Enter the Red Dragon

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As someone who played more table top role-playing games than maybe I should have in college I have a distinct soft spot in my heart for that genre of games. I have probably played more White Wolf, GURPS, and D&D than I care to admit. I still will revel in old plot lines I participated with friends like veterans trading war stories. We often mention to each other that a clever one of us would put together some of our better story lines and try to pitch them as a book. George R. R. Martin of current Game of Thrones fame did just what with a long running super hero game he ran that included several noted authors that became the Wild Cards series. There are currently 21 books in the series with more coming out next year with a possible movie on the way. Also the Record of Lodoss War franchise started as a series of replay transcripts that eventually became a larger multimedia franchise. In fact these replay novels are not uncommon in Japan and there is one such series on the horizon that looks amazing. Red Dragon has become one of the properties I am most looking forward to in 2012. Continue reading →

Give Yourself the Gift of Revolutionary Girl Utena

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Looking at the forums thread for the 100th episode of the ANNCast I learned a shocking fact. Apparently there are people in the anime fandom who have never seen Revolutionary Girl Utena. This is a sad state of affairs that must be rectified as soon as possible. With something as unusual as Utena it is clear that not everyone will enjoy the show. Its avant-garde nature, melodramatic style, and odd sexuality can easily turn people away from this show. But all those things make the show at least worth sampling to see if they appeal to you. It is just a show that feels so different that you have to see it just to experience what it brings to the table if you consider yourself any sort of seasoned anime fan. You don’t have to love it and you don’t even have to watch all of it. But is should have at least a passing familiarity with. When the series was out of print this claim was a harder sell but recently Nozomi has re-released the series with remastered audio and video. Plus on they have episodes streaming on their YouTube page. Now is the best time to sample the series legitimately as well as pick it up on disk in a resplendent re-release. But as great as the show is the extras included in the new box sets are just as enticing.

If Nozomi has proven their worth with anything, it is these Revolutionary Girl Utena box sets. Picking up the series with a major remaster of animation and sound is great, but more than anything else is the new life the booklets bring to the show. Many anime titles come with extras but few bring you such knowledge that is packed into these allowing you to walk away with an even better appreciation for Utena (I didn’t know it was possible to love it more).

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All Points Bulletin: The Brave Red Dragon

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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:

  • Manga Awards in France
    As you probably know, the French consume a hefty portion of the international manga market. They also get some wildly different titles from us in the U.S. These nominees for the Festival International de la Bande Dessinee will give you a good idea. And of course it once again shoves in our faces how they get Saint Young Men and we never will.
  • Interview with Brave’s Brenda Chapman
    Brenda is the original creator of Brave and helmed the project as director but was replaced because of “creative differences.” You don’t get any better answers on that question but you do get backstory for the film. There is also a Part 1 of the interview where she talks about her time at Disney and other projects.
  • Gunpla Builders World Cup in Japan
    I’m sure it will come as no surprise that the representatives for Japan in the World Cup are freakin’ ridiculous. The sets they build for the mecha are an added bonus of amazing. 
  • Twin Earth Found!
    Well, kinda, it the planet discovered that is most like our own (so far). It is 600 light years away! There are still many unknowns about the planet like whether it is mostly rock, gas, or liquid but it is still one of those cool finds that gets you giddy with science-fiction possibilities.
  • The X-Men is the Next Logical Step
    Brain Michael Bendis has announced he is exiting as writer for Avengers/New Avengers in the summer. I can’t imagine anyone else writing New Avengers, which he formed, probably because no one else has. This Op-Ed is about speculating that he will move over to writing X-Men which he has yet to do. I am really excited about this possibility thanks to the article and it softens the blow about New Avengers a bit. Now let’s just hope this article was predicting the future!
  • Behind the Scenes of Arthur Christmas
    This in-depth talk with the creators went a long way in making me want to see this film. From visual technique to the life of the story, everything is touched upon. This might be my next favorite holiday film!

Let us not forget that Japan is still rebuilding and readjusting after earthquake: