Showing posts with label manga. Show all posts
Showing posts with label manga. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 2, 2019

Book Review - Clockwork Apple by Osamu Tezuka

I've been a huge Tezuka-sensei fan since I first picked up his science fiction trilogy (The Lost World, Metropolis, Next Word) and Astro Boy. He never ceases to amaze and impress with his wide range of genres and incredible amount of output.

Clockwork Apple by Osamu Tezuka is an anthology of comics book stories. It is available in paperback.

The Good


Miraculous Conception. This story felt like a classic science fiction story from the mid-20th Century. A human and a robot are isolated in space, get married, and miraculously have a child. The story examines the fallout of such an event. It wasn't a great story but was interesting.

A Clockwork Apple. This story was really enjoyable and had a lot of meat. It reminded me of the classic Tunnel at the End of the World. It is about a world that isn't what it seems to be and what happens to an individual who figures that out. The story took a unique spin on a familiar tale, and the execution was well done.

Night on the Bypass. This story involves a conversation between a cab driver and his passenger and the secrets they each have. Short, but really intriguing.

Sack. This was an interesting story about split personalities and medical conditions that can change a persons identity. Not a lot to the story, but an interesting concept.

The Bad

The Execution Ended at Three O'Clock. This was the fist story, but not a great start. It's a generic Nazi-like army killing Jew-like innocents. The only unique point was the secret formula and how it backfired on the main character, which was mildly interesting.

Yellow Dust. This story was very dark about a hostage situation that went very wrong.

Showtime with the Devil. This story is about political intrigue, assassination, and betrayal. It was pretty standard fare. Not a bad story, but not a particularly standout one either.

Homecoming. This is a revenge story about an STD from space. More bitter than clever.

What I Would Like to Have Seen


It's an anthology with more good than bad, so I can't complain.

Overall


Clockwork Apple by Osamu Tezuka is an anthology of dark short stories covering horror, war, crime, science fiction, and just plain weird. All the stories are well done (like most things Tekuza-sensei does) with some being more clever than others. There were some interesting twists on familiar stories that were enjoyable, but there were some that were pretty standard fare. I give this book 4 out of 5 eReaders.


   

Monday, September 4, 2017

Movie Review: Death Note (2017 Netflix Original Film)

I enjoy reading manga and watching anime, and I get excited for every film adaption that comes along, even though I usually end up disappointed. But let's face it--they only works that would work as a direct adaption are Astro Boy and Akira. Everything else would require a lot of adapting, and die hard fans tend to get mad at such meddling. And most of the time the adapting isn't a great film on its own nor contains enough of the original to make the fans happy. Death Note is an exception. I've never seen the anime or read the manga, so I had no preconceived ideas and can judge the film on its own merits.

Death Note is a 2017 Netflix Original horror film based on the manga and anime of the same name. It tells the story of a boy who is given a journal with which he can kill anyone by writing their name in it. It is rated TV-MA for language, violence, and gore and is appropriate for adults.

The Good


Adaption. I'm really impressed at what an amazing job the filmmakers did to adapt this story. They took the basic elements, ideas, and themes from the manga and created a wholly American production. Watching it, you'd never know this was based on a Japanese property. It had a solid story, a cohesive plot, and developed the themes well. I can understand superfans of the original being upset at all the changes (I myself do the same with properties I love), but they were necessary to make a good film. A direct adaption wouldn't have attracted an American audience.

Pacing. Even though this is based on a Japanese comic and show, it's been completely translated into an American film and so it moves very quickly and never drags. Those who are used to the extreme decompression of anime (it takes four times as long to tell the same story) have complained that it moves too quickly, but an American audience will appreciate the pacing.

Actors. I really like the actors cast as Light, his girlfriend, his father, and the rest (with one exception). They all fit the roles well. I think the reason there has been so much backlash against them online is because of how anti-white certain parts of society are becoming--this prejudice and bias blind them to what's really going on in front of their eyes.

Ryuk. The death god could have gone really badly, but the filmmakers played it smart by hiring a great actor to voice the character and they showed him in the shadows so the cgi wasn't so distracting. He was great every time he appeared on screen, but he wasn't overused so each appearance had maximum impact.

The Bad


L.  I did not like the character of L at all. I did not like the actor they chose to portray him, nor did I like the way he was portrayed. He started out as an interesting character but quickly turned into a schizophrenic nut who was little more than a plot devise.

Music.  During two dramatic moments at the end the filmmakers inserted two old pop songs that did not fit at all and interrupted the drama. I'm not sure what they were thinking.

What I Would Like to Have Seen


I wish it hadn't been so gory. It wasn't necessary to see the actual deaths, and the special effects used almost looked silly.

Overall


Death Note (2017 Netflix Original) is a well-crafted adaption taking the basic elements, ideas, and themes from the manga and created a wholly American production that has a solid story and clear plot. Superfans of the original will probably be upset at all the changes, but they were necessary to make a good film. A direct adaption wouldn't have been a strong movie nor attracted an American audience. I give it a solid 4.5 out of 5 boxes of popcorn.

     


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Friday, June 9, 2017

Movie Review - One Piece Film: Gold



I've heard of One Piece, but I've never read the manga or watched the anime, and I've never really wanted to. But then I saw a trailer for the film, and I couldn't rent it fast enough. But would the film live up to the trailer?

One Piece Film: Gold is a 2016 action fantasy anime film from Toei Animation based on the manga of the same name by Eiichiro Oda. It's unrated, but is appropriate for tweens and up due to some mild language and fantasy violence.

Overview


The Straw Hat Pirates visit a floating casino run by a man who has the power to control gold and engage in a battle of who can cheat whom better.

The Good


Opening Sequence. The opening sequence is brilliant! It's basically a large music production mixed with a giant action sequence that manages to introduce the main characters, motivations, and what to expect from the story in just a few minutes. I watched it multiple times.

Villains. The villains were so fun from their designs to their unique quirks to their personalities. They were, without doubt, the stars of the show.

Visuals. This film was a visual feast from the colors to the sets to the costumes to the special effects. Even if the story had been dreadful, this would be worth watching for the visuals alone.

Animation. This film was very well animated with beautiful fighting scenes to great facial emotions. The long, lanky design of the characters was used to the maximum with the frantic movements that both communicated emotion and looked cool in fight scenes.

Plot Twists. This movie had plot twist after plot twist after plot twist, most I expected but a few I never saw coming. And they kept coming up to the very end.

Nonwestern Style of Storytelling. This movie was very watchable to a Western audience, but it wasn't paced or plotted like a typical American film. There were a couple of times I thought we had hit the climax and it would end soon, but it kept going, developing everything fully where an American film would cut it short to fit a certain pattern and pacing. It was nice and refreshing.

The Bad


Straw Hat Pirates. The Straw Hat Pirates are the main characters of the series and movie, and they are probably beloved in the manga and anime series. But in this movie they were the weakest part. They were never properly introduced, so I didn't really know who they were or what they could do until I looked it up afterwards. For fans of the series, this wouldn't be a problem, but it wouldn't have hurt the film to introduce the characters and flesh them out even briefly. The title sequence wasn't enough. They also aren't the main characters of the movie, the King of the casino and his co-patriots are, and they are much more interesting and much more fleshed out.

What I Would Like to Have Seen


I wish the main characters, The Straw Hat Pirates, had been more interesting.

Overall


One Piece Film: Gold is a great movie with beautiful visuals, interesting villains, great storytelling, tons of plot twists, and amazing animation and action. I give it a solid 4.5 out of 5 boxes of popcorn.



    


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Monday, April 24, 2017

Blu-ray/DVD Review: Sailor Moon R The Movie

I started watching Sailor Moon back in its first visit to America during Cartoon Network's Toonami, and I absolutely loved it. It was so fun and so fresh and so different than the standard American animation, but not so different that it felt strange or alienating. I remember watching all the movies during their respective Friday night debuts and loving them. I always meant to buy them on DVD, but didn't snap them up quickly enough. Thankfully, they're back with an even better transfer.

Sailor Moon R The Movie is an animated Japanese anime that has recently been re-released in the United States on Blu-ray and DVD by Viz Media. It was originally released in 1993 as Sailor Moon's first theatrical film in Japan and Sailor Moon R: The Promise of the Rose in America in 2000. Included is the original Japanese track and a new English dub. It is rated TV-14 and is appropriate for tweens and up.

Quick Summary


A friend from Tuxedo Mask's past returns with a flower as promised, only that flower is evil and wants to destroy the Earth. The Sailor Scouts (or Sailor Guardians in this dub) must use their powers to save all mankind.

The Good


Exploration of Loneliness. This film is light on plot. The point of the story is really to explore loneliness and friendship, and the filmmakers do that well. But don't worry, there are some pretty cool fight scenes thrown in to break up the drama.

The Action and Fight Scenes. The action and fight scenes are great with everyone contributing a small part and using several other their powers. There is real struggle and the feeling of actual peril even though you know the good guys will win in the end.

Visuals and Audio. This video transfer is beautiful. The picture is crisp and clear with bright colors. And while I miss the original voice actors, the audio sounds great with an excellent new dub.

The Bad


Thin Plot. This movie is very short and has a pretty simple plot that consists of about four scenes. Each scene is interesting, but little happens beyond a lot of talking and flashbacks and people exploring their feelings of loneliness.

What I Would Like to Have Seen


I wish this had been longer and had more story. It almost feels more like an incident or nice side anecdote than a full-fledged theatrical film.

Overall


Sailor Moon R The Movie is a fun superheroine anime. This film is light on plot as the point of the story is to explore loneliness and friendship, but don't worry, there are some pretty cool fight scenes thrown in to break up the drama. I give it 4 out of 5 boxes of popcorn.

    
 
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Friday, April 14, 2017

Movie Review: Ghost in the Shell (2017 live action film)


I've read a few manga and watched quite a bit of anime, but I've never read nor watched Ghost in the Shell. I'm aware it exists, but other than that I couldn't tell you much about it. So I went in with few expectations.

Ghost in the Shell is a 2017 trippy science fiction live action film based on the Japanese manga and anime adaption of the same name. It's rated PG-13 due to violence and appropriate for teens and up.

Overview


In the future, cybernetic enhancements to humans are all the rage. One company finally succeeds in transplanting a human brain into an android body. She joins a law enforcement group who investigates the murder of several people from a major corporation and attempts to hunt down the perpetrator and discover why he's targeting them.

The Good


Solid Science Fiction Flick. This is a solid story told in a fairly standard way. The characters are about as well developed as a typical, non-Star Trek scifi show. There is a mystery that is solved one clue at a time with action and a couple of twists thrown in at the appropriate times. If you like shows on SyFy channel, you'll probably love this.

Straightforward Story. Sometimes movies try really hard to be "visionary" or "revolutionary" by presenting the story in a very convoluted manner. The producers don't waste their time with that. This story is told in a very linear, straightforward fashion.

Didn't Overexplain World. One of the most common aspects of science fiction to get mocked is the author or director's need to explain the world to the reader or viewer as if it were a travelogue and to label things with overly descriptive names. Ghost in the Shell doesn't fall into this trap. Things happened, and the viewer is expected to be smart enough to figure out what's going on.

The Bad


Indifferent Characters. The characters were fine and had some development, and the casting choices were fitting, but none of them were very likable, compelling, or even hateable. They were little more than useful plot devices.

Lack of Originality. Something that really caught Western audiences' attentions when manga and anime hit the US during the Japanamation era was how different it was from American comics and animation. The style was unique, the subject matter contained so much never even touched on in Western comics or animation, and the way the stories were told was so fresh and different. Unfortunately, every time someone tries to adapt and anime or manga property into live action film, they follow the typical Hollywood formula instead of trying something completely new and original. (Scott Pilgrim vs. The World and 300 are two exceptions, and both were masterpieces.)

Visual Look. The visual look of this film is like every other space opera or dystopian future show currently on SyFy. It doesn't stand out or inspire.

What I Would Like to Have Seen


I wish the filmmakers had realized that Ghost in the Shell was such a beloved cult classic because of how unique it was and looked when it came out and tried to create a movie just as unique in terms of storytelling and cinematography. This movie is shot like any other Hollywood film with a visual look and feel straight off the SyFy channel. There are definitely fans of that kind of film, but not in the kind of numbers needed to make this profitable and inspire a sequel.

Overall


Ghost in the Shell is a solid science fiction flick that looks like most of the current series on SyFy channel. It's entertaining, but nothing special. The characters aren't especially likable, the design and look of the film are pretty typical, and it wouldn't hurt my feelings to never see a sequel made. I give this film 3.5 out of 5 boxes of popcorn.



 

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