FUNimation has just announced their acquisition of streaming rights to the upcoming anime adaptation of Assassination Classroom (Ansatsu Kyoushitsu). The series will begin simulcasting with English subtitles on January 9, 2015 at 1pm ET and from episode 2 onwards every Friday at 12:20pm ET. Brain’s Base produced a 30 minute OVA last year, and the first volume of the manga was recently released in North America by Viz Media. The series is being produced by Lerche, a company that may be known by some for their work on Danganropa: The Animation and Unbreakable Machine-Doll.
FUNimation describes the series as follows:
Forget about homework and pop quizzes. The students of Class 3E have a far more important assignment: kill their teacher before the end of the year! A tentacle-d sensei that moves at Mach 20 is out to conquer the classroom after destroying seventy percent of the moon. In addition to reading, writing, and arithmetic, the murderous monster behind the lectern will teach his students everything he knows about the assassination game. Should some eager beaver prove to be a quick study in killing, he or she will save Earth from extinction – and collect a hefty reward. But they’d better take some serious notes while class is in session because their slaughtering sensei has eight deadly tentacles just waiting to wreak havoc on humanity!
There are more announcements to come in the near future from FUNimation.
On the ninth day of Christmas, Madman was quick to announce the license to the upcoming second season of Kamisama Kiss before any other international anime distributor had the chance. AnimeLab will be simulcasting the series, currently scheduled to begin airing on January 5, 2015, with a home video release to follow.
As with the first season, the music will be composed by Toshio Masuda, also known for his music in Naruto, Excel Saga, Mushi-Shi and many other popular series. TMS Entertainment (Detective Conan,Lupin the Third) will again be handling the animation production.
For those who missed the previous announcements from Madman’s Twelve Days of Christmas, the article discussing days 1-7 can be found here and the article discussing day 8 can be found here.
Ubisoft announced the release date for the first piece of DLC for Far Cry 4. Escape from Durgesh Prison is a co-op oriented DLC that will see Ajay and Hurk attempt to escape Yuma’s prison with only the gear they can scrounge up and skills they acquire along the way. There is no checkpoints to go back to in this DLC. Once you die, you restart with nothing but your acquired skills.
Additionally, the DLC contains the syringe side quest currently available for season pass holders, Hurk Deluxe Pack, the Overrun multiplayer map, and the Valley of the Yetis side missions.
Far Cry 4 – Escape from Durgesh Prison will be released on January 14th, 2015 on Xbox Live/PC and January 15th on PlayStation Network. The DLC pack can be purchased alone or with the Season Pass.
FUNimation has just announced that it has the home video rights to Nobunagun. FUNimation simulcasted the 13 episode series with English subtitles earlier this year, and Madman is also currently streaming the series on their AnimeLab service. The series will be released on both DVD and Blu-ray in summer 2015. It is not yet available for pre-order.
The series is directed by Nobuhiro Kondo, director of more than two hundred episodes of the popular Sgt. Frog series, and produced by Studio Bridge, the company known for the second season of Fairy Tail. FUNimation’s synopsis is featured below.
Ogura Sio’s world changes forever when her school trip to Taiwan is interrupted by a surprise monster attack! Her life is miraculously spared by the arrival of a clandestine government agency that battles the army of monsters with weapons possessed by the spirits of historical figures. Only a select few, the E-Gene Holders, are capable of harnessing the power of this supernatural weaponry, and Sio’s valiant attempt to rescue a friend reveals her as one of the chosen few destined to play a vital role in the war to save humanity!
Sentai Filmworks has been going on a licensing spree lately, however this has finally come to an end with this announcement. Sentai Filmworks’ latest acquisition is Hayate the Combat Butler: Can’t Take My Eyes Off You. No set release date has been given for the home video release, nor has any specific information about the release been given.
Bandai Entertainment released the first season on subtitled-only DVDs, but there has been no home video release of this series in North America since then. Sentai Filmworks has not yet licensed any other parts of the series. This is the third season in the Hayate the Combat Butler series. Animax produced an English dub for most of the series but it is not clear if Sentai has the rights to use that dub.
Yesterday Square Enix released a new trailer for Final Fantasy Type-0 HD called the “Orience News Special Report” and considering they are trying to follow the narrative of the story, they have released yet another trailer today but this one is a propaganda film coming from High Commander Marshal Cid Aulstyne who calls the members of Class Zero traitors.
You can check out the trailer below where we see a number of the characters arguing amongst themselves as well as some additional gameplay footage. As for the game itself, Final Fantasy Type-0 HD is currently set to be released on March 17 in North America and March 20 in Europe.
Telltale Games’ meteoric rise to adventure game making legends has officially reached new heights. Mojang and Telltale Games announced their partnership today, which will produce a Minecraft adventure game called Minecraft: Story Mode. The game will be completed with input from several members of the Minecraftcommunity.
“People really like the idea of stories about Minecraft, but forcing a narrative into our core game experience would restrict players’ freedom to view the world in their own unique ways. Instead, letting them explore an alternate interpretation via Minecraft: Story Mode, driven by the proven might of Telltale, seems like a no-brainer,” said Owen Hill, Chief Word Officer at Mojang. “We’re big fans of Telltale Games at Mojang, and we can’t wait to reveal more details on Story Mode soon.
Telltale Games will be creating a brand new story line for the game, while maintaining the original feel of the wildly successful indie game. Minecraft: Story Mode will be released some time in 2015. In the mean time, check out the web game Info Quest II for more information about Minecraft: Story Mode.
Audiophiles swear by the audio quality of vinyl records. Whether you’re an audiophile or just looking for a unique collector’s item, Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number’sthree disk vinyl Collector’s Edition will fit the bill.
The set contains three 180 gram vinyls containing the 28 song soundtrack and a replica phone card with a redeemable key for a digital copy of the game. The vinyls features artwork from Nilas Akerblad and songs from artists like M|O|O|N, El Huervo and Perturbator.
Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number is the follow up to the highly regarded indie top down shooter Hotline Miami. The Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number Collector’s Edition can be purchased from the official iam8bit store for $60 USD.
Gallipolli has an interesting relationship with the idea of an Australian identity. For many, it’s a battle which signifies the growth of Australia from a colony and cements our status as a nation. For others, it was simply another, bloody, instance in our history of Australia being another constituent of the British Empire. This topic is especially contentious with the centenary anniversary of the battle fast approaching and it is in this context that Russell Crowe makes his directorial debut with The Water Diviner, which provides a unique perspective on the battle of Gallipoli.
Story
The film starts off with its focus upon the Turkish troops facing the ANZACs (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) at the battle of Gallipoli. The troops charge across no-man’s land to find the opposing trench empty and booby-trapped. The ANZACs have evacuated and the Turks have won.
The focus then switches to follow our protagonist, Joshua Connor (Russell Crowe), as he lives a life of pastoral bliss in rural Victoria, Australia. Behind this idealised veneer however, Connor and his wife grieve for their sons who went missing during the battle of Gallipoli. After his wife dies, Joshua sets out to search for the remains of his sons and to bring them home so he can bury them alongside his wife’s remains. His journey takes him to the ancient city of Istanbul where he finds comfort in the attentions of Ayshe (Olga Kurylenko) and ends up embroiled in the volatile intrigue of the global powers carving up the remains of the Ottoman Empire.
This is a radical take on the battle of Gallipoli. Not because of its depiction of the battle, which has become ingrained in the consciousness of the Australian national identity, but because as an Australian production it specifically chooses to deny its audience that regular comfortable depiction of ‘Aussies vs Turks’. From this first scene, you can tell that this isn’t your standard nationalistic pastiche. Instead it focuses upon the aftermath of the battle and the effect it had on individuals, countries, and (to some extent) the world. The narrative specifically focuses upon the effect of the battle on those who endured it and those left behind by the individuals who did not.
The screenplay felt a little broken to me with the film jumping from one vignette to another as we go from one narrative point to the next. The film does not easily subscribe to an overarching plot, but Connor’s single-minded (and almost naïve) search for his sons does give a constant point throughout the film to which the audience can anchor. The focus moves at a rapid pace to create juxtaposition between the innocence of the Australian outback in contrast with the horror of Gallipoli and the intrigue of Turkish nationalism. This does mean that the story presents a number of themes which feel underdeveloped, but this eclectic style effectively makes sure that there is something present for all tastes and I certainly didn’t feel bored. Connor’s search for his son’s never felt like it overshadowed the greater political developments in the movie or vice versa, and for that the screenplay deserves kudos.
The film’s weakpoint, I felt, was certainly the character of Joshua and the depictions of his idyllic lifestyle in rural Australia. I felt that it was too simplistic and saccharine for my tastes, but I believe this was intentional to further highlight the death of innocence for Joshua and his sons as they deal with the horrors of war (especially in one shocking moment near the end of the film). I wish that the film gave more time to explore the Connor family as it does feel somewhat heavy-handed in its current form.
Kudos should be given to the film’s portrayal of Turkish characters with Kurylenko’s and Yilmaz Erdogan both being worthy of kudos. Kurylenko gives a wonderful depiction of someone who is caught between two cultures as she struggles to reconcile both Turkish and Western cultural influence within Ayshe. Erdogan gives an excellent turn as Major Hasan and presents us with a sympathetic depiction of a soldier who has been through hell, but is still willing to sacrifice for what he considers right. Similarly worthy of praise, the British officers in the film (Jai Courtney and Dan Wyllie) provide the film with (almost pantomime) villains, although they never develop much more than as caricatures of British aristocracy and imperial bureaucracy.
There are moments where you’ll cry and moments you’ll laugh, just as with any good melodrama. There are also moments where these emotional beats are missed due to the breakneck pace of the action, but they are few between in this story’s grand-yet-intimate scale.
Visuals & Audio
The Cinematography is wonderful in this film with many beautifully composed shots of Australia and Turkey. The natural beauty of the Australian Bush plays well into the film’s pastoral themes and the cityscape of Istanbul certainly provides an energetic counterbalance to natural tranquility. There are similarly interesting shots of the site of Gallipoli itself with post-production effects reproducing the hellish landscape of a 1st World War battlefield.
Crowe’s direction is solid but I felt that his camerawork and editing were amateurish in some isolated sections. An instance I noticed had some shots which were overdone with the camera zooming in to a close-up on a character speaking line which ultimately felt innocuous to the action. This is me nit-picking to a certain extent, but it did feel noticeable at the time.
The film’s score, composed by David Hirschfelder, provided a suitable soundscape to the action onscreen but ultimately did not particularly stand out for me. Honestly, there’s not much more to say in this regard…
Overall
The film provides us with an interesting example of an Australian production’s unique take on what is a well-examined aspect of the Australian national identity. The film felt like it was going for Spielbergian sentimentality and for the most part it hits my heart strings and funnybones where it should. The acting is great, the writing is engaging and the direction is largely solid. It is a heartfelt and, in my opinion, fitting tribute to the battle of Gallipoli so close to its centenary anniversary. It won’t change your life, but you’ll enjoy yourself nonetheless. I have no trouble in recommending this film to anyone who appreciates melodrama, Australian cinema, or to anyone who just feels like going out and enjoying a film on a weekend outing.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Every now and then you have a story that is just a bit bittersweet to write. Today, Tak Fujii tweeted that he would be parting ways with Konami after twenty years of service. From that memorable press conference for the Playstation 3 to his own wondrous creations such as Ninety-Nine Nights 2, Fujii has always been a much loved, and hilarious member of the industry.
It's been great 20 years of creation. Thanks for all who supported, loved my titles. Farewell and may the extreeeeemeness be with KONAMI.
I am honestly a bit sad to lose such a great voice like Tak, but he seems to be in good spirits and will be doing freelance work for the time being. Best of luck, Mr. Fujii and we can’t wait to see where you end up next!
