Bandai Namco have been slowly releasing a stream of information when it comes to their new game Dragon Ball: Xenoverse, especially when it comes to the games unique content. The biggest draw card about the game seems to be the new storyline that will contain all new characters and locations and combine them with the classic story of the Dragon Ball world. Now it have been unveiled the main playable mystery character will be able to become a Super Saiyan! While this was pretty much expected it does confirm his Saiyan heritage but still leaves plenty of his identity up in the air. The community is still in heavy debate as to whether this is a custom created character or an original character that will have his own back story and unfortunately we are no closer to knowing. My call is that this is an original character that will not be able to be customised, based on the fact that he has featured so prominently and had pieces of official artwork centered around his character.
A few new screenshots were also released covering a few different areas. Most of the screenshots focus on the Super Saiyan mystery warrior but they also confirm that Android 17 and Android 18 will be making a return and that you character will be intervening in their battle against Vegeta. A 2 vs 2 screenshot brings further confirmation that the game will contain more than just 1 vs 1 fights, with the developers previously stating that 2 vs 2 and even further options such as 3 vs 3 and 4 vs 4 might be possible in this game, but they wouldn’t confirm the latter two modes.
The most interesting of the screenshots sees the mystery character talking to Yamcha. A quick translation of the scan equates to Yamcha offering his ki to the mystery warrior for the next battle as he doesn’t feel he will be much use himself. The player can then make the choice to accept or decline his offer. Apparently decisions such as these will affect story but to what degree is still unknown. Interestingly the scan indicates you will be able to travel around the city on foot and interact with these characters, but a recent interview confirmed that the story mode will not contain free roaming elements similar to Budokai 3 where you flew across the world map to fight in different locations. Maybe you can teleport to different areas and then explore them on foot?
The Dragon Ball Z Games Facebook page claims that all will be revealed in their next report, which we expect to come in a months time once V-Jump magazine releases in Japan. You can check out the newly released screenshots below.
Overview A Certain Magical Index and its spin-off series following Mikoto Misaka have proven themselves to be quite popular in Japan with each series getting two anime seasons so far and both continuing in their long running light novel and manga origins. While the first season of A Certain Scientific Railgun was released originally in Japan back in 2010, North America saw the English dub released back in 2013 so we did not have to deal with the three year wait in-between seasons. Instead a little over a year later we have the first half of A Certain Scientific Railgun S now available in English. While the first season may have left something to be desired, does this second season start out right?
Story Misaka and her friends have had plenty of time to unwind and relax after the events from the last season. When this season begins Misaka crosses paths with another of the city’s other Level 5 espers, Misaki Shokuhou, in what seems like a strange detour as she is never brought up again from that point. Anyways, Misaka, Kuroko, Saten, and Uiharu have become friends with the young girl Banri who is still hospitalized after the events from the first season. Despite starting as a simple hospital visit, a group of criminals who are trying to escape from the hospital via a helicopter must be stopped by Misaka’s powerful abilities as she makes use of her signature railgun.
This only serves as the basic opening however for something much more sinister growing in Academy City, as Mikoto dreams of a time in her past where she allowed scientists to make use of her DNA to cure a crippling disease. Shortly after this, she begins to hear rumors that a girl very similar looking to her has been seen in various parts of the city and when even Saten mentions seeing her, these rumors start to become genuine.
Even when these rumors of doppelgangers are pushed to the side by people searching for hidden money in the alleys of the city where cameras cannot see, it all culminates in the fact that something dark is happening and as Mikoto continues to delve deeper into this mystery, she finds a horrifying truth. Not only have clones of her been made without her permission, but because these clones could not replicate her Level 5 abilities, they are being used in an inhuman experiment meant to create the very first Level 6 esper.
When she learns this truth and witnesses what is happening to her clones, the Sisters as they are called, Mikoto resolves that she will do whatever it takes to put an end to this despicable experiment, even it if means leaving her friends in the dark and fighting against the strongest espers and mercenary teams that the experiment’s masterminds can muster.
Those who have already seen A Certain Magical Index will know what the Sister arc involves and how gruesome some of the details were, but that was only presented from Touma’s point of view which left a number of details still up in the air. In A Certain Scientific Railgun S we see all of these details as well as the emotional impact it has on Mikoto as she learns about the project and has to come to grips with what is happening to these clones that she unintentionally helped create.
This season deviates heavily from the formula presented in the first season, as almost everything beginning from the second episode on in this release drives the Sisters arc forward as we slowly learn the details of how these MISAKA clones were created and how they are being used in the experiment to create a Level 6 esper to coming face to face with Accelerator for the first time and how Mikoto must start eliminating all of the bases that are involved with these experiments, which culminates in some of the most impressive looking battles of the Railgun series.
The only issue with the Sister arc is the fact that the rest of the core cast is more or less side-lined as the story moves forward and exposes a side of Misaka we haven’t been shown before. There are some elements showing that Kuroko trusts that whatever Misaka is doing is for the best, but those looking forward to the main cast spending much time at the forefront will be disappointed at the fact that they play a very small role in the release. There is also a decent amount of humor to be had here and there, especially whenever Misaka interacts with one of the MISAKAs but this release has a far darker tone than what was previously shown.
That being said, the Sister arc is also one of the best from the first season of the original Index series and the fact that this arc is delved into deeper than ever before and fills in the various blanks that were left from the original makes this release one that fans of the franchise should not pass up on. It really shines a new light on Misaka as we see her having to deal with both the physical and mental struggles of trying to put a stop to the abhorrent experiment and save the Sisters from their planned fate, even if the story arc doesn’t wrap up in this first half.
Visuals As I mentioned earlier, A Certain Scientific Railgun S Part One features some of the most impressive battles you will find in the series so far. The reason for this is not only because Misaka makes use of her electric powers in new and unique looking ways, but also thanks to the numerous powers her opponents are able to wield and how impressive J.C. Staff handled the entire thing. These action scenes are great to watch and are a real highlight of the series, especially when Misaka battles against ITEM, whose team consists of a girl with a knack for explosives and another Level 5 capable of wielding lasers to a deadly level of precision.
The rest of the animation style and character art remains fairly consistent from the first season as the character designs are as similar looking as ever and the few newly introduced characters not having much time to really stand out. It is worth noting that there is a bit of gore as Accelerator is rather brutal when it comes to dispatching the MISAKAs, but it isn’t overly detailed to the point of becoming gross.
Audio The English voice cast from the first season returns to reprise their roles in A Certain Scientific Railgun S Part One and as such the cast continues to fit in well with their characters. One must also really applaud Brittney Karbowski’s work with the series considering the sheer amount of lines she had as she not only voices Misaka, but also all of the clones as well. As standard, the Japanese voice track is also available for those who prefer that option.
The background music used throughout the first half of the series is what fans have come to expect from the series and doesn’t really make any lasting impression. On the other hand, “Sister’s Noise” by fripside, the opening theme for this release, is easily one of the best opening themes the series has had, rivaling that of the first season’s “Only my Railgun.” The ending theme for the release is a calmer and more simplistic “Grow Slowly” by Yuka Ugachi.
Extras A Certain Scientific Railgun S Part One comes with the standard array of bonus features that FUNImation includes on the disc. There is a clean version of “Sister’s Noise” as well as “Grow Slowly,” two episode commentary tracks, the US trailer for the series, and trailers for other FUNimation releases.
The commentary tracks are for episodes 5 and 7 with the first commentary featuring Brittney Karbowski, who we mentioned earlier voices Misaka and the Sisters, and the second commentary includes Alison Viktorin who handles the voice of Kuroko and Jerry Jewell the series’ ADR Director.
Overall While it sacrifices some of its humor and its light-hearted nature to do so, A Certain Scientific Railgun S Part One successfully takes one of the best arcs of the original series, the Sisters arc, and expands upon it in not only detail but also by revealing how hard Mikoto has had to struggle with the emotional aspect of such a terrible experiment occurring in the city around her. While there is some crossover with the events of Index, and will be as the arc continues into Part Two, the amount of detail, development, and action present in A Certain Scientific Railgun S Part One makes it more than worthwhile.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Karneval Studio:Manglobe Publisher:FUNimation Release Date: June 10th, 2014 Format: DVD/Blu-Ray Combo Price: $64.98 – Available Here
Overview
Based on the manga of the same name, Karneval is a show about a government agency trying to take down monsters may seem a little un-unique, but Karneval actually has the kind of flash that can only be found in an anime. The extra bit of style coming from the fact that the agency in question is called Circus and in addition to destroying the evil Varugas, they serve the public with Carnivale style celebrations in which all their agents take part. Is this enough to keep interest for the entire series, or is Karneval a performance that leaves something to be desired?
Story
From the get go, Karneval opens into a young man, Nai, remembering his past with a very good friend of his only to get pulled back out of his memories to find himself in cuffs, a prisoner in a house to a very perticular lady. Luckily however, he happens to be saved thanks to a thief, Gareki, making his way through the house and finding Nai’s bracelet the only thing really of any worth. Though because the bracelet belows to Nai’s friend, he tells Gareki that he can have it if they ask the friend for permission first, all he has to do is free him and find his friend. A interesting beginning to a show, as viewers should easily tell that this wont be as easy as Gareki thinks and secures that no matter what the two will be sticking together.
While escaping however and trying to find Nai’s friend, Karoku, the two end up in the custody of government agency of Circus, a special group that uses amazing powers to fight off the inhuman Varugas and put on shows and parades for the citizens to show that they are keeping everything safe. As it turns out Karoku’s bracelet is a dated Circus piece of equipment that was given to agents and offer their help as well to locating him, both to help find a former or lost agent and because Nai has a tendency to attract Varugas. It’s nice to see in the show that pretty much every person has their own agenda in things, each using the others on some level to aid themselves, which adds a nice level of complexity to the characters that is often missing in a lot of shows.
After everyone is working together, the show starts focusing on the different locations that Circus begins searching to find evidence of the source of the Varugas, a group known as Kafka. With Nai in tow they tend to have no issues finding the Varugas that guard or happen to be at the places they investigate, so it makes sense that focus of the show is more of hints of corruption or Kafka influence that Circus can’t seem to find, as several things seem to happen under their nose. Since the series is so short and visiting each of the places they go tends always take more than a single episode it works much better that the major focus isn’t the action of clearing a location, but what is discovered from them and what is going on in the background.
Eventually exploring the origins of both Gareki and Nai, Circus is forced to assault a previously untouchable location, due to a lack of evidence in order to do so through the proper channels. While the action is pretty fantastic, showing off all the things that each of the agents is able to do, it leads to Gareki and Nai finding the final location of Karuko. Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be much of anything wrapped up at the end of the series, as even though Gareki, Nai, and Circus were all using each other to try a forward their own goals, everything is left partially completed. With so much left undone, it is little more than a reminder of what everyone had been trying to do, not even feeling like a cliff hanger, instead feeling like one has stopped reading a book at a chapter partway though, which is an unfortunate state that can happen with anime adapted from an ongoing manga.
Visuals
The look of the show is one of the best aspects, almost all of the characters are well designed, with the exception of two agents that wear almost the exact same thing. Even better is that a lot of the characters have several different looks, from what they wear on missions, to what they wear for the shows Circus performs, as well as the Varugas that Circus faces also looking very different and unique, avoiding over use of generic enemies for the agents to re-fight. The combat between them is also very well done, as their attacks are specific to the character, such as Yogi’s vine attacks. Even the animals in the world of Karneval have their own personalities and styles, which all adds together to make everything look so well together.
Audio
Performances by the voice actors do a great job reflecting all the different characters through the show, particularly being noticeable with Yogi and his completely over the top nature especially surrounding Nyanperona, the mascot he performs as. Both the original Japanese and English dub embody the different characters, from Nai’s innocence and Gareki’s entire character arc, to the rest of the cast of which there are a decent amount across the series. It was also interesting to see Vic Magnogna as the voice of Karuko, since he is much of the main focus of the series, but still only a small role, though hearing him play anything besides an overly dramatic blonde teenager is refreshing.
While fantastic pieces of music are a little far in between in Karneval, there are some in the series. One of the most stand out pieces was the piano composition at the beginning of episode 6, which is able to fit the theme of Circus and the emotion of the scene. There are a number of episodes that start off in a similar vein, with a scene and with good music before the opening theme, but it’s hard to compete with the one in episode 6. The opening theme “Henai no Rondo” by GRANRODEO fits well in the series with the theme of warmth that Nai attributes to friendship and love, while the ending theme “REASON” by KAmiYU utilizes the themes of emotions as well as being ones self.
Extras
While this release does have a very limited number of special features, mainly only having the usual commentary, trailers, and textless opening and ending themes, Karneval does have some additional videos in the form of promotional videos that were used for the original TV release and a special video that covers the style of the different characters. Breaking it down by character and looking at what each character is like and how the entire group works as a whole, being more like a family than an organization. This adds a nice little final look at the characters that gives some insight into their personalities.
Overall
While there are a lot of really great things in Karneval, it does somewhat suffer from a story that has a lot to explore but doesn’t really go anywhere, which tends to be the problem with ongoing manga series adapted into anime. Outside of the story though the music really adds to the emotion of the scenes and the characters are all so well done, in both design and voice acting that they are all so much more realistic.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
The Scandinavian crime thriller, The Keeper of Lost Causes, originally titled ‘Kvinden i buret’, is a film adaption inspired by Jussi Adler-Olsen’s first best-selling novel of the Department Q series. With screenwriter Nikolaj Arcel (The Girl with a Dragon Tattoo) and director Mikkel Nørgaard (Klown) crafting the mystery together, it is safe to say that the audience can expect a superb detective story that would make Steig Larsson proud.
Story
Carl Mørck (Nikolaj Lie Kaas) is not your average chief detective; cynical, arrogant and stubborn. Although, according to his best friend and colleague, this is what makes him the best cop. When a homicide investigation in Copenhagen backfires during a home invasion, Carl is given 3 months leave to recover from losing a friend and having another become paralysed. Being the only one to survive the tragic ordeal, Carl falls into his own stupor of crippling guilt, rage and uncontrollable hand tremors. Upon returning to work, the boss immediately transfers the detective to Department Q; the ‘end of the line’ for police officers before retirement. As Carl is not stable enough to return to the homicide squad, he is asked to resume working “3 years behind the desk” on 20 years of cold cases, in a department funded by the Ministry of Justice.
On his first trip to the basement, where Department Q is located, Carl is greeted by his new assistant, Assad (Fares Fares) with a cup of coffee. The grumpy detective is taken aback by the self-content Muslim, who shares his enthusiasm and desire to work on the cold cases. While the job is simple enough – close at least three cases each week – Carl decides to only focus on the one case that catches his eye, a case that he personally remembers because it was handed to another colleague, Børge Bak (Michael Brostrup), half-a decade ago.
That is, the missing person’s case on Merete Lynggaard (Sonja Richter), a liberal politician deemed to have committed suicide aboard a ferry to Berlin five years ago. However, Carl believes that the story doesn’t fit the closed profile, because Merete took her mentally disabled brother, Uffe (Mikkel Boe Folsgaard) onto the ferry, the same day she went missing. Is it possible that a successful politician, who is the sole guardian of her brother, would intentionally jump into the ocean and abandon Uffe on board? Not likely. On a point of intrigue and hunch that Merete might be the victim of murder, the partners decide to further investigate the case, in hope of finding out what really happened to her.
Despite strict orders to remain in Department Q, Carl and Assad go to the ferry and walk through the last place Merete was seen, only to discover a conflict of information from several different witness reports. The only person who can help them solve the cold case is Uffe, however, after five years he has disassociated himself from the event and must be reintroduced to the scene of the crime.
Once the case is re-opened and the duo discover evidence supporting their theory, Carl’s stubborn nature spirals out of control, placing himself and Assad at risk of being suspended or worse . . . killed. By venturing together on a journey into unknown territory to determine the terrifying truth that presses below the surface, Carl and Assad form an unfathomable bond that is pivotal to the story in The Keeper of Lost Causes.
Visuals
Cinematographer, Eric Kress captures a gloomy and creepy atmosphere within the breathtaking locations of Copenhagen, which is a fitting representation for the cold case. The visual experience is enhanced considerably for the audience, through the parallel narratives of Merete’s alarming situation and Carl and Assad’s investigation. Eric contrasts the tone and shading in each timeline, to reinforce the dark tunnel and light at the end of the passageway. The tandem approach to storytelling accelerates the suspense and to a great effect, unfolds the mystery underlying the disappearance of the politician, like an on-screen puzzle for the audience to solve themselves.
One of the most beautifully shot scenes in the film, designed using a 360 degree rotation set and a 3D background, was the car crash sequence. The close-up visuals and slow-paced action within the interior of the car, reinforces the reality of how helpless someone can be during an uncontrollable event.
Audio
The combined composition effort from Patrik Andrén, Uno Helmersson and Johan Söderqvist highlights the tense and thrilling atmosphere present within The Keeper of Lost Causes. The most effective use of sound was through the tempering of atmosphere in the pressure chamber. Yes, I will refrain from spoiling certain details here, but it is important to know that audience members will reach the point where they will want to cover their hands over their ears, to avoid their eardrums from bursting. Despite the high-pitched audio being close to unbearable towards the end of the film, the sinister score throughout The Keeper of Lost Causes is balanced perfectly with the pace of the investigation.
Overall
The Keeper of Lost Causes is a very well written Nordic noir film, which stays true to the Jussi Adler- Olsen’s first novel of the saga. Mikkel Nørgaard and Nikolaj Arcel have done a fantastic job in the delivery of a magnificent detective mystery, with plenty of intrigue and suspense to keep the audience entertained and wanting more. In fact, the Department Q series might follow The Keeper of Lost Causes on screen in the coming years. What made the Danish film stand out from other conventional crime thrillers, was the quirky humour and friendship that blossomed in the unconventional partnership between opposites, Nikolaj Lie Kaas and Fares Fares. I would like to commend the cast for their excellent performance, particularly Sonja Richter’s portrayal of “The Woman in the Cage” and Nikolaj Lie Kaas presentation of chief detective Carl. As a whole, The Keeper of Lost Causes is a great tribute to the detective genre and definitely should be on your list of films to watch this month!
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
If you were pleased with Koei Tecmo tackling something a bit different than Romance of the Three Kingdoms or Gundam when they tried out Bladestorm, then you will be happy to hear that the company is working on another version of the game called Bladestorm: The Hundred Years’ War & Nightmare.
The company took to Famitsu to announce the game and although they have not revealed what platforms Bladestorm: The Hundred Years’ War & Nightmare will be released on nor when it will actually be released, the game will be a remake of the original released back in 2007 that will have additional content.
The infamous BINGO! scene from Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods has now been released in English by Funimation for your viewing pleasure. The scene pictures a very out of character Vegeta singing for his life to try and appease the God of Destruction and stop him from destroying Bulma’s Party and The Earth. It’s not often you see The Prince of Saiyans acting so foolish but that just goes to show you the fear that Beerus’ overwhelming power can impose. You can view the scene for yourself below.
A lot of people have commented on Chris Sabat’s performance as Vegeta saying it sounds a bit off compared to his original work, some fans even took to Sabat’s Twitter account as a way to get their message across. Chris responded saying:
To people who think I changed my Vegeta voice, remember it was 15 years since DBZ was dubbed. Vegeta's voice has matured…literally.
So unfortunately if you don’t like the voice it looks like you will have to adjust as it is here to stay. Personally I will wait until I hear a scene where Vegeta isn’t in such a bizarre situation before I judge Sabat’s performance as the actor would have obviously been out of his comfort zone for the character. Let us know what you think in the comments below. Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods is currently screening in English in select theatres in the United States. Check out our previous article for the English trailer.
Continuing their trend of releasing Sailor Moon clips featuring their new English dub, Viz Media has released another dub clip today and this time around it focuses on some of the first bad guys we see in the series, Queen Beryl and Jadeite. As you can hear in the video below, Queen Beryl is now voiced by Cindy Robinson while Todd Haberkorn will be handling the voice of Jadeite.
Viz is still planning on releasing part one of the first season of Sailor Moon on November 11th with a Limited Edition Remastered Blu-ray DVD Combo Pack that includes an 88-page booklet, a chipboard collector’s box and the first twenty three episodes of the series on Blu-ray and DVD. A basic version including only the DVD release will also be available for purchase at the same time.
You may remember that Omega spells back in the original Disgaea 4 saw a few anime cameos, well in Disgaea 4: A Promise Revisited we have a new tier of spells but these ones don’t come with any special cameos. Instead these screenshots from NIS America show off what are called Peta spells which are a level above the Tera tier that was available in the original.
These Peta spells, as well as all of the DLC from the PlayStation 3 version of the game, are just some of a number of upgrades that will be available in Disgaea 4: A Promise Revisited when it is released on August 12th in North America and on August 29th in Europe.
A six minute long trailer for Omega Quintet was released by Compile Heart today and in this video we are able to take a look at some of the skills that each girl will be able to use in combat but also a brief glimpse at how the field will look, which looks very similar to what is usually found in the Neptunia series.
Besides the gameplay the video also contains some introduction to the world and other side-characters in the story and if you pay attention to the end of the video you will be treated to some motion capture footage for the game. Currently Omega Quintet is set to be released for the PlayStation 4 on September 18th in Japan.
Telltale Games has announced that they are planning on releasing the penultimate episode of The Walking Dead Season Two next week on July 22nd for the PC, Mac, PlayStation 3/PlayStation Vita in North America, and on July 23rd for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3/PlayStation Vita in Europe. Finally on July 24th the title will be available for iOS users while other platforms will receive the episode at a later date.
To accompany this announcement Telltale also released a trailer for The Walking Dead Season Two: Amid the Ruins which can be found below. In this episode Clementine will need to choose her allies carefully as the group begins to fall apart due to hunger, violence, conflict, and death.
