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Dragon Ball Z: Battle Of Gods Review

November 25, 2013

Dragon Ball Z: Battle Of Gods
Studio: Toei Animation
Publisher: Madman
Format: Cinema
Release Date: 24th November 2013 (Japan Film Festival 2013)

Overview

Dragon Ball Z has been around since the mid 80s and to this day I can’t honestly say it has dropped in popularity, it has only ever gotten bigger and better and, despite what some fans say, it really can do no wrong. While many things inspired Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball Z has inspired many other Manga and Anime series’ and without the work of Akira Toriyama (the creator of DBZ) a great deal of these newer titles wouldn’t be what they are. Dragon Ball Z: Battle Of Gods is the Eighteenth movie in the DBZ movie series and would have to be one of the most intense and aesthetically beautiful films I have seen in quite some time, all your favourite characters return, there’s a new threat to face and, thanks to the 2013 Japanese Film Festival, us here at Capsule Computers got to see it in all it’s silver screen glory.

Story

Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods is, through and through, a very typical Dragon Ball Z movie; there’s an infinitely powerful bad guy, the world is in peril, there’s talk of an explosive power that can be obtained and the only person who stands even a fraction of a chance is our hero Goku. At first this concept of Goku always having to be the saviour would have been one that would get audiences sighing and scoffing but the fact that Dragon Ball Z has always been like this for many years makes it so that audiences wait for Goku’s appearance instead of dreading when the inevitable happens.

After a great number of years the God of Destruction, Bills, awakens from a slumber wherein which he dreamt of a power that threatens to match that of his, after talking with his “carer”, Whis, they come to the conclusion that this power, the “Super Saiyan God” lies dormant somewhere on earth within a Saiyan. Goku, who is training with King Kai on his minuscule planet, catches wind of the awakening of Bills and his incredible power and, in typical Goku style, itches to battle the God. Before heading off to earth, Bills and Whis stop off to see Goku and King Kai and, after a bout between Goku and Bills, they head off to Earth hoping that a Saiyan more powerful than Goku waits somewhere there, did I mention Goku lost against Bills? Yeah…he lost.

On Earth the usual team are celebrating Bulma’s birthday with a huge party, Vegeta is off training somewhere when he gets a “call” from King Kai explaining the situation; Bills has the power to destroy planets without breaking a sweat and, much like a child, if he doesn’t get what he wants he throws a tantrum the likes of which you’ve never seen before. Bills and Whis end up joining the little party after a conversation with Vegeta, who seems to be acting extremely out of character due to sheer fear of Bills. This part of the movie is actually extremely humorous and the humour leads onto the cinematic and epic fights.

Without giving too much away, what sets Bills off is not the fact that the “Super Saiyan God” isn’t on Earth, it is because our old friend Buu would not share any pudding with him, do recall me comparing Bills to a child? That’s exactly what he is. Now there’s a great deal more that happens in the movie and there’s even a little side story that melds into the bulk of the story which just so happens to feature Emperor Pilaf and his two-man crew but for this review what’s above is sufficient, the rest HAS to be seen rather than read.

What I liked about this movie is that it hasn’t strayed from the typical Dragon Ball Z layout, which after all these years has become its own thing entirely and without the silly humour and the incredible fights between Goku and an enemy the series wouldn’t be the same. The in-story humour was very present, moreso than any other Dragon Ball Z film I’ve ever seen and the fact that Bills, the antagonist of the film, decided to rampage over something as simple as pudding was a little bit off-putting and while it worked out by the end to be more than just a pudding rage it was still very much there in the back of my mind, it almost jumped straight from humour to action but I can understand why.

Pride played a big part as a theme in this film; Vegeta set aside his pride when he sung and danced to defuse a situation between Bills and the others at the party and Goku set aside his pride when he obtained the “Super Saiyan God” power, unfortunately I can’t explain it without spoiling the movie so I’ll be leaving you a little out of the loop. I liked the theme of pride because the Saiyan race pride themselves on pride, it is present in almost every Saiyan being from Raditz to Vegeta and in most cases they can never put it aside, save for this one where they are basically forced to. The ending was both expected yet unexpected and, while I can’t go into details, you’ll be very pleased with the way it turns out, it’s fresh yet it sticks to typical DBZ traditions and it works very well.

Visuals

This movie is absolutely brilliant visually, there’s an almost perfect mix of CGI Animation and Traditional Animation to the point where I believe for the very first time this mix was done perfectly. The CGI Animation only became present during intense situations where a majority of the screen was populated by the flashing of energy or the swift attacks of the fighters and while there was some noticeable CGI scenes they were done well enough for it not to look corny and for people in the audience to not make a big deal about it. The animation in general was fluid and done well, it would have to be the most well-animated Dragon Ball Z movie to date and it makes sense to be because it is the latest of the series.

The environments throughout were almost breathtaking, I’ve never seen the Dragon Ball Z world in this way and to see it both animated well and on the big screen just blew me right away. There was never a dip in animation quality, it kept it’s integrity the whole way through and it’s safe to say that my mind wasn’t the only one that was blown away by its aesthetics of it all. You could take a screenshot of many parts of the movie and, chances are, it would look not only epic but incredibly cinematic, and that’s just from a glance. The two warriors actually fought in many different environments from the city to the mountains and even under the soft soil that lies beneath the ocean, there was so much to see and I just couldn’t get enough of it.

Audio

This is where I’d have to take off points and I hate doing it but I just have to, I cannot be biased because of my love for the franchise. The Japanese voice acting was sub-par to say the least, Goku is no longer a child yet he has the voice of a pre-pubescent boy, his voice not only doesn’t suit the character, it is also incredibly annoying and while you learn to live with it so that the movie can be enjoyed it is still there at all times and still to the very last minute it does not suit. Now I’m going to admit that I just wasn’t used to it because I had always followed the English Dubbed Anime but, from hearing murmurs around the cinema, I could tell that people weren’t all that impressed with what our hero sounded like.

King Kai was also a weird case, it seems as though his voice didn’t entirely match the actions of the character and, once again, it was a little off putting, fortunately for the film the rest of the voice actors were one hundred percent on the ball and sounded fantastic. The music througout the movie was absolutely brilliant, they used a cover version of the original Dragon Ball Z theme, “Cha-La Head Cha-La”, alongside some brand-new music, I’ll say that it made up for the terror that is Goku’s Japanese voice.

Overall

Dragon Ball Z fans will love this movie and if they don’t I think they’re just looking at it the wrong way. The animation is perfect, the music and sound effects are great, Goku and Gohan’s Japanese voices don’t suit the characters at all and the idea of Bills getting upset over pudding is very silly but they are just minor things, in a way, get brushed off when the true action kicks in and you start to understand the undertones of pride and power. I absolutely loved this movie, it brought me back to my childhood and it, I believe, has made audiences around the world feel the same. Dragon Ball Z is an incredible series and this movie is just another incredible part of it. Perfect for all ages, perfect for all fans of Anime, even those NOT into Dragon Ball Z, and going into it with a slightly more opened mind will allow you to have a brilliant movie experience.

Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.

CC Impact! Presents World of Warplanes

Jamie Laike Tsui

November 25, 2013

This episode of CC Impact! features WarGaming’s new MMO flight sim World of Warplanes. The free to play game takes players into the sky in over a hundred different planes from the US, UK, USSR, Germany, and Japan. The planes span from WWI to the Korean War. The game has been in testing for over two years, with the game finally reaching official release on November 12th and 13th, 2013.

Senior Editor Jamie Laike Tsui demonstrates the how to navigate the tech tree and upgrades menu of World of Warplanes. Then, hop into the cockpit for some intense dog fighting in the skies over Harbor and El Halluf.

Shield Of Straw Review

Frank Inglese

November 25, 2013

Shield Of Straw
Studio: NTV/OLM, Inc.
Publisher: Warner Bros. (Japan)
Format: Cinema
Release Date: 23rd November 2013 (Japan Film Festival 2013)

Overview

Japanese cinema is a wonderful and sometimes beautiful thing that, although similar to the Western style of film making, can be something entirely different and in some cases infinitely better but, like all forms of media, there is the good and the bad and you really can never have one without the other. Takashi Miike is a very popular Japanese film director who is famous for a great deal of movies like Crows Zero One and Two, the Ace Attorney movie, Ichi The Killer, and many more. His latest movie, Shield Of Straw, is a film full of action, thrills and a great deal of symbolism and conflicting standpoints that, while long and oddly paced, makes for an incredible ride that really screams “Takashi Miike!”.

Story

Shield Of Straw follows the story of a small group of highly-trained police officers who must escort and protect a child-molester and murderer named Kunihide Kiyomaru who is played by Tatsuya Fujiwara which you may know from films like Battle Royale or the live-action Death Note movies. Kiyomaru was a repeat offender, a sick man who never learned his lesson and really never made any attempt to repent or repay for the crimes he had committed. The granddaughter of a well-known billionaire, Ninagawa, was unfortunately a victim of Kiyomaru, thankfully he was convicted and sent to prison for many years but this just wasn’t enough for the grieving grandfather, he wanted Kiyomaru to suffer, suffer like his granddaughter did.

Skip ahead many years to the day Kiyomaru is released from prison, the newspaper goes out all around Tokyo with the mans face printed over every front page, the paper reads something along the lines of “The person who finds and kills Kiyomaru will be rewarded with One Billion Yen”, that isn’t verbatim but I’m going to assume you get the idea. Now despite Ninagawa giving a distinct rule that Kiyomaru must only be killed legally, the only two legal ways of killing people are if done through acts of war or the death penalty is given out by a governing legal entity, most characters totally disregard these two rules and it really only makes an appearance closest to the end.

All of Japan are after this man and the small task force must protect him since he is a Japanese citizen and for all intents and purposes he has done his time and is now an active member of society, the police officers lead by Lieutenant Kazuki Mekari must now transport this man to Tokyo where he will be taken into custody and ultimately into safety considering what they assume is about to go down, whatever it is the higher ups assumed would happen ends up being a great deal worse now that all of Japan is out to kill Kiyomaru. The film deals with deception a lot throughout the movie, every person that comes into contact with Kiyomaru has a motive to kill him whether it be strictly for the money or the hate they have for this man in general.

Shield Of Straw revolves around the theme of backstabbing alongside the conflict between ideals and decisions, the main crew are constantly questioning each other both about their dedication to the job and on whether or not protecting this man will ultimately do any good, they’re great questions to ask in-film because I can imagine the audience asking themselves the same thing. While the pacing of the story does drag on near the end it is still a very good one indeed and deserves merit for what it put forth to the audience and the way that, in end, it actually kept us in our seats. While there is a great deal of action, it’s spread throughout the film nicely and I feel as though it didn’t need much more because it was a movie will of questions and answers which cannot be put across through simple fighting.

I have to admit; it DOES get a little convoluted at times which did put a little pressure on me to be fully sucked into the film, luckily the characters have really in-depth and very good back stories that make you feel for them as well as making you understand why it is they say certain things and why it is they do certain things. Shielf Of Straw is basically a series of mistakes and fixing those mistakes only to make more mistakes. I’m still speaking of the story here, not the movie in general.

Mekari will do anything to complete his mission despite the fact that it goes against everything he stands for, through death, destruction and carnage he carries on, with a broken spirit he fights through because, in end, he knows that his conscience will be clean and that, despite what the majority believe, he has done the right thing. He also happens to have the best and most in-depth back story out of all the main cast and it is very interesting to witness throughout the film. If it was paced a little bit better and maybe a few key aspects were fleshed out more, the story would have been absolutely perfect.

Visuals

Shield Of Straw was developed by a masterful director so as you can imagine it was full of beautiful shots and haunting angles that really allow you to get a feel for the situations you’re viewing. Slow, panning shots and hard cuts were incredibly present throughout the whole film and they were used incredibly well. Despite only really having six main cast members all together at one the movie had a lot of these panning shots and they were done very well because the six were constantly battling the masses, whether it be a small army of SWAT officers or a panicked crowd scurrying for their lives, the main team were always battling something bigger than them, that’s where this panning and sweeping shots really made their mark, going from six scared faces to a deadly crowd of emotionless helmets and battle gear is truly a terrifying thing to witness and it was done perfectly.

Having hard cuts in intense and epic situations make for an incredible cliffhanger most of the time but in Shield Of Straw I found that it did something different, something almost Reservoir Dogs-like, the way they cut and the scenes in which they did led you to wonder exactly what happened in that gap between then and now and the fact that you never see it nor do they ever mention it leaves enough to the imagination that you speculate from then on. Shots that make you think. Just incredible.

Audio

Above all else in this movie I felt as though the lack of music was the most outstanding audio aspect. There WAS music throughout, during intense situation and what not but, as mentioned, it was the lack of music in certain scenes that really allowed them to set in. The sound of an incoming storm, the wind in trees, the clinging of wind chimes as the main protagonist and antagonist face off is something so fascinating, it hits you a fair bit and the use of it throughout the film is absolutely fantastic to say the least. I’m going to place acting in the audio section simply because of the emotion in the actors and actresses voices throughout the movie.

To see a man who has stayed mostly quiet during the film scream in fear, sadness, aggression and frustration is something that, much like those calm yet tension-filled scenes, really hits you and sticks with you afterwards. The fact that I’m actively imagining specific scenes as I’m writing this review is a true testament to that. Clearly these actors were perfect for their roles because their portrayal of such conflicting characters were almost perfect in so many ways and I really couldn’t imagine an American actor play a role this good, whether not I’m bumping it up to be more than it is that’s your job to decide but I have to give credit when credit is due and these actors really made their bones.

Overall

It is simply a fantastic movie that is just lacking certain things, not big things but definitely things that are noticeable and questioned afterwards which leads to the doubting of the movie and everything it has to offer which is terrible but it has to be outlined. Not every movie can be perfect, not every movie is perfect, this movie isn’t perfect but it is a brilliant film full of hard-hitting questions and even harder-hitting actors and actresses.

If you’re more action-inclined than this movie truly isn’t for you at all, thriller fans will enjoy it as well as mystery fans but the true audience for this movie are those who question, have strong moral opinions and ideals, this is what the movie revolves around and thrives on and it will really resonate with you if you work the way it does. Try not to mind the odd pacing and the way it drags on as well as certain little aspects not being outlined, while they may be annoying they are still thought-provoking and, had those little things been worked out, it would have been an absolutely perfect movie. All in all it’s still a great film and one that any Takeshi Miike fan should watch.

Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.

Persona 4: The Ultimax Ultra Suplex Hold hits Japanese PS3’s next summer

Travis Bruno

November 24, 2013

Not only did Atlus drop the announcement that everyone has been waiting for by officially revealing Persona 5, the company had a number of other announcements under their belt, including a release window for the console version of their latest fighting game, Persona 4: The Ultimax Ultra Suplex Hold.

The follow-up to Persona 4 Arena, the review of which an be found here, is a continuation of the first game’s story and includes a number of enhancements, shadow versions of current characters, and three new playable characters. It is worth noting that the game will be released in Japanese arcades sometime this winter so expect additional details as they are made available. For now, check out the latest trailer below.

Persona 5 officially announced for the PlayStation 3

Travis Bruno

November 24, 2013

Many thought that the announcement would come today, but after Atlus announced a chibi dungeon crawler and a dancing game, many Persona fans were growing concerned. However Atlus did not leave fans empty handed as the company has officially announced Persona 5 and it will be released on the PlayStation 3 in the winter of 2014 in Japan.

At the time of the announcement, and the trailer below which you can check out for yourself, we have very few details about the game except for that Katsura Hashino will be directing, Shigenori Soejima will be handling the art, and Shoji Meguro is handling the music. So now that the game has finally been announced, here come’s the wait for details.

Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth announced for the 3DS

Travis Bruno

November 24, 2013

Following the announcement of a Persona 4 dancing game, we have the reveal of a new Nintendo 3DS Persona title which happens to be called Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth and Atlus has given this one a release date of June 5, 2014 in Japan.

The title will feature the cast of Persona 3 and 4 as chibi characters while they explore a labyrinth. From the looks of things this title may be a more comedic cross-over spin-off since fans of the Persona series will likely be able to tell that some of these characters don’t belong. Anyways, check out the trailer below for a peak at the game.

Persona 4: Dancing All Night announced for PS Vita

Travis Bruno

November 24, 2013

If you thought that the next logical step for Persona 4 would be a dancing game then people probably thought you were crazy, but hell turns out you would be right. Today Atlus has announced that Persona 4: Dancing All Night will be released on the PlayStation Vita.

To go along with the announcement of the game you can check out the gameplay footage below. The game is being called a sound action title and it looks like it will mostly involve Rise and her work as an idol as well as a new character named Kanami. It appears that the story will take place around a half a year after the end of Persona 4 and for those interested, the developers of the Project Diva games, Dingo, are working on Persona 4: Dancing All Night.

Noire spin-off to be given an update next week

Travis Bruno

November 24, 2013

We’ve known for quite some time that Compile Heart was working on a spin-off game for the PlayStation Vita that would focus entirely on Noire, also known as Black Heart, which is currently being called Chou Megami Shinkou Noire Gekishin Black Heart.

However ever since the game was announced no details have been given for the title, but it seems that will change next week. Today Compile Heart released a new teaser trailer for the game which gives us a bit of a hint as to what the next game will contain. It looks like Noire will be meeting a number of new friends, but at the moment we still don’t even know what genre the title might be. What we do know though, is that it will likely be localized by NIS America as they have so far been localizing every Hyperdimension Neptunia title.

One Piece: Strong World Review

Travis Bruno

November 24, 2013

One Piece: Strong World
Studio: Toei Animation
Publisher: FUNimation
Format: Blu-ray/DVD Combo
Release Date: November 19, 2013
Price: $34.98 – Available Here

Overview
Whenever an anime breaches the hundred episode mark, it is clear that the series is quite popular and studios often take advantage of this popularity by releasing a few movies for the series. This is quite popular with the shonen genre especially, with shows such as Dragon Ball Z having over ten movies and now One Piece’s tenth movie has been brought over to English speaking audiences.

Now, most of the time these movies are a simple side-story with no correlation on the main plot, however in the case of One Piece: Strong World, we have the English debut of a soon to be main character. Does this unique little addition to Strong World make it worth picking up for One Piece fans?

Story
While sailing sometime after the events of the Thriller Bark arc, as demonstrated by a certain skeleton on their ship, the Straw Hat crew learns that an unknown force is causing massive destruction back in East Blue, where the majority of the crew originated from and where many of the friends they left behind still reside.

Putting their adventure on hold, Luffy and the rest start heading towards East Blue to try and put a stop to the city destroying force. While on their way there, a strange floating pirate ship appears above them and after Nami provides a warning about an approaching storm, the captain of the Golden Lion pirates named Shiki introduces himself to the Straw Hats and thanks them for their warning.

He even offers to help them on their way to East Blue as a reward for their help, but unfortunately for the crew and for Nami, Shiki has other plans in mind as he scatters the Straw Hats across numerous floating islands while kidnapping Nami in an effort to recruit her into his crew as their new navigator. As such, Luffy and the rest must reassemble while facing off against some of the strongest and oddest looking creatures on these islands and try to rescue Nami from the clutches of Shiki.

As far as movie storylines go, One Piece: Strong World is fairly impressive even though it does tend to re-tread old ground from the main series, what with Nami becoming an unwilling hostage to a pirate crew at the risk of her hometown being destroyed if she doesn’t agree to do what the bad guy says, though it must be said that Shiki makes for a far more impressive enemy than Arlong did, as Shiki’s power of gravity manipulation and unique backstory involving his legs, or lack thereof, make him quite intriguing.

Perhaps it is because his minions prove to be rather useless or that the various genetically enhanced creatures that run rampant through the islands appear rather imposing at first but are mostly paper tigers, but Shiki could easily pass himself off as long running villain in One Piece. As I just mentioned Shiki’s followers are quickly forgettable and tend to be on the annoying side as both of his main aids are walking jokes that only provide a small chuckle the first time they are used but fail terribly after the fact and eventually become rather annoying.

With Shiki serving as a legitimate threat and having a decent plan under his belt, it helps give the Straw Hats’ fight more purpose. Thanks to the number of characters in crew, a few are relegated to side-duty with Franky and Robin barely receiving any meaningful screentime and even Brook, making his English debut, only receives a small amount of screen time compared to the likes of Chopper and Usopp. However despite that, the story features some nice build up throughout the first half of the movie with a satisfying amount of action to close things out.

Visuals
Thanks to One Piece: Strong World having a higher animation budget, most of the film features some rather impressive looking visuals. When the Straw Hats are scattered across different floating islands, each island has its own unique design and ecosystem with a variety of wild animals for the crew to face off against as they focus on coming together and defeating Shiki.

As for the characters themselves, a nice level of detail has been added to each character and they undergo a few costume changes throughout the movie which is a nice touch compared to the standard clothing we’ve seen them in a hundred times so far. The fluidity of the fight scenes and how detailed most of the attacks are show that the animators had a lot to work with in Strong World and it benefits greatly from it.

Audio
To be fair, it has been quite some time since I’ve heard the FUNimation dub for One Piece but all of the characters from the main season retain their roles in the cast and handle their roles nicely. Being the English debut of Brook, we have Ian Sinclair handling the role and thankfully he handles it quite nicely with all of the character’s traits making the transition into English.

As for the rest of the audio, the film features some impressive background music at key points of the story and also has an enjoyable ending theme.

Extras
As far as bonus features go, One Piece: Strong World features only one notable piece of extra content is included in the release. This happens to be the 20 minute long Behind the Scenes of One Piece: Introducing Brook feature. Joining this is a simplistic set of trailers for other FUNimation anime and the US trailer for the movie.

The Behind the Scenes features Ian Sinclair, Brina Palencia, the voice of Chopper, and Mike McFarland who directed the dub and a number of fans as they discuss Brook and why Ian was chosen to voice the new character.

Overall
While a number of the Straw Hat crew, oddly enough even Brook, are given little meaningful screentime in One Piece: Strong World, the movie is a blast. Although his minions may be disappointing, Shiki boasts a powerful array of powers and an actual plan that seems viable enough to work. This makes Luffy and the others’ fight against him all the more meaningful, especially now that Nami is in danger once again and the only way to save her is with some impressive looking fight scenes.

Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.

So Many Me Kickstarter Campaign Begins

Nathan Farrugia

November 24, 2013

Extend Studio have announced a partnership with studio Spicy Horse to begin their first Kickstarter campaign dedicated to help complete and release the all-ages puzzle-platformer So Many Me onto a variety of gaming platforms. So Many Me takes inspiration from classic and modern highlights of the puzzle-platform genre and will see players take control of the main character Filo, an amorphous green blob who can create a seemingless endless army of clones. Filo will explore a huge world full of tricky puzzles, pitfalls and powerful bosses to stop an evil villian

People who pledge $10 or higher to the Kickstarter campaign will earn you an exclusive So Many Me! costume pack which includes an American McGee’s Grimm costume and the Akaneiro: Demon Hunters costume, both based on the characters present in games created by Spicy Horse Games.

The Kickstarter campaign is looking to raise another $19,000 to help polish up the currently-in-beta title and release it on a core set of platforms (PC/Mac/Linux). Stretch goals include additional releases on Playstation 4, Playstation Vita, and the WiiU. Other stretch goals include a level editor, costume editor and back-end to allow sharing user-generated content, along with brand new game levels and puzzles. Backers will be able to redeem reward copies for PC/Mac/Linux versions of the game directly from Steam the moment the game becomes available.

To check out the Kickstarter, along with all pledge and stretch goal information, please visit this link.

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