Well if Omega Quintet and it’s possible localization sometime in the future wasn’t enough to get JRPG fans such as myself excited for the PlayStation 4, then perhaps this news will. Today through an odd little teaser trailer featuring a pig and a monkey that jokes about E3 ending, Compile Heart has revealed that Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory II is going to be released for the PlayStation 4.
Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory II is a main game in the series and as we have already heard, will feature three different game dimensions as well as a new character named Uranus and it looks like more details will be revealed later in the week by Dengeki PlayStation.
Fans of Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate in the West may be happy to hear that the game’s roster has just grown a bit larger. Today in North America Phase-4, a clone of Kasumi with her own unique fighting style and costumes, was released for the game on both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Gamers in Europe can download the character on the 360 only at the moment as the PS3 release for the character in that territory is set for June 25th.
It is worth noting that Phase-4 is not a free DLC character as she will cost $5.99 just like Marie Rose did when she was released by Tecmo Koei. A slew of costumes were also released alongside Phase-4, with some of them being available in a bundle that is priced at $12.99 or purchased seperately for $1.99 each. It is worth noting that a number of other DLC costumes for other characters has also been released today following an “Overalls” theme.
Almost a year after its PAX Australia 2013 showing, competitive indie shooter Painters Unite, from local upstarts Canvas Interactive, has made its way onto Steam Greenlight. Already, there have been comparisons to the recently revealed at E3 2014 Nintendo Wii U title Splatoon, as well as flat out accusations of being a clone. Knowing the developers behind Painters Unite, and having followed (and covered) it from “Day One”, I wanted to take this opportunity to set the record straight.
I attended classes at Qantm College, Sydney for two years, earning my Bachelor’s Degree in Interactive Entertainment (major in Games Design). My lecturer at the time was, in fact, the now Creative Director of Canvas Interactive, James Betar. Even back then, James was working part time, solo, on this concept he had where players would be engaged in multiplayer matches with the aim of, not killing their opponents in a spray of bullets, but converting foes to their team with a burst of colour. Once our course was completed, James recruited some standout talent from within and began to commit a lot more time to the project, with it becoming a true passion for the small team. In July of 2013, Painters Unite was featured in the ANZ Indie Pavillion section of Pax Australia 2013’s grounds, revealed to the public and playable in its Pre-Alpha stage. For a video game that has been in development for 4 years, and its existence open for the public’s acknowledgement since mid-2013, I fail to see how anyone can accuse it of ripping off a title that was literally just unveiled for the first time last week.
So, please, check out their Gameplay Overview trailer embedded below, and if you like what you see, click through to their Steam Greenlight page, up-vote and leave a supportive message. Follow their campaign, and also their Facebook page for all future updates.
We have some great news for fans of ecchi shows with some decent plot to go along with all of the PLOT in a series. Today it was revealedby High School DxD‘s light novel publisher that a third season of the popular anime has been green-lit. Of course no time frame for the series was revealed at the time but we will likely see the third season sometime next year.
It is worth noting that so far the first two seasons of High School DxD have each covered two light novel volumes a piece, with some of the side-stories mixed in which means there is a fairly good chance that the third season will focus primarily on story arcs that involve the oft-neglected Koneko and Akeno. Both the first and second season have also been licensed for release in the West by FUNimation with the first series being released last year and the second season set for release sometime later this year.
Earlier this month Square Enix released the first batch of DLC for Drakengard 3 which included the prologue chapters for most of Zero’s sisters as well as some other content. Well today the company released the final batch of DLC for the game which includes One’s prologue chapter as well as most of the pre-order exclusive items.
The full list of the DLC and their prices can be found below:
Garb / Weapons
Zero’s Garb Variety Pack: A retailer exclusive pre-order item, this DLC contains three alternate costume color schemes for Zero. ($2.99)
Caim’s Garb: A previous Collector’s Edition exclusive, this DLC – from the original Drakengard – halves the player’s stamina use when performing heavy attacks. ($2.99)
Beautiful Child: Originally included in the Collector’s Edition as a pre-order bonus, this is a cosmetic headwear for Mikhail in the shape of a Giant Baby head. ($0.99)
Nier’s Garb: Modeled after NIER Replicant, the Japanese-Exclusive version of NIER®, this costume boosts damage by five percent. ($2.99)
Kainé’s Garb: Modeled after Kainé from NIER, this costume doubles the window for triggering a parry. ($2.99)
Experimental Weapon #7: Cosmetic headwear for Mikhail modeled after Emil from NIER. ($0.99)
Prologues / Themes
One’s Prologue: A Collector’s Edition exclusive as part of the Sisters’ Prologue Bundle, One’s Prologue is now available for individual purchase. ($5.99)
PlayStation Themes: A Wave 3 pre-order bonus for Drakengard 3, these PSN themes prominently feature Zero, Mikhail and the four Disciples (Cent, Octa, Decadus and Dito) on players’ PlayStation 3 dashboards. ($0.99 each)
Fans of side-scrolling action games will be happy to hear that Battle Princess of Arcadias is now available for purchase through the PlayStation Store on the PS3. This NIS America title is only available as a digital download and costs $29.99 and it follows the story of Princess Plume from the Kingdom of Schwert who must battle against numerous monsters that have begun overrunning the land.
Along the way she will meet a number of warriors who will join her in battle where players can switch between fighters in real-time to take on numerous enemies ranging from simple looking creatures to giant bosses that will require the player to make use of the game’s fast paced battle system to eliminate.
Overview Yu-Gi-Oh is a franchise that has become synonymous with the younger crowd of anime/manga fans of the world. As time passes, more and more variations are added to the title as series continue to spawn. Thus we come to Zexal, a new story that centres around one boy’s passion for duelling and the increasing odds at which he is forced to bet. But with a knowledgeable ghost by his side it shouldn’t be too dangerous…right?
Story Meet Yuma Tsukumo, a boisterous, never-say-die student who has one searing passion in his life: Duelling. Unfortunately for Yuma however, he is a terrible duellist. Though he possesses a powerful deck passed onto him by his father, he is unable to utilise it and is thus routinely trounced by his fellow students. But if there’s one redeeming feature about Yuma, it’s that no matter how many times he’s knocked down, he gets right back up and tries again.
The story really kicks in when his “friend” Tetsuo’s deck is won from him by schoolyard bully Shark…though you’d never guess he was bad guy from the name. Blindly sticking up for Tetsuo, Yuma finds himself duelling Shark. Midway through losing, Yuma once again has visions of an ominous door that appears in his dreams. Utilising his pendant, another memento of his dear departed parents, Yuma opens the door and unwittingly summons a spirit: Astral. Luckily for our protagonist however, this spirit is benevolent, albeit amnesiac, and quite the duelling prodigy…what a coincidence. The duel also takes a decidedly more magical turn from this point on, as it is revealed that Astral’s memories have fragmented into powerful Number Cards, which cause their wielder’s personality to change, as Shark immediately demonstrates. Thus begins the partnership between Yuma and Astral and their quest to recover all 100 Number Cards to return the spirit’s memories to him. That shouldn’t take too long.
One thing I have to note about the characters of Zexal is their personalities, which at some points are down right annoying. I understand what is trying to be conveyed, but the way that it is handled comes across as bratty. Though I guess they are kids. My prime example is, during his second duel with Astral by his side, Yuma straight up declares that he will ignore everything the spirit says. Really dude? The guy just helped you win for the first time in at least 50 duels and your turning on him? This also creates one of the longest sequences of reverse psychology I’ve ever seen…and it works consistently. It’s just kind of jarring that, at least thus far, one of Yuma’s most redeeming features has been Astral.
The duels themselves are also worth mentioning, if only to highlight some recurring themes. First off, I understand that this is Yu-Gi-Oh, a series based on a card game with pre-determined rules and regulations. There’s strategy involved, opportunities to use the right cards at the right moment, to turn the tide and pull victory from the jaws of defeat. But when every single turn seems specifically tailored to the introduction of a new card, the premise can wear a little thin. Characters never seem to have an ok turn, they either fail immensely or draw exactly the card they needed for the situation. It just seems a little unbalanced at times. I’m not saying that their aren’t some smart moves in each duel, just that these clearly designed moments stand out a little more.
Artwork If there’s one thing to be said about the artwork of Zexal, it’s that Duel Monsters look awesome. Each creature summoned during the duels is finely detailed, which serves to provide an interesting visual element to each duel. Monsters are greatly varied in their designs as well, ranging from magicians, to golems, even a man made out of sharks…yep. Monsters are also very well drawn during their attacks which again adds to the visual drama of each duel. When you get right down to it, without these well constructed beasts, Yu-Gi-Oh would be just another card game.
However, Duel Monsters do not always grace the page with their appearance, when no duel is taking place, our eyes are drawn to the characters, who’s designs are…exaggerated. Yu-Gi-Oh has always had rather interesting character designs, but Zexal takes the cake. As in, I don’t full understand how most character’s hair works. I know strange designs are pretty standard for anime and manga, but come on. There’s a girl who’s hair looks like cat ears. Like they’re a different colour in the centre somehow. Also I know Tokunosuke had a traumatic past, but I cannot take him seriously in the slightest…I think the tiny bowler hat with a star on it may contribute to that slightly, but I can’t be sure.
Overall Zexal Volume 1 is a pretty interesting introduction to a new page in the Yu-Gi-Oh franchise. That being said, the events of the volume seemed to occur just a little too fast. It wasn’t as if the story skipped over too much, it just felt as if events could’ve had a little more time put into them. Astral’s introduction into the series, though interesting, could’ve had a larger impact if we knew more about Yuma’s life before he met the spirit. The pre-Astral storyline is essentially given to us in a montage-esque sequence of events, flying by rather quickly. I’m not saying that gratuitous amount of time had to be spent on Yuma’s school life, but a little more would’ve been nice. Of course this is the first volume so the story may focus more on detail now that we know the basics. All in all, not a bad start, but the best is clearly yet to come.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Overview Space Battleship Yamato is one of those rare movies where you can say: “This movie has it all.” It has adventure, drama, romance, but most importantly, a heart wrenching moral about the importance of love and what it means to put your loved ones before yourself. Director Takashi Yamazaki, whose previous credits include 2002‘s Returner and 2005‘s Always- Sunset on Third Street, brings the classic anime to the big screen with this live action adaptation.
Story
Earth is in ruins. There are aliens called the Gamilas attacking, who we discover are responsible for the ruin of Earth since they’ve been shooting radioactive missiles at the earth. The movie begins with a fight against the Gamilas near Mars, where Captain Okita chooses to sacrifice his fleet for a chance at escape from the horrific battle. Captain Okita’s decision, on the surface, seems to be very simple: get out alive and sacrifice his fleet, or die with them and leave Earth defenseless. However, one brave captain, Momoru Kodai, was the one who urged Okita to leave and defend the planet, even at the cost of his own life. This sets up a theme that continues throughout the movie: sacrifice. One of the things that sets Space Battleship Yamato apart from any other sci-fi movie I’ve seen is the focus on sacrifice and learning that sometimes, in order to save the ones you love, you must lay down your own life for them.
Back on Earth, we discover that everyone has taken to living underground so they won’t be exposed to radiation on the planet’s surface. In one of these underground cities, our protagonist Susumu Kodai, brother of Momoru Kodai, llives and trades rare metals. He goes to the surface to find more metal and is nearly struck by an alien capsule that fell to Earth during the battle near Mars. In the resulting explosion, Kodai is exposed to a fatal dose of radiation, but somehow survives. Both he and the capsule are recovered, and it’s discovered in the capsule that an anti-radiation device that could save humanity is located on the planet Iskandar. Captain Okita requests humanity’s last functioning space battleship, the Yamato, and calls for volunteers to go on a “journey of hope” to get the anti-radiation device. After hearing this, Kodai dusts off his old military jacket and signs up, figuring he will honor his brother’s sacrifice by flying an almost certain death for the chance to save humanity. Before he volunteers, Kodai seems to not have any sense of purpose, other than to get up and find rare metals for trade. After he volunteers, he slowly becomes alive again, which speaks to another theme of the movie: the correlation between love and honor. All of the crew on the Yamato feels that they are doing an honorable thing by searching for the anti-radiation device, and really, they are. They’ve given up every hope of seeing their families again in search of a hope that their families may survive humanity’s impending doom.
Okita’s call for volunteers brings together a colorful cast of characters who all have their own motivations for finding and saving humanity, and these motivations and ideals are further explored as the crew of the Yamato journeys towards Iskandar. Some highlights include Kodai’s former fighter squadron, a doctor who is rarely separated from her tabby cat, and an enthusiastic weapons specialist whose mother worries too much. As the crew’s journey continues, it’s discovered that Captain Okita has a fatal disease that is rapidly spreading, leaving him unable to continue his duties as Captain. Okita calls Kodai to his bedside and names him Acting Captain of the Yamato. The crew reaches Iskandar, and it is discovered that the Gamila’s base is on Iskandar. The crew lands on the planet and launches an attack against the Gamila while looking for the anti-radiation device. They eventually find the anti-radiation device, even though it does not take the form they expect, and rush back to the Yamato.
The Gamilas continue to attack, and the only two to survive long enough to make it to the ship are Kodai and Yuki Mori, a member of Kodai’s fighter squadron. They board the Yamato and rush to get the anti-radiation device to the surface, but the Gamilas have followed them through space and begin to attack the already damaged ship. They fight back, but ultimately, Kodai orders all hands to abandon ship and sacrifices himself to save humanity. Kodai’s final moments aboard the Yamato are some of the the most poignant in the entire film. We watch him say goodbye to Yuki Mori, a member of his fighter squadron he’d fallen in love with. We watch him send one of his best friends away to safety so that he can return to his wife and young son on Earth. Finally, when Kodai is alone, he is spurred on by the faces of the fallen who have gotten him here thus far. After Kodai sacrifices himself, the film ends on a hopeful note. We see a restored Earth, where Yuki Mori stands with a child (presumably her and Kodai’s child). This last, hope-filled scene affirms the struggles that the entire crew went through on their quest and reminds us that there is always something to fight for.
Visuals
The space battles looked convincing and even dramatic, as well as unique. It would have been very easy for the studio to create a fight that reminded viewers of Star Wars or Star Trek, but Space Battleship Yamato had a magic all its own. The alien enemies, the Gamilas, looked realistic and at times, terrifying. The cinematography conveyed a sense of drama and high speed action during the battles, but also seemed relaxed and friendly when it needed to show the development of relationships between crew members.
Audio
The DVD of Space Battleship Yamato comes with Japanese and English options for audio and English-only subtitles. The English dub seems to discard the range of emotions that the Japanese dub has in favor of a flat, high octane tone. The score by Naoki Sato, whose previous credits include Blood-C and Eureka Seven, perfectly highlights the changing moods of the film and excites the audience when necessary, but his score will also haunt the viewer during the wistful sadness of some scenes.
Extras
The extras on the DVD consist of a pre-visualization of the film and the previews that were shown at the beginning of the DVD. The twenty-five minute pre-visualization is footage from the film with the actors and a rough version of the animation and CGI. The screen is split between the rough version and the finished product so that the viewer can compare between the two. The scenes in the pre-visualization are primarily the action scenes, but there are some “making of” clips that show the underground cities.
Overall Space Battleship Yamato is a great film for fans of the original series and films, but is also good for the casual viewer who enjoys good science fiction films. The characters come alive on the screen in an unforgettable way, and each character’s struggles highlight something important about humans as a whole. It looks and feels like a timeless adventure through space for the good of humanity, and it also makes you begin to think that might the most honorable motivation of all.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Iconic seems to be a word I personally am throwing around a lot in writing these panel reports, but it is apt, especially in this case. Richard Kiel‘s Jaws is one of, if not, the most iconic villains in 007 history, and George Lazenby is iconic in his own right for being the sole Australian James Bond and starring in what has been considered the most controversial and divisive entry in the franchise’s long history – On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. Bring these two men together, and you’ve got a truly momentous occasion.
The Q&A Session at Supanova Sydney 2014 was slightly awkward due to the absence of any ramps, forcing the wheelchair bound Kiel to sit in front of the stage while Lazenby sat comfortably on the stage’s red couch behind him. It’s sad to see Kiel’s current physical state, but his mind is as sharp as ever. Our host asked Lazenby if he’d like to come down and sit on the edge of the stage next to Kiel, to which he joked “I don’t jump that far! I used to do my own stunts…” To start, the duo were asked how their appearances in the series impacted their career and lives. Kiel appreciated the opportunities that were opened up for him to travel to, and make films in, countries like Taiwan, Hong Kong and Yugoslavia. Lazenby gave a long answer, expanding on just what happened with his agent and the advice he got to ditch the role for a sequel;
I remember seeing Dr. No in Monaco in 1962, and I think I had 80% chance with this girl going in, and 20% coming out! I thought “huh, I’d like to be that guy!” When it came up, I had never met an actor before. So it was a surprise coming out of Bond; I was talked out of doing another one – “that’s Sean Connery’s gig”. Easy Rider was the big movie at the time, so I listened to Ronan O’Reilly’ he said “you know, there’s a guy named Clint Eastwood, he just made a spaghetti western in Italy and didn’t even have to speak and made 500 grand. You can do those kinds of things.” They offered me a million bucks to do another Bond film. So I said “what about that?” and he said “you can make that in two movies in Italy.” So I listened to him and found out that I couldn’t work anywhere else because they thought I was still under contract with the Bond people!
Lazenby continued, detailing his meeting with Bruce Lee;
So, I went sailing for about two years. And came back and went to see Bruce Lee, because he was kinda anti-establishment. He gave me some money – I was totally broke – to come and do a movie with him. There was about eight of us at the table, and there was a typhoon going on – the biggest one ever in Hong Kong – and we were watching corrugated iron flying around from inside this restaurant, meanwhile he said “if I had to fight you, how long would it take for me to beat you?” I didn’t know how to answer! He said “I’d take a second to beat Raymond [producer Raymond Chow]. I’d take a minute to beat my wife, she’s a blackbelt.” And he went on around the table. “So how long would it take me?” he said. So I replied “well, I guess as long as it took to catch me.” He said “I like that answer. Give George $10,000, we’re gonna do a movie together” and Raymond said “what movie?!” – “We’ll work it out.” So he took me to the bank, cashed the cheque and I was on the road again.
On why Lazenby got the role of James Bond in the first place, he said; “Well it was already established by that other guy. The other fella, Sean Connery. It was a tough act to follow, but I had nothing else to follow anyway. So they changed my accent, changed my walk…they tested 300 guys on film – it was the biggest film test in history – but why did I get it? It’s like winning the lottery, I don’t know.” Next, Kiel – who was known for playing similarly physical and intimidating roles – spoke about the original concept of Jaws and why he became so successful;
It was a surprise that the character became so popular. I remember when Cubby [Albert R. “Cubby” Broccoli], the producer, was telling me about Jaws, it was a little bit of a put-off. He said “he’ll have teeth, maybe like tools, or like pliers…or maybe like a shark! But they’ll be made out of steel and he kills people with his teeth.” And I went “oh my God, that’s a monster part.” And I was trying to break away from that. So I took a little chance and said “well, Mr. Broccoli, whoever you cast in this role, I think you really need an actor. I think somebody who kills people with his teeth can become over-the-top very quickly. And if I were to play that role, I’d want to give him some human characteristics like perseverance, frustration, vulnerability and make him a little more rounded, fun character” and he said “I like that. What are you doing for dinner tonight?” […] And that’s how I got the role.
George Lazenby in The Man From Hong Kong
A young fan asked Kiel what it was like wearing the prosthetic teeth as Jaws, to which he replied that it was mostly nauseating because of its chromium steel taste, with the plate pushing up into the roof of his mouth. “People ask, “did it affect your acting?” and it did, it made me very stoic. I was trying not to throw up!” When asked how his time on TV series Legit was, Lazenby said he almost already forgot that he did it, being only in two episodes. He stated; “I’ve been through 20 years of acting classes, and now that I can act, nobody wants me!” For those who wonder if Lazenby ever had another shot at reprising his role as Bond, he apparently did;
I was called back in again to talk to the producers after Connery left again, and I looked like a hippie with long hair after sailing for those two years. And the director said “take a look at him, he can’t play James Bond!”. So they didn’t make an offer. And I might’ve done it, because I was having trouble finding a job and making money. I actually went home to live with my mother, with this girl I had on the boat, who told me she couldn’t get pregnant; we had a little kid and she was already pregnant again! That’s when the Benson & Hedges cigarette thing came along. I was fortunate I was skiing down Mt. Kosciusko with a guy who took me up there, paid for my skis and everything…and I ran over to who I thought was this little girl, but it was a really short woman who was the wife of the guy that produced the Big Fry commercials I did in London. I went down to see him at the bar and he gave me a cheque for $500 not to do any promotions until I talked to the Benson & Hedges people. So I ended up sitting there, having lunch with them and I didn’t smoke at the time – I had given it up – and they were offering me cigarettes; I was getting dizzy! [Laughs]. I was expecting to get $5,000 and they said “now, don’t say no – we’re only doing this ad for Australia – but our offer is $50,000.” I almost fell off my chair! That’s how I got back on my feet again and went back to America to see if I could hit the big time.
Speaking on the recent films, Kiel intimated that Skyfall is his personal favourite, and that he almost felt sorry for the villain (played by Javier Bardem). The two actors then connected on a commemorative watch that they were both sent to celebrate their part in the James Bond franchise after its recent 50th anniversary. Lazenby quipped; “well I’m trying to sell mine!” Relating back to commercials, Kiel stated how he actually made 5 times as much money doing a single PepsiCo commercial than he did doing The Spy Who Loved Me.
Jumping off of Kiel’s statement about making more money from ads, Lazenby called the studio heads behind Bond “cheap bastards”, to which the two shared their own experiences in pay negotiations on their respective James Bond appearances;
Well, you know the first film, I think Cubby felt like to be in a Bond film was a career maker, so you should do it very reasonably.And then when they had me come back to do the second one, my agent actually hung up on him because he felt the offer was really kind of ridiculous. And Cubby called back and said “you hung up on me! Why are you being so difficult?” and my agent said “Well, Mr. Broccoli, if I were representing you in a negotiation where I felt you deserved a whole lot more, I’d do the same thing for you.” So finally Cubby came around. But at that point in time, that was one of the things that Sean Connery had a problem with; he wanted to be paid a million dollars. And they didn’t want to pay him a million dollars! But when he did come back to do the one after George’s, they paid him a million pounds! [Lazenby interjects to say it was two million pounds]. But Sean didn’t receive the money; it was given to the Boys & Girls’ Club. It was really wild. – Kiel
Yeah, they were tough. I remember I was getting $100 a week, per diem, which was good money in those days. And I was in their accounting office, Harry Saltzman [another producer] was in there too. Either it was $100 a week or a day, I forget, but I asked “how much is the other fellow getting?”…I always called him that, which is where the line came from. And the accountant looked at Harry and said “tell him!”. And he said “he’s getting $1,000”. So I gave Harry a dirty look and he said “okay, give him $1,000”. – Lazenby
Well I remember I was getting $500 a week for The Spy Who Loved Me, and they were putting me up in an apartment near the American Embassy, and then when we went over to Sardinia, it was ridiculously expensive. And I said “guys, I don’t want to invest in this movie, I just want to work in it! You’re going to have to do something about this per diem if you want me to stay here in this hotel…I can’t afford it!” So they doubled my per diem. I asked the director how much his room was, and it was one third the price of mine, because I had my wife and a baby boy and they were charging us per person, including the baby! So I asked for three rooms instead, and they said “what are you going to do with three rooms?!” and I said “it’s cheaper!”. […] I got the hotel to cut the bill in half, so we ended up doing okay. – Kiel
George Lazenby today
A young lady questioned what Roger Moore was like, being her favorite Bond. Of course, she said “no offense” to George, to which he replied in jest “you have bad taste”. Kiel relayed how Roger’s “heart is bigger than his ego, which is very unusual for a movie star.” Kiel went on to compliment George as one of his own favorite Bonds, and the respect was clearly mutual. Speaking of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, Lazenby says that he was told after doing a take of the final scene in tears, that “James Bond doesn’t cry” and to do one without so much emotion, which he didn’t really agree with. His wife dies for God’s sake! As for how he regards the film, Lazenby stated; “It was the best book, and as far as I’m concerned it was the best film. Not to toot my own horn because I’m not the best actor, but I honestly believe that.”
For those who are aware, Lazenby has had his run-in with the police in the past. He was asked to recount a story he had once told involving gun ownership;
I was bored! I was down in Geneva and I went into a gunshop, and they had some beautiful pistols in there…like a Luger that was brand new. And I said “Can I have that?” and he said “No, you need a license.” And the guy with me said “He’s James Bond!”. And I’m not kidding, the guy sold me two pistols! [Laughter]. So we were on set, and they took a long to time to change cameras around. So I got one of the crew to throws cans in the air and I was shooting these cans, and it was making everyone nervous. I don’t know why! Another time, I got drunk and shot out all the lights in the lobby of the hotel, and the bullets knocked out the back window. So the cops came up and said “Give us the gun.” They didn’t know I had two, so I gave them one. And then I started shooting again, but they couldn’t arrest me because then the Bond film would’ve stopped. I was going back to London for Christmas, and the two detectives got on my plane. I was in my seat and they said “These guys up front want to see you.” I walked up the front, and they literally placed the pistols in my belt. I pulled closed my coat, said thank you, and went back to my seat. This is 1968 mind you. We got into London and they asked if I had anything to declare, and I said “Yeah, these!”. And they asked “Are they loaded?” and I said “I don’t know, I haven’t looked in a while” and there was two bullets in there. I never got them back as you can’t have guns in England.
The softer side to Jaws
An avid fan wondered if either had any hobbies that we might not be privy to. Kiel expressed how heavily he was into photography back in the day, owning an enlarger and all these other peripherals that we no longer need today in the digital age, while Lazenby’s was Motocross, although he started at 41 and stopped at 57 due to slowing reflexes. But today, they both have in common the joys of children. For Kiel, his six grandchildren are his main focus, one of which is a wrestler, another a dancer. Lazenby has three kids of his own, whom he claims are getting old enough now to be able to beat his ass, so he never dares reprimand them.
A few hypotheticals later and the panel was over. Everyone in the room absolutely appreciated the effort made to come down and attend the expo, and it was a very interesting, eye-opening Q&A for both Bond and film fans in general. Rarely do you get a backstage look into the industry like we did that day. Hopefully you all got a kick out of reading the stories told by Kiel and Lazenby as well.
Well Iona certainly doesn’t like to wait does she? At last episode‘s end, we witnessed the stoic model post what was essentially a call to arms for all Selectors with an internet connection. Though I have to say, it’s a pretty smart idea. I mean, why wait until you stumble upon an opponent when you can bring them directly to your doorstep?
A mysterious beauty
Especially when your doorstep is a colossal skyscraper under construction in the middle of a town. Remember that building that seemed like it was important and then became little more than a backdrop? Yeah, well that’s back and now it’s the battlefield for every Selector who accepted Iona’s little invite. Contestants line the multitude of floors as their battles take place and they attempt to make their way through the tournament. But you might be asking yourself “How does having a tournament make sense? Now Iona only gets to battle one person.” Well my curious friends, that is indeed a good question. Short answer: It doesn’t really make a whole lot of sense. For some reason, Iona seems intent on creating a number of eternal girls, though her reason for wishing so is unclear. As far as we know, LRIGs cannot communicate with each other unless their cards are near each other, so I don’t think it’s for the companionship. Also, if Iona knew in her heart of hearts that she needed just one more battle to achieve her wish, why start a tournament? Why not just find some hapless Selector and beat her? She already knew where to find Ruko. Hopefully they explain this further in the next episode.
Fear and change often go hand in hand
Something that was rather interesting in this episode was the development of Tama as a character. With a decent amount of dialogue, we learnt her true feelings regarding Ruko and her desire to keep things the same. She even went as far as to say she didn’t want to battle, which is kind of a big deal. However, she continued to fight by Ruko’s side despite said objections, though her attitude may have a serious effect on Ruko”s newfound wish. Oh, didn’t I mention? Our indecisive protagonist has finally settled on a wish: Save everyone. Kind of a jump there, from nothing to everything in one sentence. Of course, despite the implied genius of using WIXOSS to destroy WIXOSS, Yuzuki was there to put a dampener on things immediately. Some nonsense about being unable to make certain wishes come true, blah blah blah. But wait, what luck! Tama is a mysterious LRIG, one who possesses unique powers, powers which could make Ruko’s wish come true. Oh happy days! I believe in the business they call this power a Deus ex Machina. I mean, why bother putting a limit on Ruko’s dream when you’re just going to remove it ten seconds later. It seems rather pointless to me. I would’ve been much more poetic if Ruko was merely the first person to wish for such a thing, as no other had the forethought to do so in the past. But no. Steal your soul and body swap you with a card so you can date your brother? Sure, no problem. Wish for girls stolen by a card game to return to where they once came from? Impossible. What?!
As is customary in anime, Ruko proceeds through the tournament at blazing speed, eventually coming face to face with the exact person she wanted to fight: Hitoe. Acting vastly different to the friend she remembers, Hitoe is hellbent on achieving her wish, despite Ruko and Yuzuki’s pleas. Though despite her seeming indifference to her former friends, Hitoe isn’t as distant as she lets on. Despite the pain, she has held one thing close to herself all this time: her scrunchie. The physical representation of their friendship. Isn’t that sweet? Still, poor Hitoe. The torment she’s been through because of this game is immense. Let that be a lesson to you all, do not participate in shadowy, otherwordly card games. It’s just not worth it.
This poor girl cannot catch a break
We all know where this is going right? Ruko is going to keep on winning until she reaches the roof and challenges Iona. If Iona wins, her wish will be granted and she will visit the white room that she inexplicably has knowledge of. If Ruko wins, every LRIG in WIXOSS may be saved. Of course they may not be saved, but we’ll cross that bridge when and if we come to it.
Check out more selector infected WIXOSS Impressions HERE.
