Sony Pictures have recently done something that is both odd and exciting, it seems as though they’ve gone and registered a few domain names that have alerted fans to the idea that there may just be an official “Sonic The Hedgehog” movie planned.
Now obviously this isn’t confirmed at all and Sony Pictures have said nothing on the matter at this point in time but us here at Capsule Computers love a little bit of speculation and if it causes fans to jump with joy simply at the though than we’re all for it!
The domains; “sonicthehedgehog-movie.com“, “sonicthehedgehog-movie.net” and “sonicthedgehogmovie.net” were all registered by Sony, hopefully we may actually see something come out of this and even more I hope, if this ends up becoming a reality, it does justice to the “Sonic The Hedgehog” name unlike a few of the franchises newer games.
Until we actually hear any info on the supposed movie I say we all just keep playing Sonic games and stay positive for a real cool and possible release. Gotta’ go fast!
The new Irish indie developers Punchscreen Games released Goldbeard on Desura.com on December 12th. The puzzle platformer follows Goldbeard, a dwarf who has to seek out gold and ale within the Dwarven dungeons to help the Queen save the kingdom. The game has a lot of different features that make it a worthwhile purchase for anyone who enjoys puzzle platformers.
Features
Plenty of unique levels for you to explore as Goldbeard. There are 40 different dungeons for Goldbeard to navigate through. Remember, you wield no weapons as Goldbeard, relying instead on agility, speed, and reflex.
Goldbeard’s torch can only do so much to light up the dungeons. Players have a time limit to complete their tasks. Once the torch burns out, you have to start over.
Enemy creeps roam the dungeons, making your task a difficult one. Ancient skeletons scour the dungeons, waiting for an unsuspecting prey to fall into their bony grasp.
You can find the PC game on Desura.com here for $2.99 EUR. Whether you’re an avid puzzle-platformer enthusiast or an aspiring side-scroller gamer, this game seems like a great choice to invest in.
The next announcement for Madman’s#12AnnouncementsOfXmas promotion is here. Madman Entertainment have officially announced that they have acquired the license for the anime Samurai Bride.
Samurai Bride is the sequel to the popular anime series Samurai Girls which was also released by Madman Entertainment. The follow-up series Samurai Bride continues the story in epic fashion and is surely a must-have for fans of the original series.
Stay tuned for further details on Madman’s #12AnnouncementsOfXmas promotion as they continue to announce more and more title acquisitions in the coming days in the lead up to Christmas. Be sure to let us know what you think of this announcement in the comments section.
Previously on Kill la Kill, we were lucky enough to witness the musical fury of one Nonon Jakuzure. Amidst her aerial domination of our Scissor Meister, Senketsu evolved once more and took the fight to the skies. Which Jakuzure was not too happy about. With her superiority threatened, the band girl unleashes her full might on Ryuko. Will she win? Probably not…but let’s see what happens anyway.
Annoyed by the nerve of Ryuko, Jakuzure forgoes the tactics for a more…ballistic approach. After her various Scissor based attack fail to dent the mighty behemoth, Ryuko takes a different approach. Deciding to use her own power against her, Ryuko hijacks one of the numerous Flute Missiles and redirects it…straight into Jakuzure. With her machine destroyed, Ryuko goes for the classic Sen-i-Soshitsu. Unfortunately for her, there is one thing that a performer loves: an Encore. Releasing the power of her Three Star Uniform Symphony Regalia: De Capo, Jakuzure unleashes a focused music blast to eviscerate Ryuko. With their connection strained by the overwhelming sound, Ryuko and Senketsu struggle to make a counter attack. However, as they have in each previous fight: they evolve. Ryuko hones her senses and essentially becomes a tuning fork, transforming Jakuzure’s sound wave into one that matches her own body, rendering it ineffective. More than that, she manages to send it back to Jakuzure using her new technique: Senketsu Mubyoshi. With one final Sen-i-Soshitsu, it’s curtains for Nonon Jakuzure.
A New Challenger Appears…rather suddenly
With the third Elite Four member defeated, it’s time for her last battle before she takes on Satsuki herself. The all seeing bamboo blade master: Uzu Sanageyama. The two stare each other down, preparing for a climactic battle. One that will decide their place in Hannouji. Win or loose, the two will fight it out to the bitter end. With his Blade Regalia Mk II activated, Sanageyama lunges at Ryuko, who meets him in kind. Full speed, the two dash towards each other, voices loud, minds resolute, weapons drawn…then a girl floats down between them. Needless to say, both combatants are shocked by the sudden appearance of this cute girl. More surprising however, is the fact that the stoic Lady Satsuki loses her cool and screams for Sanageyama to fall back. Not a good sign. Not in Inumuta’s databanks, her identity is revealed when Satsuki questions why she, Nui Harime, has arrived.
When Sanageyama takes it upon himself to remove this new problem he, along with everyone else within Hannouji Academy, is shocked when Harime block his Three Star strike with nothing more than an umbrella. If that wasn’t shocking enough, she then proceeds to dismantle his Regalia with a pinky. With the nail on her pinky…Let me run that one by you again, the Elite Four member that almost destroyed Ryuko was bested by a single finger. We learn that this is possible due to the Banshi. Within each Goku Uniform is a single thread imbued with “the will to become clothing”, that allows the Life Fibres to maintain their form. In fact, it is the Banshi fibre that Senketsu absorbs after performing Sen-i-Soshitsu. However, as Iori states, it is inconceivable that anybody could locate the Banshi and destroy it in a mere moment. So things are not looking positive when she turns her attention to Ryuko.
Seriously, just look at her
Stating that Ryuko is free to let loose her full Kamui power, Harime attempts to goad her into combat. When her verbal attempts fail, she tries a more physical approach. From her outfit she draws a weapon. A very familiar, very rare weapon…a Scissor Blade. Harime then quite happily states that it was her who pulled the blade from Ryuko’s father, after she killed him. With her true enemy before her, Ryuko responds with pure, unbridled fury. Far beyond her anger at the Elite Four, at  Hannouji Academy, at Satsuki even. Blinded by rage, the syringe from her Gauntlet flies from her wrist as she prepares to utterly destroy Harime.
In the background of these revelations, we also catch a glimpse of Ragyo Kiryuin, the mother of the illustrious Hannouji President. A glorious, glorious glimpse.  Just as Satsuki is known for illuminating the school she looks down upon, her mother shines with the colours and and beauty of a marvelous rainbow. So much so that her assistant is forced to wear sunglasses. Anyway, it would appear that Ragyo is aware of the events in Hannouji. Satsuki even deduces that it is her mother who sent Revocs’ Grand Couturier (High Order Tailor) Nui Harime to interfere with the proceedings of the Naturals Election. Nudist Beach also lurks behind the scenes with plans of there own. As the ultimate badass Tsumugu Kinagase returns, he presents Mikisugi with a bullet that appears to be made of Life Fibres. As with any strange ammunition there is only one shot, so Mikisugi must abide by this anime trope and choose his target wisely. Be it Ryuko, Satsuki or the new threat: Nui Harime.
The face of pure fury
So with the powerhouse organisations preparing to make a move and Ryuko ready to launch into a rampage, next week is set to be chock full of violence and maybe some answers…but definitely violence. So much anger…
These types of movies do so much more than just take audiences away from their lives for two hours, they leave a legacy, one that we’re constantly reminded of time and time again. How many of you have watched the movie “Chronicle”, an American-made, live-action movie, and thought to yourself; “This really reminds me of Akira”. How many of you have gone back to watch the film after seeing something clearly inspired by it? This is its legacy and while it’s not the only movie that has a huge influence on the pop culture industry, it is one of the biggest and arguably one of the best.
Story
The setting is Neo-Tokyo in the year 2019 and the city is slowly recovering from World War III and a separate disaster that actually ties into the entire premise of the movie, but I wont get into that quite yet. Kaneda and Tetsuo are two street punks and bike enthusiasts who run with a biker gang, the group are constantly in turf wars with other bikers and, after a fairly brutal showdown between them and a rival gang, the two young men stumble on what seems to be a classified and highly-dangerous Government project. Tetsuo literally hits a little boy with his bike, by accident of course, who doesn’t look entirely normal; his skin is a pale blue and is shrivelled of an 80 year old which, last time I checked, is something little boys shouldn’t necessarily have. The small boy somehow makes it out of the accident without a scratch, Tetsuo on the other hand is hospitalised in a secret Government facility…this is where the craziness kicks in.
While in the facility, certain tests are run on Tetsuo, it seems as though the boy he encountered was actually Government experiment and the scientists working on him seem to think that the Tetsuo has similar brain waves to a “prodigy”, so to speak, Â that was actually the cause of a certain disaster many years ago. Remember I mentioned it above? I said I’d get to it eventually. This secret branch of the government are trying their hands at creating telekinetic humans of which have a limitless number of capabilities, the boy in the accident was one of the many experiments that seemed successful to a certain degree though as much as the agency has tried they have not succeeded at recreating a controllable version of Akira, the prodigy. It seems as though Tetsuo is their next attempt to create the perfect telekinetic weapon and whether it goes good or bad is for you to find out when you watch the film. My lips are sealed but you can guess what happens next, it wouldn’t be much of a movie if the “secret government experiments” went smoothly.
Akira has a fantastic premise which, to my knowledge, is one that really hadn’t been touched on much by that point in time. I love a good story that mixes science with the supernatural and Akira, to this day, is still my most favoured example of such a mix. It is incredibly unique and mixes not only genres but characters from all different walks of life, you get to see the interaction of characters that, had these events never transpired, would never actually give each other the time of day. Street punks, government officials, scared children, and so many more types of people come together for one common purpose.
The characters were thought out and each of them came across well and actually had a purpose within the movie, big or small they all had their scenes and they all told us more about themselves and the characters around them. Characters like the group of girls who constantly hang off the gang, once Kaneda and the rest of the group stop thinking about their bikes and begin stressing over the disappearance of their friend and spiritual brother the young girls decide to ditch them because “without their bikes they’re nothing but skirt-chasers”. The lengths that Kaneda goes to in order to save another or to save his, now deranged, friend is something that he may not have necessarily done at the beginning of the film but it has become almost like second nature to him now simply because of the trouble he and the rest of the nation is in.
When watching Akira you absolutely have to pay as much attention as possible, it’s necessary to get the entire view of the story but it’s also a good idea to pay extra attention just to see the symbolism within it. I’ll give an example that takes place early on in the movie: The small boy I was talking about earlier and a grown man who does not get defined are being chased by the police, it doesn’t seem like they can catch them so the officers decide to release the police dogs to chase them through the traffic on the road and to bring the chase to a halt.
As the dogs duck in and out of stopped traffic you can notice large monitors throughout the street playing what looks like a Disney-inspired piece of footage which has two dogs eating a plate of some sort of undefined food. It constantly switches back and forth between the terrifying hounds and the harmless cartoon in the background, obviously I don’t have to point out exactly what it is doing, the simple comparison between the two is enough to get your brain-juices flowing but I’m simply making a point. I could honestly sit here all day talking about what Akira does right so, at the risk of having this review go on for too long, I’ll instead say this to you: The story will not disappoint in any way, if you watch the movie and feel like there are a whole bunch of inconsistencies and useless scenes, I just don’t think you’re watching it properly.
Visuals
I’ll start by simply saying: Akira is old, you have to keep that in mind while watching this movie and, take note, there is a big difference between old and classic; a 1998 Ford Laser is not the same as a 1967 Shelby Mustang. Fortunately, and much like an old Mustang, Akira holds up well in 2013 despite its release 25 years ago, I’ve seen a whole lot of Anime movies and series’ that aren’t animated as well as Akira is. The remastered version of the film takes care of a great deal of the “grainy” look that the original film had and while it still has remnants of it, I wouldn’t consider it to be that bad at all. The character design is a really nice and each of the main cast do really resemble what they looked like in the original Manga so you could say it transitioned well from one medium to the next.
The greatest visual aspect of the film, apart from the animation itself, would have the be the environment design. See Neo-Tokyo in HD is one of the many things that got me excited to revisit this movie once again, they did a perfect job putting across what a semi-futuristic city would look like; it’s not all incredibly pristine nor is it unbelievably dingy. For the most part it’s the same as any metropolis but they addition of the “being built” Olympics Stadium and certain buildings that look more advanced than others gives the overall vibe of “moving forward into the future”. It was all done very well and, like I said, the animation was just incredible.
Audio
For once in a very long time it seems as though I’ve come across a film that has decided to use a lack of music to perfectly describe what’s happening within a scene to an audience member auditorily. There are only a handful of moments in the entire film that I can remember hearing certain musical tracks and THOSE were used just as well as no music was in other scenes. The music made by what seemed to be some kind of church organ really fit in so well with the theme of the film, there was also a great deal of tribal music used and it almost went from tribal to organ as the story progressed which suits Tetsuo’s growth and change throughout. He goes from being a juvenile delinquent to being the next true form of human evolution, from tribal to holy all in one film. Going back to the lack of music in scenes; it was a great way to put across the feeling of isolation and loneliness, you have to remember that the more Tetsuo grows into his abilities, the more separated he become from normal human beings and, more importantly, the friends his made into his family. Tell me that’s not perfect.
One thing I will say about the voice acting of the movie is that it fluctuates between great and simply acceptable, some voice actors and actresses make up for what the others lack and it times it can be a little annoying, not overly annoying because the voice actors still do a great job but it’s noticeable that some are a great deal better than others. Though the fantastic thing about this release is that, and sorry for being blue, it covers its own arse. It gives you the option to watch the movie in three different dubs; like normal Anime releases you can watch it in both English and Japanese but there are two different English dubs that you can watch it in which are the original dub of the movie and the dub that was done in 2001 so if you don’t like one of them you can always switch over to the one that you enjoy more.
Extras
As you can probably already tell by the name of the release, Akira 25th Anniversary Special Edition, it comes with a great deal of extras that are down right perfect for any fan of the movie. Physically the release is very solid, it comes in your standard Blu-Ray case but with an added dust sleeve that looks very nice in a collection, it also comes with a Production Booklet that explains a great deal of the intricacies within the story. It also things like production notes, designs and even an interview with Katsuhiro Otomo who is the original creator of Akira.
The on-disc extras are just as good, if not better, than the physical ones; normal things like trailers and commercials are present alongside storyboards and sound clips but it’s the additions of the director interview and the “Restoring Akira” extras that really hit hard. Obviously the director interview is self-explanatory and incredibly interesting much like the “Restoring Akira” extra which gives you a huge look into the behind-the-scenes areas of the industry. It takes you through how exactly they managed to get the footage into HD as well as stories of the crew’s favourite times working on the film, it gives so much information on the movie and really helps you appreciate the smaller things. There’s so much to see in this release, it really is more than just a movie.
Overall
Akira is a classic, it’s an old man that doesn’t want to die, he’s stubborn, he’s defiant, he’ll be around forever and, my God, has he done some great things in his time. The single that that it still stands as a great Anime movie even in this day and age is enough to warrant this a perfect score but it’s for so many other reasons, on top of that one, as to why it deserves to sit atop the Anime movie throne. The one things that bring it down even the slightest is a few of the voice actors in one of the three dubs you can choose from but, like I mentioned above, it covers itself and gives an audience member enough options to make them happy. As a whole release it really has nothing else you could want from it, it delivers in every way it can and it’s simply perfect in my eyes. Remember, at the end of the day it’s my opinion and when it comes to judging a full release the Akira 25th Anniversary Special Edition DVD and Blu-Ray combo really takes the cake.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Teslagrad, an exciting 2D puzzle platformer with hints of action elements, has just been officially released on PC, Mac, and Linux. The Norwegian-based indie developer Rain Games presents this very unique platformer, where you play as a Teslamancer uncovering the secrets of the tyrannical king and a conspiracy that’s been forgotten for years. By utilizing magnetism and other electro-magnetic powers and skills, you seek to discover the secrets within the Tesla Tower.
The developers announced that it will be released on the PC, Mac, Linux, PS3, and Wii U. The game has a long list of great features that is sure to entice platformer-enthusiasts.
Features
Plenty of complex puzzles have been created to keep players busy when playing Teslagrad. Players will have to wrack their brains in order to manipulate the environment by using their magnetic powers.
The 2D hand-drawn surroundings provide an endless landscape for players to immerse themselves in. Exploring the Tesla Tower will provide access to new items to improve your gameplay experience.
Visual storytelling is a major focal point in Teslagrad. Instead of throwing walls of text or having a narrator speak incessantly during cut scenes, Teslagrad boasts a visual narrative style, allowing players the chance to see the full story instead of hearing it or reading it.
The game has no loading screens, cutscenes, or GUIs. Teslagrad focuses on the player and the gaming experience they have with it, which means it’s you and the game the whole time, no disruptions.
The game was just released on Steam, Desura.com, and GOG.com. The PS3 and Wii U versions of Teslagrad will be released in 2014. Pick up this great game for $7.99 USD at one of the sites listed above, a 20% discount from its original price. This promotion will only last for a week so grab it while it’s hot!
Stand up! Stand up! If you love football! Inazuma Eleven has just crash landed onto the Hulu streaming service in the United States, boasting a full first season of 26 episodes and two audio languages available.
The Hulu stream for Inazuma Eleven will be available in English and Spanish dub with the first season available now. The service lists Arait Multimedia as the distributor for the series in the United States.
You can check out the Inazuma Eleven anime on Hulu now here. It is unknown whether Hulu plans to add the rest of the long-running series to its service in the future. Stay tuned for updates on this as it comes to light.
Hiiro No Kakera Season 2 Studio: Studio DEEN Publisher: Hanabee Format: DVD Release Date: December 4th, 2013 Price:$59.99 – Available Here
Overview Hiiro No Kakera is one of those anime series that you’ll either love or hate. There really isn’t any in-between for this series. It aims very specifically for a certain audience and doesn’t even consider anyone outside of it. In that regard, it is an anime that will no doubt be love by those in its target audience, but absolutely abhorred by those that aren’t.
So what is this anime’s target audience? Well to put it quite plainly, this is an anime for women. There is very little here that would appeal to the male gender, but that doesn’t write this off as being a solid series, because for what it is, Hiiro No Kakera isn’t half bad. With its second season Hiiro No Kakera doesn’t exactly shake things up too much, but it does continue the tale of Tamaki and her horde of handsome men in an intriguing way, expanding upon the first season but not improving upon it.
Story
Now that she is the Tamayori Princess, Tamaki comes to discover the difficulties involved with being royalty. The tale progresses quite nicely adding layer upon layer with each passing episode. It ultimately all builds to a somewhat predictable climax, but it will no doubt satisfy the die-hard fans of the series.
The series stays very true to its otome game roots in this second season, with the majority of the drama stemming from the numerous romantic options available to our heroine. Unfortunately the majority of these potential romances are dead on arrival due to poor character development and lack of chemistry between the charaters involved.
As far as action goes, Hiiro No Kakera is somewhat lacking in this regard, often lacking appropriate tension to the proceedings. It is a problem that underlines this entire season unfortunately. The lack of tension and dramatic urgency causes many of the most important to fall flat on their face. It is a disappointing story-telling effort all in all but it may just owe itself to the otome game it is adapting.
The lack of tension and urgency is definitely odd considering the destruction of the world is at stake in this season. The overarching plot-line is weak at best due to sloppy pacing that hampers the entire experience.
Ultimately if you enjoyed the first season of Hiiro No Kakera, the second season is likely to be to your interest. Despite that, it must be said that nothing has been done to improve upon the highly flawed first season, with many of the same issues rearing their ugly head once more. This is definitely one best left to the die-hards.
Visuals and Audio
The facet in which Hiiro No Kakera truly shines is its impressive animation work and artistic array. The colour pallete here is absolutely gorgeous and elevates what would otherwise be a very bland anime series. The uplifting vibrant visuals give life to this series and make it a memorable aesthetic experience because of it. The true highlight here is in the aesthetics.
As for the score, Studio Deen have done an admirable job in creating some solid tracks, however the timing of the incidental music is anything but precise. The arrangement is sloppy at times and often doesn’t fit the mood of the scene appropriately. It is a small thing that can cause a domino effect in an anime series and it definitely does just that in Hiiro No Kakera.
This release from Hanabee features both a Japanese language track as well as an English language dub. The English dub which was originally done by Sentai Filmworks is sadly lackluster in nearly every regard. The performances are weak across the board and at times it feels as though the voice actors are bored with the series, resulting in tired sounding dialogue and stiff exchanges. Thankfully the Japanese audio track is a pleasant alternative featuring a solid cast that seem genuinely interested in the work they are doing.
Extras
Hanabee has done a pretty good job on this release of Hiiro No Kakera Season 2. The release features both English and Japanese audio tracks which is always a plus. It also features clean opening and ending theme songs. However the real highlight as far as bonus content goes is the image gallery that features some art from the series. This all amounts to a solid release for the series, one that is well worth the price tag for those interested in it.
Overall Hiiro No Kakera is as polarizing as it is relentless. Over the course of two seasons it has been relentless in its consistency. It commits to itself completely, glaring flaws and all. It is that kind of unwavering commitment to its formula that makes Hiiro No Kakera so divisive. It doesn’t try to branch out to other audiences, it doesn’t try to improve upon its flaws and it certainly doesn’t seem to care one way or the other.
This second season doesn’t do much to help fix the problems that plagued the first season of Hiiro No Kakera, but it does manage to expand upon it in some ways. Unfortunately it is still a series that is really best left for the ladies. Even then the series is fundamentally flawed in many ways, the biggest of course being the haphazard storytelling that can’t seem to decide whether it wants to be a straight up romance or a supernatural action series.
All in all this is one hell of a mixed bag that you’ll either love to bits or hate with a passion. I wouldn’t recommend this to the male audience as it features a predominantly bishonen cast that no man on earth could find themselves relating to in any way. However it is really just an idealistic tale from a woman’s perspective of a world filled with handsome men each of whom embody what they believe is the ideal man. And that is really all that Hiiro No Kakera amounts to after two seasons, idealistic and shallow.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
The 2014 CG animated Saint Seiya feature film has been eagerly anticipated by fans of the anime series. Fans will be pleased to see that the first art for the Saint Seiya film as well as its official poster have been revealed.
As you can see in the poster above, the film looks to be titled Saint Seiya: Legend of Sanctuary. The tagline for the film is ‘Save Your Athena’. Given the film’s title and the tagline it looks like this movie may be based upon the Sanctuary arc from the original series.
For a closer look at each of our Saint heroes, you can take a gander at Seiya, Hyoga, Ikki, Shun, Shiryu and Saori in the gallery below. Be sure to let us know what you think in the comments section below.
Madman Entertainment have now announced their third #12AnnouncementsOfXmas anime acquisition. They have officially acquired the license for High School of the Dead: Drifters of the Dead.
As fans of the High School of the Dead series likely know, High School of the Dead: Drifters of the Dead is the OVA follow up to the wildly popular zombie apocalypse anime series.
Madman will be release High School of the Dead: Drifters of the Dead exclusively on digital platforms in 2014. There is no plans for a physical release of any sort for this OVA episode of High School of the Dead. Stay tuned for more announcements as part of Madman’s #12AnnouncementsOfXmas promotion.
