Posts Tagged ‘Batman’
December 23, 2011
I had been waiting to watch Hayate the Combat Butler! Heaven is a Place on Earth since it was announced last year. So when it finally come with the latest volume of the manga I was thrilled to watch it. The movie much like the rest of Hayate is a pleasant and warm helping of comfort food. Heaven is a Place on Earth is a nice little story set right after Natsu-comi and the arrival of Kayura Tsurugino but before the beginning of the next semester. It perfectly captures the feeling of being out in the country during summer vacation. The story focuses on the Hayate/Nagi relationship so I am of course totally behind it. But there is a Hinagiku bath scene so all the fans of the pink student council president will be satisfied. The best part of the movie is it feels like a nice minor arc in the manga. While it is a bit surreal at points it feels like it was taken from the source. Too often these little spin-off movies miss any of that spark that make you love the manga but this one captures that je ne sais quoi perfectly. The oddest thing about the movie is it came out BEFORE Kayura was introduced in the manga but the movie makes no real attempt to introduce her. It goes along like she has always been a part of the cast. At this point it is clear who she is but I am sure there were many a Hayate fan trying to figure out who this strange new girl was. Kayura cosplays as Saber in the movie so she is 1000% OK with me though. I will also say that I cannot deny the appeal of Maria with twin tails in a summer dress. This movie is probably not going to win over anyone who is not already a Hayate fan. They don’t make an effort to introduce you to the plot other than showing some newly animated clips from the first episode during the opening song. Oh Ruka does not take part in the main plot but she sings a song and says a few lines of dialog during the movie’s opening. So if she appears in the 3rd season she now officially has a voice actress. I am now just waiting to watch it again when they release the extended cut on the Blu-Ray.
I went to see Arthur Christmas mostly thanks to an article about its production which also alerted me to the fact that Aardman Animations (of Wallace and Gromit fame) made the film with Sony. It really was everything it should have been: a delightful Christmas adventure with plenty of humor and holiday magic plus top-notch animation. It is the story of the one present Santa forgets to deliver on Christmas Eve which causes endless trouble for everyone. Arthur, youngest son of Santa, along with Grand-Santa take up the mission. Arthur isn’t the successor to the Santa mantle. Oh, he has plenty of enthusiasm but he is also absent-minded, clumsy, and afraid of just about everything; still he has a true heart that inspires everyone in true movie fashion. It even gets a little meta at points as Arthur realizes that Santa isn’t a person, it doesn’t matter who delivers the present, Santa is an idea and a feeling. One of the highlights to the animation production is just how Santa does deliveries which is very high-tech nowadays as they attempt to explain the ways in which it is all accomplished using military precision, thousands of highly trained elves, GPS, and a “sleigh” that functions much more as a space ship with the ability to camouflage itself in many ways. But the olden ways must be dusted off and put to use to fix the gift mistake. It has that classic bridging of multiple generations as a key element along with the realization that we each have a place in the world. While the story has some bumps, I didn’t understand how worrying helped Arthur get to the sleigh or why wrapping the burglar alarm did anything at all, it was a holiday film that left me in good spirits!
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Posted in Anime, Cartoons, Comics, Manga, Ongoing Investigations, Video Games | Tagged Arthur Christmas, Batman, Hayate the Combat Butler, Kekkaishi, Mardock Scramble, Mass Effect | 2 Comments »
October 9, 2011
If you have any suggestions for what to highlight on an APB drop us a line via email or Twitter.
Narutaki’s picks:
- The Go-To Villain Before Hitler
Ever wonder whose name people evoked as the epitome of evil long before Hitler laid siege to the world?
- Miles IS the Modern Spider-Man
Brett writes a thoughtful article on why Miles is different, relatable, and true to the current age. I’ve only read the first issue but I too was pleased with the direction.
- Caricatures Through History at the MET
The Metropolitan Museum of Art has opened the “Infinite Jest” exhibit featuring drawings, some rarely seen, from artists such as da Vinci and Toulouse-Lautrec to Al Hirschfield and James Gillray.
- Batman Shorts from Wallace and Gromit’s Studio
No details on this beyond that it is in the works, but in any case I think we can expect a very different take on the character with more humor. Perhaps a bit like Batman Brave and the Bold?
- A New Takes on the Justice League and Legion of Doom
Webcomic creator Aaron Diaz tackles rebooting DC characters himself in light of the recent changes. These are some fun takes, though I’d note that both Superman and Wonder Woman are doing some of the things he mentions for their stories already; i.e. fighting for little guy and going back to the mythology roots. In any case, I’d read these stories but I’m also happy with the real reboot, too!
- Johnny Depp Tapped to Play Dr. Seuss
A new live action film about the life of author Dr. Seuss is in the works. Johnny Depp is producing the film and may be starring it is as well.
Hisui’s picks:
No explanation needed.
Posted in All Points Bulletin, Editorials | Tagged Batman, Fate/Zero, Justice League, Type-Moon, Ultimate Spider-Man | 2 Comments »
September 29, 2011
The new 52 (of which I bought 20) marks the first I’ve bought a monthly issue in . . . I can’t even really remember but it has been at least 10 years. Honestly, I’m a bit surprised that I broke such a streak for DC. I’ve never been much of a DC reader ever, even in trade format, with the exception of some of the Batman line. Most of my exposure to its wide range of characters comes from their animated productions. This seems to put me in an odd middle of the road position of not being new to these characters but not being a hardcore fan. In the end, it seemed like the perfect situation to be in.
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Posted in Comics, Editorials, Reviews, Superheroes | Tagged Animal Man, Batgirl, Batman, Batman: The Dark Knight, Batwoman, Birds of Prey, Demon Knights, Green Arrow, Grifter, Justice League, Justice League Dark, Justice League International, Legion of Superheroes, New 52, Nightwing, Red Hood and the Outlaws, Static Shock, Supergirl, Swamp Thing, Teen Titans, Wonder Woman | 3 Comments »
September 23, 2011
I finished the last 4 episodes (9-12) of Sacred Seven today and I feel pretty good about the series. There are some series you watch that make you want to run out and tell everyone how wonderful they are. Then there are series that you enjoy and would recommend but are not that earth shattering. Sacred Seven is distinctly in that second category. But I had a fun time and that is always the most important thing for me. The fights were always vibrant, energetic, and well choreographed. We got a love story, a save my sister in a coma story, and a revenge turned to redemption story. We defeated a bad guy and there were some sad deaths but most everyone made it through. There was even a nice bit of falling action. In refection a bit of the mythology of the Sacred Seven world goes totally unexplained but it is mostly there to set up the story and the fights scenes. It is not like it leaves you with all these unanswered mysteries. It is just that it concentrates more on telling the current story than giving you all the mechanics of how the powers in this world work. With a 12 episode show that is probably for the best. I enjoyed my time with Alma and Ruri and would recommend the show to anyone who wants a bit of light self-contained fun that does not do anything original but does it in an entertaining fashion.
I read one of CMX’s last releases, Stolen Hearts vol. 2, which just made me miss them a lot and lament that this cute series will never be finished. Here we continue the story of Shinobu and Koguma as they further their relationship. Shinobu meets the rest of his family including three handsome brothers with less crazy hair. I really enjoyed her getting to know everyone more and there is a lot of humor thanks to it (the grandmother cracks me up!). I wasn’t crazy about the oldest brother crushing on her and messing with Koguma. But all is made well again when they go on a trip together and experience their first kiss. Stays fun and cute, plus it is nice to see a pair in a relationship.
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Posted in Anime, Comics, Manga, Ongoing Investigations | Tagged Batman, Detective Comics, Sacred Seven, Stolen Hearts, Superboy, Twin Spica | Leave a Comment »
July 17, 2011
If you have any suggestions for what to highlight on an APB drop us a line via email or Twitter.
Hisui’s picks:
Narutaki’s picks:
- Hitch animated short
About an Alfred Hitchcock-themed cookbook! At a mere 3-minutes this animated short has a lot of impact and style not to mention nice tongue-in-cheek humor.
- Kaito Kid hijacks Conan’s TV slot! . . .
. . . for four weeks starting in August. Kid has a huge fan following, myself included, so this bit of fun is much anticipated.
- Frank Miller’s portrayal of Batman as an idea
This mirrors some of my own thoughts about how Batman affects the average citizen and how Miller shows that. Also some good musings on Batgirl.
Let us introduce the main characters from Mawaru Penguindrum:
Posted in All Points Bulletin, Editorials | Tagged Alfred Hitchcock, Batman, Dengeki Stryker, detective, Detective Conan, Excel Saga, Kaito Kid, Mawaru Penguindrum, Weiss Ritter | 2 Comments »
