You may remember that Viz Media had announced that they were planning on not only re-releasing the Ranma 1/2 anime on Blu-ray, but they were also planning to re-release Rumiko Takahashi’s classic manga series in a newly re-mastered 2-in-1 omnibus format.
Well today Viz Media has announced that the first omnibus will be released on March 11th, marking the first time that the Ranma 1/2 manga has been available in its original right to left reading style.
Each omnibus will cost $14.99 U.S. / $16.99 CAN and for those who don’t know, the manga follows the story of Ranma Saotome, a martial artist who was cursed at the Chinese training ground in Junsenkyo causing him to turn into a young woman anytime he is splashed with cold water.
Although he can turn back into a boy with hot water, that is the least of his worries as he soon finds himself chased by both men and women looking for a fight and also for love.
In this life there is a never-ending list of things that can catch you completely off guard, but few compare to the enormity of a car crash. Not only is there the damage to the car to consider, but there is your passengers, the people around you, and sometimes worst of all, your confidence. Last episode, Kouko put all of her friends in danger by falling asleep at the wheel resulting in Chinami getting injured and 2D-kun’s car taking a pretty hefty blow. Her confidence left in tatters, she locked herself away, leaving Banri and the rest of her friends worried sick about her. A natural reaction, but how would they pick her back up now that her foundation has been shaken to the core?
The crowning moment of the episode definitely came when Banri confronted Kouko about her running away from her problems. It was another example of just how amazingly true to life this show can be, displayed by the raw emotion oozing from every second of beautifully written dialogue. Huddled under her covers in a pitch black room, Kouko begged Banri to go away because she was too ashamed by how childish she was. She described herself as a child playing dressup with makeup and adult clothes which, while it may have been true at the beginning of the series, is no longer the case. Kouko may not be perfect, but who is? At least she is always trying to better herself, something that could not be said of her when she was still pining over Mitsuo at the very start. As she poured her heart out to Banri, Kouko finally became a character that no one can possibly say is the same loud, superficial airhead we met in episode 1. It may not be a change of the sort of magnitude of Taiga in Toradora, but it is a believable change – one that could actually happen to a real person.
Unfortunately, the insight into Banri was one that was met with mixed feelings. Kouko’s accusation that he was a hypocrite for lecturing her about running away from her feelings was apt and brought up a very interesting point, but Banri’s reaction was less impressive. Skirting around the issue, he ended up promising not to run anymore, but is that really something he can do? Amnesia isn’t as simple an issue as Kouko wanting to put the crash out of her mind. Banri never wanted to leave his friends and family consciously and that is clearly expressed in the thoughts of his ghost, but when you wake up with no memories of all the people that care about you, what do you do? All of a sudden you have a hoarde of people all expecting you to be the same person you were before, but you’re no longer that person. He ran because he wanted a fresh start, but Linda’s appearance meant that he could never truly get away. Should he try to make amends with all of those that he left? Maybe. But there is no easy answer and so in a rare lapse of writing he tried to avoid the issue.
On a slightly less serious note, Kouko’s dad may have gone from my least favourite anime dad of all time, to my favourite all in one 20 minute episode. When he slapped Kouko to the ground in front of all of her friends and Banri, I was fuming! Not only was it completely out of the blue, but it was such overkill! You don’t slap a girl like that, even if they are your daughter! Needless to say, he wasn’t in my good books, that is until the end of the episode when Kouko was making up with Banri and he stood in the doorway asking Banri to make instant ramen for him. What a guy! Not only was he listening in on his daughter’s conversation with her beloved, but he had the nerve to ask Banri to cook for him! The breaking point though was when the cat followed her dad into the room and the chime of its collar let Kouko know he was there. Bewlidered by her father’s appearance, Banri lied and said he wasn’t there, but then he took the opportunity to try and one up Banri by calling him a liar! “He lied to you! I told the truth, remember that!” This guy has some unimaginable stones, but I would expect no less from someone who could raise a daughter like Kouko.
What is next for Golden Time? We’re approaching the end of the series now and with only 8 episodes left to cover everything, the pacing needs to pick up very soon. It is time to start tying up loose ends and coming to resolutions. Will Banri stay true to his word and stop running from his past? Only time will tell. Until next time.
Golden Time is currently simulcasting on Crunchyroll where new episodes can be found each week and watched on mobile devices, consoles, smart TVs and of course on PC.
For more impressions of winter’s best and worst, head over to our Anime Impressions page.
Compared to most of Tecmo Koei‘s games, there exists a somewhat recently acquired franchise which is often given very little publicity and that happens to be the Atelier series of games. But it seems that since Atelier Escha & Logy: Alchemists of the Dusk Sky is set to be released in a few weeks, the company has decided to release a launch trailer to show off the various highlights of the game as well as most of the characters players will meet..
The trailer can be found below and as you may have noticed, this is the first in a long time that there have been two playable protagonists in an Atelier game. Currently Atelier Escha & Logy is set to be released on March 11th in North America and March 7th in Europe.
Time to hit those power buttons, tell your Xbox One to “Xbox: Go Home,” and get ready for another chock-a-block edition of Xbox Newsbeat, the number one stop for all the news regarding Microsoft’s gaming platforms. This week we have 7 hard-hitting news bites with 6 of them regarding Xbox One, and the final one for the still-awesome 360 (sorry again Windows Phone. Maybe next time). So since we have so much news from Microsoft HQ, we’d best get to it!
Introducing A Truly Next-Gen Twitch Experience on Xbox One
TwitchTV is the internet’s most popular video streaming service, and it is finally making its way to Xbox One! With the simple voice command of “Xbox: Broadcast!” those who have downloaded and set-up a Twitch account will immediately have their gameplay video sent out onto the world wide web for Twitch’s 45million+ subscribers to watch. Twitch will be available from March 11th, just in time for Titanfall.
Multiplayer and Party Updates for Xbox One Coming in March
We spoke last week about the new invite-only beta test for the new multiplayer and party features that will be coming to Xbox One in the near future. Well now we can officially tell you that these updates will begin rolling out over the next few weeks. The update will being some enhancements and updates to the multiplayer and party systems of the console, but will also have some behind the scenes stuff that will help developers make their games a reality, as well as improvements to the Kinect Voice Commands.
Chaos Rises with a Gang of New Content in Third Dead Rising 3 DLC Episode
The third chapter in Dead Rising 3’s slick DLC campaign is now here with “The Untold Stories of Los Peridos – Chaos Rising.” This new chapter puts you in the role of a renegade biker; Hunter Thibodeux who must escape from prison, seek revenge and fight for control of his gang. This new side story features a new mission, zombie-slaying weapons, over-the-top vehicles and more – all of which carry back to the main game.
Chaos rises is available stand-alone for $13.45, or as part of the season pass for $39.99. Check out our review of Dead Rising 3, as well as our review for the last DLC; Fallen Angel.
“Ryse: Son of Rome” Developer Talks Mars’ Chosen Pack and Game Updates
Microsoft Studios and Crytek have opened the gates of the Colosseum once again and handed players one hell of a reason to take up arms again in Ryse: Son of Rome. Available now through Xbox Live is the most ambitious add-on to date; the Mars Chosen Pack. Available for $11.95 or as part of the Season Pass, “Mars’ Chosen Pack” adds new maps, a character skin and a brand-new cooperative gameplay type called Survival Mode. You will also get 5 new maps (with two being made specifically for Survival mode) and a new character skin; The Legionary.
“Zoo Tycoon” Receives Association of Zoos & Aquariums Stamp of Approval
The developers of Zoo Tycoon intended for their game to not only be fun, but also to teach players the responsibilities of running a zoo. To this end, they reached out to the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA) to provide expert advice on animal behaviour, what animals need from their enclosures and how they need to be cared for in real zoos – all in order to make the most authentic and educational experience possible while still being enjoyable.
However, the collaboration didn’t end once the game was shipped out. The AZA Tiger SSP’s Tiger Conservation Campaign was chosen as the first Community Challenge non-profit organisation and will receive a $10,000 donation from Microsoft in support of efforts to reduce the number of Sumatran tigers killed, displaced or caught in snares after the “Zoo Tycoon” community reaches its goal to collectively release 1,000 Sumatran tigers into the wild in the game. So seriously guys, start freeing those tigers!
New Developers Sign On to ID@Xbox
ID@Xbox is a program designed to make it easier for independent developers to get their games made, and available on the Xbox One platform. Since its launch, more than 200 independent game developers have signed on, and are using Xbox One dev kits to make their dreams into a reality. The first lot of games are already at Microsoft for certification and will hopefully be available on the Xbox Games Store in the coming weeks.
Red Bull TV Bring Heart-Pounding Action to Xbox 360
Time to round off this week’s Newsbeat with some high-octane 360 news! Red Bull, makers of energy drinks and sponsors of extreme sports have announced that owners of Xbox 360 consoles are able to download and watch all the action from Red Bull TV straight on their consoles. Red Bull TV specialises in high-quality programming that takes you behind the scenes and up close and personal with inspirational stories, people and lifestyles in sports, music, and culture. All Red Bull TV films, shows, clips and live programs are available to Xbox Live Gold members on Xbox 360 around the globe at no additional cost.
So that’s it for another week of Xbox Newsbeat! Lots of sweet news to digest, and some cool game DLC to go and grab! Which of these bulletins jumps out at you the most? Let us know in the comments below and remember to stay tuned to Capsule Computers for all the sweet Microsoft news as it becomes available
With Tecmo Koei releasing Dynasty Warriors 8: Xtreme Legends soon, the company has released a comparison trailer showing how the PlayStation 4 version of the game is a significant improvement over the PlayStation 3 release. The trailer can be found below and from the looks of it, the PlayStation 4 version will feature more detailed character armor, more enemies on the screen, and oddly enough appear darker than the PS3 version.
Dynasty Warriors 8: Xtreme Legends for the PlayStation 3 and Dynasty Warriors 8: Complete Edition, the PlayStation 4 and PS Vita version that includes both Xtreme Legends and the original Dynasty Warriors 8, is set to be released on March 25th in North America.
A new trailer for Chou Megami Shinkou Noire Gekishin Black Heart was released by Compile Heart today and this trailer highlights a number of the new characters that are in the game as well as the way gameplay will unfold. More details about these characters can be found on the game’s website here.
Currently Chou Megami Shinkou Noire Gekishin Black Heart is set for release in Japan on May 29th and at the moment the Vita title has not been announced for release in the West, though NIS America either has, or is, localizing most of the Neptunia games including the spin-off singing game.
Dandy: You got 205 in Flappy Bird? Meow: Don’t judge me…
Space☆Dandy Episode 8 – The Lonely Pooch Planet, Baby
In my long time as an anime fan, I have watched some seriously non-content shows. For goodness sake, I even sat through all of Lucky Star! But at least Lucky Star taught me the pros and cons of chocolate cornet bread which is more than I can say for this episode of Space Dandy! I don’t know who ‘wrote’ the script for this episode, but surely when they looked down at their work and noticed that it was several blank sheets of paper with a crude crayon drawing of Dandy and a dog, beautifully adorned by a macaroni art Aloha Oe, they must have seen something wrong with it. Maybe Watanabe put it on his fridge and the production team took that as a go ahead. Or maybe this is Space Dandy’s attempt at a troll? Either way, I think it is pretty apparent that I wasn’t a fan.
Even in the future, cameras are naturally drawn to cats.
Touching down on this week’s planet, Dandy. Meow, and QT emerged from their ship to find a barren planet entirely made of scrap and garbage. QT rushed off to find spare parts for the Aloha Oe, Meow went on the hunt for food, and Dandy was left with the ship, on the lookout for aliens. From then on, the episode can literally be summed up by: Dandy finds dog, dog dies, two ‘fleas’ jump from the dog to Meow, the fleas turn out to be little aliens that control machines, they infect QT, QT attacks Dandy and Meow, they accidentally kill the fleas, and the planet implodes, taking Dr Gel’s ship with it. Oh, did I forget to mention they were there? That’s because they did absolutely nothing significant except die.
It was about this time that Meow realised he had lost Scrapheap Challenge.
I have cursed myself with this anime. Because I so desperately want it to be good, I have a ridiculous amount of patience with Space Dandy, but episodes like this ware my patience thin. We have seen what Space Dandy is capable of and a number of episodes have been brilliant and I have praised them as such, but then you get episodes like this and episode 2 where so little of significance happens that they’re hardly worth watching. The first half of the episode was only there to introduce the Machinima Brothers (the fleas) and their part in the second half was so minute (forgive the pun) that the 10 minute set-up was made utterly meaningless. It felt like how The Simpsons sets up every episode i.e. something completely unrelated happens for 5 minutes, eventually ending up at the main body of the episode. In all honesty though, I would sooner watch any episode of The Simpsons than episode 8 of Space Dandy, even the awful recent seasons… Yes, it was that bad.
Just one of many lost photos from the Aloha Oe Christmas party.
The only redeeming feature of this episode was the plagued fridge that Meow stumbled upon which was a nice, subtle reference to Cowboy Bebop. Sadly, unlike that episode which was an awesome Alien parody that served to show a more silly, human side to Spike Spiegel, Space Dandy lacked any of the action, charm, and even the jokes that made that episode so memorable. Where was the intelligence of the zombie episode, the character depth ofepisode 5, the sheer awesomeness of Dandy surfing an explosion into space? Nothing made this episode stand out at all and that is seriously disappointing after its recent great form.
Herrreeee’s QT!
Luckily, next episode looks to be held on a planet considerably more interesting than the ball of garbage that this episode floundered on. We’re heading to the planet of the living plants! If that fails to immerse me back into my delusions that Space Dandy is a good series then I don’t know what will… Until next time.
Space Dandy is simulcasting in both subbed and dubbed formats and can be found airing on Adult Swim’s Toonami block or streaming on FUNimation in the US. UK viewers can catch it streaming on Wakanimand Australian viewers can catch it streaming on Madman with new episodes – both subbed and dubbed – up on the Madman Screening Room each Monday, at 1am AEDT.
For more impressions of winter’s best and worst, head over to our Anime Impressions page.
Nippon Ichi Software has opened up a new teaser website for a currently unrevealed title. At the moment there is no countdown on the site and the only hint comes in the form of interactive letters that can be clicked on by a glowing green fairy.
You can check out the site here and the letters can be assembled into random order, but putting them in the above order will make the letters glow and cause some background music to play. We will probably learn more about the title soon but from what it looks like, this may be a new Nippon Ichi Software IP which may make its way to North America sometime in the future by NIS America.
Today Namco Bandai has revealed a number of new screenshots for Tales of Zestiria which highlight the new character revealed a few weeks ago. This character happens to be Mikurio, Slay’s childhood friend. Mikurio is a member of the Family of Heaven which are often seen as an object of faith and can only be seen by people with high spiritual power.
Unlike Slay’s more rash personality, Mikurio is calm and collected. These screenshots also show the Mabinigio Ruins which is a dungeon that players will be able to explore in the game. Tales of Zestiria is currently set to be released worldwide sometime in the future.
Following their innovations with Project Christine and the Nabu Smartband, Razer have announced a new feature of their Game Booster software that automatically save game data to the Cloud, called Save Game Manager. Currently in beta, the feature backs up users’ progress to Dropbox, with more cloud storage services to be enabled upon full release.
Save Game Manager is compatible with over 2,000 titles, with that list to be further expanded by Razer‘s software engineering team as new games are released. Users may also manually add games, essentially meaning that every game will be supported in the future. Razer co-founder, CEO and creative director Min-Liang Tan, said;
We continually work to enhance the gaming experience for our Community. There are few things that take the fun out of gaming more than lost game progress or disappearing settings. It is our hope to rid the world of such frustrations and help make sure that losing game info never happens again.
Razer’s free Game Booster software is a simple to use game launcher with performance enhancing utilities and screen capture tools to go along with the save game backup. Check out its features below, and click here to download.
Game Booster – Boost your game and PC lifespan while keeping it in top shape.
Maximizes your system performance to give you higher frames per second, by automatically shutting off unnecessary processes and applications when you’re gaming, and resuming them when you’re done
Configures and optimizes your PC’s settings for peak gaming performance
Keeps your components up-to-date with the latest drivers, so you always get the best out of your system
Defrags your disks, prioritizing your game folders for faster loading and enhanced system efficiency for even smoother gameplay
Save Game Manager – Never worry about losing a save game again.
Automatically backs up save game files onto your favorite cloud storage services whenever your progress is saved. After all, lost save games don’t respawn!
Keeps your game settings in the cloud, so you won’t have to memorize resolutions, anti-aliasing multipliers or anisotropic filtering definitions anymore
Syncs as many save game files as you want for safekeeping, free of charge
Game Launcher – Experience enhanced PC gaming.
Catalogs and presents your entire library of games in a robust command center for easy access
Scans your PC to find your existing games, keeping your collection up-to-date without you lifting a finger
Screen Capture Gallery – Immortalize your best gaming moments.
Captures your epic moments in HD with a customizable hot key
Records videos of any length without unwanted watermarks
Shares your game walkthroughs and winning streaks in just a few clicks, so you can show off to everyone on Facebook and YouTube
You may remember that Viz Media had announced that they were planning on not only re-releasing the Ranma 1/2 anime on Blu-ray, but they were also planning to re-release Rumiko Takahashi’s classic manga series in a newly re-mastered 2-in-1 omnibus format.
