We have three Icon Home Entertainment film packs to giveaway, each of which includes every January release by the distributor: one Blu-ray copy of Paranoia, one Blu-ray copy of You’re Next and one DVD copy of Greetings from Tim Buckley. Go here to learn more about these titles.
To enter, please answer the following question in our comments section below.
How would you booby-trap your house against a group of intruders?
This competition will close on January 24th. Make sure you use a valid email when you register with Disqus before posting your comment so we can email you if you are one of our winners. If you choose to enter by logging in with your Facebook account, your email is not required.
Our thanks to the fine folks at Icon Films for enabling this competition, and good luck to everybody!
Michael Douglas has also been cast as Marvel‘s Ant-Man…as well as Paul Rudd. Confused? It’s ok, let me explain.
Michael Douglas is confirmed to play the role of Hank Pym, the original Ant-Man, creator of Ultron and founding Avenger. Meanwhile, Paul Rudd will play Scott Lang, Pym’s successor and the second Ant-Man, and presumably the character seen in Marvel’s test footage. With two generations of Ant-Man, director Edgar Wright has explained that the film will begin with a prologue introducing Hank Pym in the 60s, before a flash forward to Scott Lang’s story of becoming Ant-Man and teaming up with Pym himself. Sounds exciting!
Today NIS America has some good news for people who either didn’t want to spend the extra bit of money for the premium editions for some of their releases or were tardy to the party on picking them up. The company has revealed that kimi ni todoke -From Me to You- Volumes 1 through 3, our reviews of all three seasons can be found here, here, and hererespectively, and Natsume’s Book of Friends Season 1 & 2 will be available for purchase as standard editions beginning on February 4th.
These releases will come with some basic packaging, as seen to the right, that will include all of the on-disc bonuses that were included in the premium editions of the anime and a story guide leaflet.
A new contender has stepped into the realm of Geek genre movies, with 20th Century Fox completing a deal with Hasbro (parent company of Wizards of the Coast) to acquire the screen adaptions rights to the ‘Magic: The Gathering‘ (MTG) trading card game. Fans of the global force that is the MtG will probably have a brand spanking new film adaption of their favourite card game universe. If successful, the film could become the flagship for the launch of a new franchise to rival Warner Bros Harry Potter and New Line Cinemas The Lord of the Rings (As Fox no doubt hopes it will). Further information is scarce to found but it appears that Simon Kinberg, whose previous works include X-Men: The Last Stand and the 2009 Sherlock Holmes adaption, has been charged with the construction of a screenplay. Kinberg has also worked on the X-Men and Fantastic Four franchises in his time at the studio.
The MtG game is extremely popular internationally and had a popular roundtable discussion at PAX Australia last year, which we covered here. The universe of MtG largely revolves around the lives of the Planeswalkers (Powerful wizards who are also technically represented by the players of the game) and the dimensions they create/interact with/attempt to destroy. Whether Kinberg intends to adapt one of the (many) books dealing with the lore of the fantasy universe or develop a completely new narrative within or without it is yet to be seen.
There has been no word yet on what time frame the studio intends to work with for releasing the film, although I’d personally prefer they take their time with the production rather than churn something out ASAP.
Ubisoft are extremely excited to announce that their very own crazy creations, the “Rabbids“, are finally going to be making their small screen début starting in February in the UK. The folks over at Ubisoft have decided to partner up with cartoon juggernauts Nickelodeon to bring you a brand-new television series that centres around the furious furies and their adventures in the real world. 26 episodes have already been confirmed to be on their way and each of the episodes go for the usual thirty minutes. Every week these “Rabbids” will get into all different kinds of shenanigans as they’re brought into the world we live in and try to understand the usual human conventions but it seems as though there will always be some sort of trouble and much fun to be had.
Fans already in high anticipation of the series can hit up the official Nickelodeon “Rabbids” page (Nicktoons.co.uk/rabbids) from the 20th of January onwards to gain access to things like animated gifs, quizzes and lots of mini-games to play all of which have to do with the berserk bunnies. The Nickelodeon app for iOS devices is also joining in on this awesome fun with their very own set of little extras that you can view and play to get you even more excited for the coming television series, click here to head over to the iTunes page where you can download the app. Below you can see the new trailer for the upcoming series and don’t forget to head to our comments section below to let us know what you think!
Any anime that happens to be a comedy and is based in a high school following the students is going to be in for a rough time when it comes to making a good impression since this is one of heavily used paths for setting up gag comedies. D-Frag initially wasn’t on my radar at the start of the season but after a licensing announcement and taking a quick look over the few preview videos that were released by Brain’s Base I figured why not. So was this worth my time? Well I wouldn’t be writing this if it wasn’t.
Kenji Kazama is far from your average high school student as he just so happens to be the leader of a three person gang of delinquents, but despite their reputation and appearance for being tough guys, the three haven’t done anything yet and Kazama’s personality is rather straight laced compared to his rough looking exterior. So much in fact that he doesn’t hesitate to help pick up fliers for a young girl at the school entrance after she drops them.
Little does he know that this encounter is going to give his school life one hell of a change-up. Now during the last anime podcast I had trouble remembering the standard straight man funny man terms used in Japan and thanks to D-Frag I remembered them, boke and tsukkomi, thanks to the fact that the show is the epitome of that type of comedy.
After Kazama and his little gang help put out a fire in a club room for a bunch of girls, it quickly becomes apparent that his little gang of delinquents are far from the worse thing the school has to offer as this club of girls, including the one he met at the school gate, is a lot more than they can handle as his two friends are quickly knocked out.
The girls state that they are members of the Game Creation Club and since they are on the verge of being shut down due to a lack of members, Kazama has just earned the honor of becoming a member of the club, even if it means forcing him or coercing him one way or the other. After eventually giving his consent, under circumstances more dangerous than prisoners of war, he eventually learns the truth behind at least a few members of the club only to end up suspended after dealing with a club member that just so happens to be the student council president.
Now comedy can be hard to judge as what may be funny for one person might not be funny for the other but boy if you aren’t laughing during D-Frag then you probably need to check your sense of humor. D-Frag already has introduced a few running jokes in this first episode, one of which happens to be the fact that each of the girls has an element type that they like to use and the fact that poor Kazama might be the only normal person in the whole show so far as he reacts to each rather insane situation just the right way to get a laugh out of me.
Throughout the first episode we also get a bit of an introduction to each of the girls in the class and boy do we already have a loaded cast full of great girls. There is the violent and dominating student council president Chitose, the loli blonde Roka who happens to be the club president but has a dark side, the laid back advisor Minami, and even a tomboyish girl named Sakura that hasn’t really been introduced fully at the time but is quickly one of my favorites next to Minami, and that doesn’t even touch upon the fact that the other introduced male character, Kenji’s old friend and vice president of the student council, is a major masochist.
Put all of this together and we have a high energy first episode with plenty of comedy coming from almost every angle. There are plenty of visual gags and even a few chibi moments from Chitose to offer and the oddity of each of the characters while Kazama plays the straight man role makes for a hilarious series. There isn’t all comedy though, as we have a few touching moments between Chitose and Kazama as the former shows her dedication to the club, but it pretty much is all laughs.
As for what will happen next one could only guess in gag comedy such as this, but we do have the typical opening theme used as an ending theme for this episode and from the looks of things, a few more characters will likely be introduced and if it is anything like this episode, I’ll probably be laughing and enjoying it just as much as the next time around.
April 7, 2014. That’s the date us Game of Thrones fans have endured this excruciating wait for – the Season 4 premiere of HBO‘s mega-hit.
Although the George R. R. Martin adaptation was snubbed at the Golden Globes (wouldn’t have beat out Breaking Bad for Best TV Drama anyway), its fans’ rage has been quelled by the following Season 4 trailer! If you haven’t already seen it, you definitely must check it out embedded below. It teases all major storylines and developments, continuing to highlight Joffrey’s delusions. It also gives us a peek at the King’s wedding and Tyrion in shackles. This is poised to be an impactful and important season, especially for the immediate future of Westeros.
In a ground breaking move the community will determine the content of the online adventure game with momentous polls to decide updates in RuneScape
Tuesday 14th January 2014, Cambridge, UK – Jagex Games Studio, makers of the multi-award winning fantasy MMORPG, RuneScape, has launched the first in a series of major player polls as part of its Power to the Players strategy for the year ahead. This joint effort between Jagex and the passionate RuneScape community aims to ensure the game’s continued success at grassroots level, providing member players with ongoing opportunities to shape the world of RuneScape like never before.
The launch of Power to the Players has today seen the introduction of an in-game polling system that poses a critical, high-tier ‘Dragonstone’ question for players: ‘Invention skill vs Elf City – which do you want first?’ Both options are highly anticipated content updates, but it is up to members to decide which will be developed and launched into RuneScape later in the year.
“After unveiling the Power to the Players initiative at the end of 2013, we are delighted to begin this exciting new era with the launch of the first poll. We’re eager to listen to our players and their wants, and this poll emphasises the importance we place on listening to our loyal player-base,” said Neil McClarty, Marketing Director, RuneScape.
In addition to monthly ‘Dragonstone’ polls, members will also have the opportunity to take part in more frequent ‘Diamond’ and ‘Ruby’ polls. These mid- and low-tier polls will help decide topics such as which new dragon should be added into the game, and whether the spring event should be Easter-themed or not.
“The launch of Power to the Players marks the exciting start of democratisation in RuneScape as we provide players with significant means to shape a game they have been passionate about for more than 13 years. This journey began RuneScape 3’s launch last year, which saw the start of world events where player actions determined the outcome,” said Phil Mansell, Executive Producer, RuneScape. “RuneScape continues to push boundaries even in its maturity, and I can’t wait to see where the players take us.”
The first poll, Invention skill vs Elf City, closes on 31st January.
Forge of Empires’ Modern Era Presents Hollywood and Rock’n’Roll!
Hamburg, January 14, 2014. InnoGames just released a new period for its strategic online game Forge of Empires across all languages: The Modern Era, introducing the fabulous fifties to the game! The addition includes a completely new quest line, which will be the longest one so far with almost 100 story quests. New technologies, like “Commercial Aviation” and “Hollywood” wait to be researched, and numerous Modern Era buildings will create a unique 50’s vibe – who doesn’t need an amusement park in their cities? In this new video, the game’s designer Peer further explains features of the Modern Era.
The modern Era will introduce the full range of modern convenience to Forge of Empires – players have to take care of their citizens’ happiness and entertainment by building diners, amusement parks and producing movies. New production buildings allow for rare goods from previous ages to be refined and combined, creating entirely new ones. Blueprint collectors can also look forward to the Space Needle, the first of the Era’s Great Buildings.
There will also be lots of fights going on – the campaign takes place in a new continent in the Far East, spanning 11 provinces and containing several factions, each with their own agenda. The player’s choices in this conflict not only determine the outcome but also the rewards being given upon victory. The battlefields will introduce new strategic aspects as well: paratroopers and tanks allow for surprise attacks and devastating assaults. Battles now also take place on tropical beaches, palm trees and sand hills as strategic elements.
Forge of Empires is a browser-based strategy game in which players, tasked with leading a city to prosperity, can research new technologies, build impressive historical buildings and enlarge their sphere of influence through military campaigns and skillful dealing. The game has recently been awarded the title of “Best Browser Game 2013” at the German Computer Game Award (Deutscher Computerspielpreis). Besides the browser version, a full app for iOS and Android devices is coming soon. Forge of Empires reached more than 10 million registered users and is playable in 23 languages.
With about 110 million registered players, InnoGames is one of the world’s leading developers and providers of online games. Currently, the Hamburg-based company employs 280 professionals from more than 20 nations. InnoGames has scored major success with games such as Tribal Wars, Grepolis and The West.
Overview A staple of any ecchi action series involves the female cast battling it out with most of the damage presented as clothing being ripped apart, resulting in exposed breasts and panty shots everywhere. One of the series that started this trend is Ikki Tousen and it has had quite a bit of trouble with licensing over the last few years.
After Geneon folded with the first anime season, FUNimation obtained the license, but Media Blasters acquired the second and third seasons. However with Media Blasters’ numerous issues, they were only able to release the second season and they eventually dropped the third season’s license. Now, almost six years after Ikki Tousen: Great Guardians aired in Japan FUNimation has brought this release to North America. The question is, was it worth the wait?
Story In Ikki Tousen a number of teenagers in Japan possesses sacred jewels which contain the souls of warriors from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Despite being over 1800 years since that era ended, the souls of these warriors still burn brightly seeking battle and those who possess these jewels not only become fighters who will do battle with one another but they will even follow the same fate as their predecessor.
Now, that being said, Ikki Tousen: Great Guardians is the third season in the series and while those jumping into the show at this point may think that they would be losing out on a lot of plot development, as far as this season goes it really isn’t too much of an issue as very few developments from the first two seasons are brought out of nowhere in Great Guardians and most of the character relationships are easily figured out.
Anyways, Ikki Tousen: Great Guardians continues the story following the events of Dragon Destiny and the fall of Kyosho Academy’s (Wei) leader. Since his defeat the life of Hakufu and her cousin Koukin, both of which are fighters with souls from the Wu Kingdom, and the rest of the fighters have been living relatively calmly and enjoying the peaceful times between the Nanyo (Wu) and Seito (Shu) academies.
During this time a girl claiming to be the younger sister of Hakufu arrives and starts living with both Koukin and Hakufu as they attend school. However while the inclusion of a long lost sister is a bit of an addition to the series, the return of a once thought dead fighter returns in the form of Ryofu who not only has a jaded past with many of the fighters at both academies but she is also suffering from an extreme case of memory loss where she no longer remembers who she is.
Ikki Tousen: Great Guardians takes a bit of a different approach compared to past Ikki Tousen seasons as the fighting takes a back seat to watching the characters interact with one another or mess around somewhere with most of the time spent focused on Ryuubi and Kan’u and the main members of the Seito fighters and with most of Hakufu’s focus spent on her idiotic actions and time spent between Koukin and the little sister.
Any hints at an actual story are kept subtle for the most part, with the amnesiac Ryofu being taken care of Ryomou as we learn more about their past with one another all while Saji, a fighter both of these girls know all too well, has darker plans in the works. As a mysterious robed girl appears and members of both schools begin to act strange and fight against one another, Hakufu and the others must put a stop to the mastermind behind this plan.
For the most part, Great Guardians’ story works just well enough to be enjoyable since although the fights are fewer in number, this season focuses on controlling others and putting the bonds of friendship to the test. Where it fails however is almost everywhere else. While there are a few references to how these fighters are trying to change their fate and not let destiny control their lives, it plays a minimalistic role in this season.
Even though two new characters are introduced, both are one-dimensional with little actual character development. In fact, the only character to receive some development this series is Ryomou as we learn more about her past and the dragon inside of her. Outside of that the season focuses heavily on fan service, screen time and interactions for fan favorite characters, and a few battles here and there.
Visuals It is worth noting that while Great Guardians might be receiving a release here in 2014, the anime originally debuted back in 2008 and as such, the artwork and animation in this season does feel dated not only due to the age but the lack of overall quality that Arms put forth at the time. The characters have the same designs that fans remember and these designs are fairly basic with similar looking outfits for each school that are often ripped apart in battle to show off a girl’s panties and breasts.
The fighting sequences are nicely handled though the background scenery in these fights usually drop in quality whenever a fight is occurring. It is also worth noting that the show loves its low camera angle to give viewers as many panty shots as they want and there are even a few lewder scenes scattered throughout the season.
Audio One has to give FUNimation a lot of credit when it comes to Ikki Tousen: Great Guardians’ English dub. It would have been easy for them to simply recast the characters but instead they gathered up the entire cast from past seasons to reprise their roles in this season. As such fans will be delighted to hear that their characters have retained the same voice actors/actresses and the dub is handled nicely by the returning cast. Of course for those who choose to listen to it, the Japanese voice track is also available.
As far as the background music goes, it is rather standard fair for a release such as this, with many basic tracks used for normal scenes and a fitting but generic theme used for the fights. The opening theme is “No x Limit” by Ami and is fitting for the series while “Kage” by Asaha Rio is an enjoyable ending theme that actually is placed to some rather enjoyable artwork which shows a few of the female characters with more detailed designs.
Extras For the release of Ikki Tousen: Great Guardians we have a number of on-disc bonus features which range from the standard inclusions such as a commercial collection and promo video from Japan, to textless opening and closing songs, and trailers for other FUNimation products to two commentary tracks and two special additions to the release.
The first commentary track, for episode 2, features Jonathan Klein, the voice director for this season and the original producer for the first Ikki Tousen series, joined by Ted Sroka, the voice of Koukin, and Carrie Savage, who handles the voice of Hakufu. These three reminisce about their past as they worked on previous shows and how it was to come back to Ikki Tousen after so long. As for the second commentary track, for episode 5, features Jonathan again, Jonathan Klein returns, Michele Knotz, the voice of Shiryuu, Georgette Reilly, the voice of Kakouen, and Jessica Calvello, the voice of Ekitoku. In this commentary we learn about how FUNimation tried to gather the voice actors/actresses together and more about their work from the show.
As for the other extras, there is the Great Guardians Radio Event at Tokyo Anime Fair 2008 which is a half hour long event taped from Japan and the Battle Tour Club: Sexy Cosplays, Dangerous Jobs. This is a collection of six mini-episodes totaling fifteen minutes in length presented with a Japanese voice track which sees six different girls from the show in lewd costumes and situations to provide some final over the top fan service.
Overall Outside of a reduction in the fights, Ikki Tousen: Great Guardians gives fans what they want with plenty of nudity and panty shots while also focusing on characters but there still needs to be some worthwhile structure to keep the season going and unfortunately while the subtle developments involving Ryofu and the forces moving in the background are mildly entertaining, it hurts the series as much as the dated animation does. With a nicely handled English dub, Ikki Tousen: Great Guardians is still a great show for fans but one that ends up feeling inconsequential compared to the first two seasons.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Twitter | 
FACEBOOK | 
YouTube | 
Google Plus | 
RSS
