawn and Call of Duty: WWII; as well as the Xbox One X and Super NES Classic (the latter two sold out their first waves of preorders in record time, which should give you an indicator of how much demand will outnumber supply). It's also been so quiet that I have potential material that I'm not pulling the trigger on until I hear more, and I'm also occupied with other projects for September onward.

I submit once again that the release of Yo-Kai Watch 3 outside Japan will be largely dependent on how Psychic Specters sells in its international release. It sold over 2.6 million copies in Japan; and even as someone who's not a fan of the series, I am in little to no capacity to say how well it might fare. All I can do is wait, since it's a foregone conclusion that Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon will do well and build on the success of the 15 million (and counting!) sold by their seniors. As per usual: I will not get the game at launch, since there's too much other stuff I'm interested in. I will probably get a used copy in the near future, but that will depend on where I am in 2018. Since things haven't gone the way I've expected lately, my retirement probably won't happen just yet. Not when I haven't finished what I've started. I still have the same plan for the third movie: my recap of it will be entirely dependent on whether or not Yo-Kai Watch 3 gets released outside Japan. Given how the game was ostensibly tailored towards Western audiences, it would be ironic if it never got an international release.

I have about 1 or 2 more posts I want to make before I start posting what I have planned for September. Regardless of what happens then, I know this much: the future is not written, there is no fate but what we make for ourselves.

Recap: Pokémon- Zoroark: Master of Illusions

Hello, everyone, and welcome to my look at Pokémon: Zoroark- Master of Illusions! We’ve finally reached the last of the Diamond and Pearl era films, and it’s my favorite of the DP films. I have wanted to talk about this for a long time, so let’s open it up!

For the sake of argument, I’m going to forgo the “world of Pokémon” segment; since the copy of the movie I’m using to write this recap does too. We open on Ash, Dawn and Brock on their way to Crown City to watch the Pokémon Baccer World Cup, and Brock seems to be having trouble with his Poké Gear. In addition to the movie helping promote the bestselling video games, it also seems to piggyback on the World Cup fever of the time. None of those obnoxious vuvuzelas either! 

They are once again lost, and in the twilight, they see a group of Beautifly flying overhead! They are in awe of this sight, and continue on their way! I’ve been wanting to do this movie for a long time, and I definitely want to keep this up before I watch the I Choose You movie. 

Team Rocket is following close behind on a glider shaped like a Yanmega, but they’re sent into facepalms by a rogue Skiploom! Reminds me of reading Anime News Network’s ranking of all these movies. Planning on doing my own when this marathon is over.

They didn't like this movie? Are you mad?

After trolling a horde of Vigoroth, it turns out that it’s really a Zorua! I haven’t ranked my favorite Generation V Pokémon in a while, but this fella and its evolved form on the marquee are very high on the list. Considering revising it for 2017 before Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon come out.

Ash, Dawn and Brock help fight off the Vigoroth with the aid of Infernape, Mamoswine and Sudowoodo, and they also see Crown City on the horizon! They also agree to help Zorua find his “mema,” and I still have no formal opinion on the idea that Zorua is telepathic.

What I do know, however; is that I love Zorua’s illusion ability! The way he shape shifts into a more snide version of Ash is basically my assessment to those dicks at Box of Danger. Before I started this blog, they came off like a bunch of arrogant douchebags, and about as valid as some guy from Colorado trolling people while listening to Boston. 

It turns out that Zoroark is indeed Zorua’s “mema,” and is being manipulated by the villain of this film, Grings Kodai! He is easily among one of the best villains that the films have given us, and I will be eager to tell you more over the course of this movie.

We then transition to Crown City, where we see the enthusiastic fan Peg backing her favorite team, the Coronet Fighters! In addition to the city being based on Belgium (where the animators traveled to for location scouting), this peppy lass is voiced in each version by two equally excitable actresses: longtime fan turned star Nakagawa Shoko in Japan, and future Bonnie and Sophocles actress Alyson Leigh Rosenfeld! 

After that, we see a couple florists, Joe and Tammy get ready for the World Cup as they await the arrival of their grandson Karl!

I must say, this movie has some very impressive animation. As the last of the DP films, I can say that the shots we get of Crown City are incredible, especially with how Zoroark explores the place even as Team Rocket has crashed in a tree.

So, Kodai uses Zoroark’s illusions to fake an attack on the city, and benefit from the coverage with the help of his aide Rowena and his right hand man Goon! Yes, that really is the latter’s name.

After the denizens of Crown City witness all the destruction, naturally, Kodai’s broadcast comes on one of the monitors in the city; lamenting what has happened! I have been wanting to do this movie for a while, and this plot thread makes for a lot more material given certain events over the past year or two. 

No, I will not answer any questions about this, you are fake news!

At the sight of the phony Johto legendaries, we see the shiny forms of the real Johto legendaries about to take it on, starting with Entei! 

We also see a shiny Raikou, and this is definitely a way to help make up for how badly The Legend of Thunder screwed this legendary beast over. 

While Zoroark has been implicated in the attack on the city, Zorua doubts that his “mema” would have done such as thing on her own! After changing into Brock to slip past the crowd, Zorua indeed confirms that Kodai is the true culprit behind all this! 

Karl then arrives back from a visit from Unova, and sees right through Zorua’s tricks! While he may seem different given his design and the Woobat on his hat; he is willing to help this shapeshifting canine! 

However, Kodai is also after Celebi, and experiences a vision of what lies ahead! Yes, it turns out that Kodai has psychic powers; and as a result, this is one of the reasons why he’s among the most memorable villains of the films for me. In addition to making his fortune in mass media with his power, he also forces the heroes to actively think about their tactics to stop him! I will tell you more in a moment, but he’s one of many reasons why this film was a good one for the DP films to go out on.

He not only senses that Rowena may have other motives, but also what he’s truly been searching for: the Time Ripple!

After everyone introduces themselves, Karl agrees to help Zorua reunite with Zoroark; as well as make sure people find out what’s really going on with Kodai! He’s a journalist from Unova, and feel free to insert an “I get my news from a reliable source” joke here.

On that note, Karl leads everyone through an underground passageway and exposits further about Kodai. He has been called “the man who can see into the future,” which he takes advantage of with his media empire that may include a smarmy TV network and a controversial cable news network. He also has many economic holdings and ambition, all while having bizarre fashion sense and an even more bizarre haircut… make your own assumptions.

He’s also after something much bigger than just the media, and will do anything to get it! Zorua continues on his quest, and shape shifts into Dawn; much to her chagrin.

As the film continues, Goon enters the city to sweep up whatever resistance is left! 

Goon stops Zoroark from escaping, and Team Rocket laments that their keep has been taken! Still, they set their sights on the Johto Legendary beasts as Kodai tells Rowena to keep up the broadcast!

After Kodai leaves, Rowena decides to do some digging on her own while Ash, Pikachu and Zorua search for signs of Zoroark! In addition to Piplup being surprised by Zorua turning into Dawn again, Ash takes to searching for tracks in more ways than one. I know I use this gag a lot, but screw it: I want to get this finished by the end of the month; so I can get started on my plans for September before classes start up again.

I'm Ash Ketchum, and welcome to Jackass.

As Ash reassures Zorua that they will find his “mema,” Karl realizes that Kodai’s story about attack was a forgery; and this element is arguably more topical than it was when it first came out. More on that in a moment, as something else is coming!

While he surveys the city, Kodai spots Ash and the others on the security footage and has another vision of the future! Imagine that. I may not be clairvoyant, but I totally called the eclipse not being the end of everything. I also am glad to say that the information revealed about Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon gives further ammo to refute that article I fact-checked earlier this summer.

After Kodai orders Goon to find everyone, the search for Zoroark continues as Zorua destroys one of the monitors showing Kodai’s broadcast! Now there’s a modern TV critic for you.

It also turns out the ones watching them were just the Pokémon that belonged to Karl’s grandparents: a Tangrowth and a Mightyena! Aw, that’s sweet!

After Karl meets up with Joe and Tammy, they give Zorua a place to hide and express further disgust at Kodai’s bunk reporting about the Legendary Beasts! Zorua also senses that Zoroark is in pain!

Zorua runs afoul of some other Pokémon in the garden, but luckily Celebi is there to quell the fighting! Zorua thanks Celebi by jokingly turning into one! Quite the little troll, isn’t he?

Then, all of a sudden, Kodai captures Ash, Dawn, Brock and Karl in an electric cage to use them as bargaining chips not only for the other Pokémon, but for the Time Ripple as well!

Rowena then goes to the cage where everyone is being held, and after taking off her glasses and taking down her hair, she reveals that she’s also investigating Kodai’s true intentions!

She gets everything on Kodai’s plans, and helps everyone else escape the airship so they can reunite with their Pokémon and get the information out!

Once Kodai gets the Time Ripple, his powers of foresight will be unstoppable! We are then given a flashback to 20 years prior to the events of this film! While the timeline of the franchise is often a bit screwy, my head canon just tends to eliminate the guesswork and just set each piece of fiction in the year it originally came out in Japan. As such, given Kodai’s hair and state of dress; he’s in that period in the early 1990s where the 1980s were having their last gasp. So, this music will probably fit.

It then turns out that the Time Ripple and Celebi are linked, meaning if Kodai gains full control of it, Celebi and all the greenery will die! So, the battle for the future has begun on more ways than one. Even if he will gain the ability to see the future perfectly, he will lose any shred of humanity left in him. 

Kodai tries to use his Shuppet to subdue Celebi, but Pikachu attacks Shuppet with a thunderbolt! Outraged, Kodai sends sentries of Ninjask after Pikachu, Piplup, Zorua and Celebi! 

Zorua tries to use its illusions to change into Tangrowth, but Kodai has a device on his left wrist that allows him to see through the illusions! Jeez, he also has a spear on his right arm; so now this guy is just a few more action figure accessories away from being the Yellow Jacket! 

As the shiny Legendary Beasts of Johto descend on Crown City, Zoroark breaks out of her cage and goes to help her child! 

Alongside Raikou and Entei, the trinity of Johto Legendary beasts is rounded out by the shiny Suicune! 

Even as Celebi tries to defend the time ripple, Kodai just drops pretense and just tries to throttle Celebi! While Vicious was very cruel in his approach to manipulating Celebi for his goal, this is far more direct; since Kodai isn’t above straight-up murder! This is one of the movies I credit with cementing the second phase of my Pokémon fandom, since it definitely manages to be in the same league as the dark spirit of not only the original series films, but also the first two TMNT films and the 1986 Transformers movie. It definitely helps that Kodai stands out as one of the villains that has absolutely no redeeming qualities, only caring for themselves and their own gain. He is definitely making the list of the Next Top 13 Pokémon Villains I’m compiling.

Just as Kodai discovers the location of the Time Ripple, Zorua attacks him; not baring to watch it suffer! Goon uses his Scizor to blow the Pikachu and Piplup off a cliff, but Dawn’s Togekiss saves them as everyone confronts Kodai! He is up to the challenge, and Rowena considers what’s about to happen more important than money.

After doubling back to their boat, the next step is to stop Kodai from accessing the time ripple, which is back at the Pokémon Baccer stadium! Well, that’s convenient. Fitting an arena be the setting of the finale.

Kodai also apparently has similar Vincian/Darth Maul mini-drones to Annie and Oakley! Karl once again meets up with his grandfather, who has another secret passageway to the stadium! I know they’ve been there for centuries, but how does Karl’s family know about all this? Is Joe really a florist, or is this a front for a branch of Kingsman? 

I am also somewhat amused by the way they treat Celebi’s injuries. They do explain that Celebi needs to get back to the time ripple to recover, but it’s interesting all they need to do is just bandage its shoulder even after Kodai tried to choke it to death. Seeing as this movie is based on a series of video games, it’s more or less in the same realm of bizarre logic as Mario getting big from eating mushrooms but dying when he gets hit with a turtle shell.

Pikachu then destroys Kodai’s drone, and they realize that they all need to get to the stadium before Kodai does! Yeah, I don’t like those things either, Pikachu.

As we pass the 1-hour mark and enter the final battle, Zorua reunites with Zoroark and the legendary beasts realize they are not their enemies! Of course: even though I like this movie immensely, in many ways; it’s not a Pokémon movie unless a prominent monster or monsters needing to overcome a barrier of some sort.

As they try to get Celebi to the stadium, Kodai and Goon come barreling in to stop them! 

Some of Goon’s Scizor then clash more with Brock’s Croagunk! I am very excited to play with these two in Pokkén Tournament DX; and I will have something ready in September for then as well as Gold and Silver coming to Virtual Console. 

Zoroark even comes to join the fight! The animation for this final battle is just fantastic. As the last of the Diamond and Pearl era films, this was a good one for them to go out on. This is a saga I credit with helping reignite my Pokémon fandom, and it’s not hard to see why. 

Zorua has also had enough of Kodai’s crap, and bites him on the arm! 

Ash has also managed to hide Celebi in his backpack in order to slip through Kodai’s attacks! In addition to unintentionally predicting Rowlet’s love for his bag, it seems Celebi is kind of a reverse Nebby in hindsight.

As Kodai confronts Ash and Pikachu, Zoroark appears on one of the beams of the stadium! I rather like this shot, and the role she plays in the movie is among the many reasons why Zoroark is one of my favorite Unova Pokémon, if not my favorite. 

Kodai then uses the hook shot on his arm to start electrocuting Zorua! So, he’s not content with trying to kill Celebi; he’s prepared to also try to kill a Pokémon that’s basically a child? … He’s officially gone off the deep end. 

After striking down Zorua and Zoroark, it seems that Kodai has the time ripple! He then goes totally mad with power, until he realizes he’s been had! It turns out that Zorua damaged Kodai’s illusion canceler when he bit his arm! Karl and Rowena also caught everything on film, giving them all the proof they need! Personally, if he tries to claim otherwise, it will be as effective as a shoplifter trying to say they didn’t boost a candy bar from 7-Eleven. Applies in any situation, really.

Kodai then uses his hook shot to electrocute Zoroark for deceiving him, but Zoroark uses Dark Pulse to destroy it!

Brock and Dawn arrive to help, and the Legendary Beasts confront Kodai! I love how their shiny forms play Into this movie, especially Raikou after how badly “The Legend of Thunder” screwed that one over.

Zoroark then collapses from her injuries as Kodai thinks he’s in the clear! Instead, he just falls on his face in the Pokémon Baccer stadium. It seems that she’s been mortally wounded as Zorua tearfully crawls into the arms of its “mema!”

Then, through the power and goodwill of everyone there, Celebi is able to not only heal itself, but also heal Zoroark’s wounds as Zorua is delighted to be reunited with its “mema!” 

Kodai’s treachery is then exposed to the world as Officer Jenny would like to have a word with him! Everything comes to its end eventually. As I expected, like a great many people; everything that led to Kodai’s uprising also led to his undoing.

Then, it seems after the World Cup, Ash and Pikachu are already off to their next adventure!

Ash and Pikachu will return in Avengers: Infinity War.

The real Ash and Pikachu then come running up, saying they’re not leaving yet! We’ll talk next time. Also, Ash has a waffle in his hand. Why yes, Crown City is based on Belgium, why do you ask?

So, we close on Zorua and Zoroark going back to Unova with Karl and Rowena; and Ash and Pikachu deciding to visit there someday soon! Next up are the start of the Best Wishes films, so keep an eye out.

“Pokémon: Zoroark-Master of Illusions” is my favorite of the DP films, and a strong entry for them to go out on. It’s an ideal film to transition between Generation IV and V, with a villain who ranks among the most malicious of the entire franchise and some spectacular animation. Even if ANN didn’t like it, it’s 80 minutes of fun that I never pass up an opportunity to re-experience, even after seven years. 

I have a few more posts I want to take care of before this month is out, so check back in September for my next wave of projects; including FLCL month and my marathon heading into the BW films with a double feature of Pokémon the Movie Black: Victini and Reshiram & White: Victini and Zekrom! See you, space cowboy!

Death Note (2017) Review Roundup. Also, early viewing thoughts.

"Death Note carries a weirdly perfunctory air about itself throughout, even as the bodies begin to fall closer and closer to its main duo."-Dominick Mayer, Consequence of Sound, D

"Death Note suffers from an unsolvable identity crisis."-Julia Alexander, Polygon

"The ending will have you switching off your Netflix app in disgust. If you don't die from boredom before you get there."-Brian Tallerico, RogerEbert.com, */4

"The movie is a bored demon who bores his audience right along with him."-Andrew Lapin, NPR

"The movie merely delivers a dim dose of ho-hum horror -- one whose demise, by all rights, can be attributed to natural causes."-Brian Lowry, CNN.com

"The whole thing feels like the pilot episode of a third-rate comic-book vigilante TV show."
-Chris Nashawaty, Entertainment Weekly, C

"Cheesy, asinine, convoluted and ludicrous. On the plus side, if your eyeballs need a vigorous workout, this will have them rolling nonstop."-Inkoo Kang, The Wrap

"Part of you will wish this had been a Netflix show instead of a Netflix movie - part of you will wish Netflix had left it alone altogether."-David Erlich, Indie Wire, C-

"Whereas the more grounded scenes of Death Note anchor a startlingly bloody fantasy of power run amok, the scenes that fixate on super powers and code-busting seldom manage to rise above the realm of serviceable YA fiction."-Clayton Dillard, Slant Magazine, 

"Death Note benefits from director Adam Wingard's distinctive eye and a talented cast, but they aren't enough to overcome a fatally overcrowded canvas."-Rotten Tomatoes, 41%

Well, things are once again looking rather grim. The live-action version of Death Note is now streaming on Netflix as of this writing, and has received largely negative reviews. Fan reception has also been less than favorable as a result.

When I first found out about the film being moved to Netflix (it was originally planned as a theatrical film before Warner Bros. opted to focus their energy primarily on Lego, Harry Potter and the DC Extended Universe); I had mixed feelings about the matter; and it seems my skepticism was somewhat justified. I am halfway through watching the movie as I type this, and while it may not be the worst adaptation I've seen of its kind (it's marginally better than Dragon Ball Evolution or the live-action Ghost in the Shell at least); I can still understand why many are upset, and I admit I am disappointed.

Even though there are elements that do OK, and a couple performances stand out (notably Willem Dafoe as Ryuk, who understands what kind of movie he's in and hams it up deliciously), overall; the film comes off like some teenager's fan film; and the story suffers from trying to cram 108 chapters of manga and roughly 37 episodes of anime into a single 101-minute film. The cast and story being basically a western AU is also severely undercut by many key lines and scenes being cherry-picked from the source material without much understanding of what made it work. In essence, the macabre and often darkly satirical commentary of the source material is largely downplayed in favor of a series of scenes that might have worked better as a TV series loosely cobbled together to make a narrative. While some of the kills of the victims are somewhat creative, and the CGI for Ryuk is decent for a web film; the direction shows the cast desperately trying to hold back laughter at the script taking everything deadly serious. The result definitely comes off very much like a SyFy originals movie, and the film is arguably the biggest unintentional comedy I've seen since The Room. I will make another post getting into more detail once I finish the movie (probably after I finish the Zoroark movie), but while the actors may be doing their best to read the script without cracking up; this is honestly one of the most hilariously-bad movies I've seen in ages, and I've seen my fair share in the quarter of a century I've been alive. I'm laughing so much that I'm half-expecting to see Jonah, Servo and Crow at the bottom of the screen riffing the movie (if you'll pardon the reference to a Netflix revival that doesn't totally suck).

Once I am done with the Zoroark movie recap, you will probably see my full thoughts on the movie as I start work on my next Pokémon movie recap as well as FLCL Month. As it stands now, however; the Netflix Death Note film is honestly a huge farce. As an adaptation, while it fails as an alternate continuity; you wouldn't have change that much else to make it a parody of the series. As a movie on its own, it's just as well that it's a Netflix movie now; since it's definitely clear that it would have bombed in theaters and WB and Viz knew it (the latter even removed their name from the vanity plates near the beginning of the film). Even in a summer which had no shortage of polarizing movies, Adam Wingard has delivered another adaptation of a beloved anime and manga that sacrifices the finer points of its source material in favor of spectacle and flickering lights. Once again, in trying to appeal to everyone, the film appeals to almost no one. The source material still proves to a compelling look at morality and crime even after a decade since I first was exposed to it, but the film never realizes its potential to rise above the trappings of a Hollywoodized adaptation and ultimately falls victim to the pitfalls so many other films like it have before. That will be all for now.

Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon Update, Further thoughts on the Nintendo Switch Entry.

Hello everyone. First off, I regret to say that the Death Note film has gotten roundly negative early reviews; and I will probably do a review roundup when the film starts streaming on Friday like I did with Ghost in the Shell earlier this year. Second, I am about 18% or so done with work on the Zoroark movie for my Pokémon movie marathon, and I want to get it done soon so I can start work on the Victini movies. To help make up for the ground I lost when my computer was being repaired, I will be doing both the Reshiram and Zekrom films as one recap. Don't worry about me, I enjoy them both, and I will be eager to talk about them that way.

On that note, we finally have some concrete information on Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon for the first time in a while; and Game Freak is also hard at work on the planned entry on the Nintendo Switch. This post will be addressing both the new information that was unveiled, as well as more of my thoughts on the upcoming Switch entry.

The video was uploaded to their official YouTube channel a few days ago; and details a large amount of new content planned for the games; further refuting the article I fact-checked earlier this summer in more ways than one.

While I'm not entirely sure about anything like the return of gyms or a Kanto postgame quest (though I'm not ruling out either possibility), I do enjoy the idea of advancing the story of Sun and Moon further; as well as the designs of the player characters. The Alola region has also been expanded in size and scope, and there are a breadth of new and returning features being teased such as companion Pokémon and the Z-Power Ring (which is also being produced as a real-life role play toy like the last game was). I want to have my preorders paid off by November, and I plan on starting with Rowlet in both versions. In Ultra Sun, I will probably call it Hawkeye if it's male and Mako if it's female. In Ultra Moon, I will call it Nite Owl II if it's male and Silk Spectre if it's female.

There is also much speculation about the in-development Nintendo Switch entry to the series, which was part of the focus of an article about the history of the series in this month's Game Informer. There's a lot of fascinating content, so I'll be addressing things that stood out at me about the matter.

Initially, the anime wasn't a sure thing; but was ultimately something that came into being in the series' early days. The idea to make Pikachu the mascot of the series is fairly well-documented, since the initial plan was to use Clefairy before it was decided that Pikachu could potentially appeal to both male and female audience members. Given how this electric mouse has joined the ranks of Mario, Link and Samus Aran as one of Nintendo's biggest names, they definitely made the right decision. The creators also go on to say that while the Switch is a unique piece of hardware, they do want to create an experience that can appeal to existing and new fans, as well as take advantage of it being both a home and portable console. Even though they have said to keep our expectations ebb, the creators have expressed interest in making something in the vein of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. I am totally OK with that, and I am definitely going to approach the game with an open mind because of that. There are many games I want a Switch for, but this would be the one that gets me to officially pick one up. No matter who the manufacturer of a console is or what other features it has, the software has always been the primary catalyst for buying a new system for me. With that in mind, the idea of playing Pokémon in all manner of new scenarios would be perfect to go with big games such as Super Mario Odyssey and Metroid Prime 4, as well as new obsessions such as ARMS and Splatoon 2. With the 3DS also carrying the torch of its seniors, I can definitely say that the handheld and console experience can continue to coexist for some time.

That will be all for now, I want to get the remaining Pokémon movies I have done before I watch the I Choose You movie, as well as work on some other content I have in mind. Bang.