With the latest trailer of the upcoming Dragonball Z: Battle of Gods, came the reveal of plot details. It will feature the new characters Bills, the God of Destruction and his aide Wiss.
“Bills, the god of destruction who has maintained the balance of the universe, has awakened from a 39-year slumber to destroy the planets in his realm. Hearing rumors of a Saiyan (Saiya-jin) who defeated Freeza, Bills comes looking for Goku.”
Excited that a powerful opponent has appeared after so long, Goku ignores King Kai’s advice and challenges Bills in a battle. However, Goku is no match for Bills’ overwhelming power and is defeated. Bills leaves after uttering an ominous message, “Is there anyone on Earth more worthy to destroy?” Will Goku and the others really be able to stop the God of Destruction?!”
The film is set to air March 30th in Japan, though no information has been set on an English dub as of yet.
Check the trailer below to see the God of Destruction in action! (Japanese)
Star Trek Into Darkness is the second film in the rebooted Star Trek franchise directed by J.J. Abrams and produced by Bad Robot. Viewers may remember that this was the same team that directed the first rebooted film in the franchise and were also responsible for the highly regarded LOST television series. At an event hosted by Paramount, us here at Capsule Computers were able to get a sneak peak at the first 28 minutes of the film, as well as a couple of extra segments from later on in the story.
Writing this impressions article has been a difficult task as I really want to go into detail on a lot of points in regards to the films story. However, I have taken extra caution so as to not spoil anything within the film that is of major importance. Instead, I’ll be trying my best to convey what it was like to be watching the film.
Star Trek Into Darkness starts off with an extremely gripping action sequence that had all of the elements that a good action/chase sequence should have. It had explosive elements, some kinds of conflicts and also served as a great way to learn about each of the characters, their way of thinking and how each character see’s a different solution to the same problem. This scene was great to watch as it set up the tone and feel of the movie from the get-go, and I must say that the film definitely lives up to this feel set by the opening scene.
The next (roughly) twenty minutes deal with a plot line that sees a major character losing something close to them, as well as the set up for the major villain and their capabilities. I have to admit that when I saw Benedict Cumberbatch in the villain role, I was a little overjoyed. He did a great job in the Sherlock TV series, and as a villain, he adds an amazing aesthetic to the character.
The film, from what I can tell from what we’ve seen so far, is amazingly well paced and easy to understand. The team behind the film have gone to great lengths to ensure that the film is not only accessible, but it is also gripping and entertaining for the entire duration of the film. I don’t say this because we were briefed on this being the case for the film; I say this because as I watched the film and our viewing session suddenly ended, I actually said: “What? It’s been 40 minutes already?”.
I swear, it only felt like I was in the cinema for a fraction of the time. This is how you know that you’ve made a quality film. Nothing bores the mind and the viewer is kept engaged the entire time. To ensure that I hadn’t been influenced into finding this more enjoyable than it should have been, I only drank a juice before entering the cinema.
Overall, as a film, it looks like Star Trek Into Darkness is going to be the best film for this year by far. I will probably be camping out the night before this film is released just to be the first in. I haven’t ever done this before. That is how satisfying this film will be.
With the Spring 2013 anime season set to begin in a couple of weeks, I am continuing what we here at Capsule Computers dabbled with back at the beginning of the Winter 2013 season. Glancing through the Spring 2013 line-up, it appears that the season is quite strong and is packed full of sequels. Now amongst these shows, which ones will I be picking up? I’ll give you a hint, if it has fan service, harems or is a rom-com it’ll probably be on this list. Here is what I will be picking up this season:
Date A Live
Over thirty years ago a strange “spacequake” occurred and it absolutely destroyed the center of Eurasia, killing over 150 million people and since then various spacequakes have occurred throughout the world. The story of Date A Live follows Shidō Itsuka, a relatively normal high school boy who comes across a strange girl at the base of one of these spacequakes. It turns out that Itsuka has a strange ability, an ability that allows him to seal the power of the Spirits that cause these disasters. However the only way to seal these Spirits is to make them fall in love with him.
This series is pretty much right in my strike zone. Everything I’ve seen of the series so far points towards a harem-comedy with plenty of action sequences. It is originally based off of a set of light novels so the story may be worth sticking around for, but I’ll likely stick with it simply because of the female cast and the interesting premise of spirit girls with supernatural powers.
Dansai Bunri no Crime Edge
Haimura Kiri is an odd boy who has an obsession with cutting people’s hair, however one day when he meets a reclusive girl with hair that is longer than her body, he finds himself enamored with her. However her hair cannot be cut due to a curse she inherited. However when Kiri learns that he owns a pair of special cursed scissors called the “dansai bunri no crime edge” he realizes that he can indeed cut her hair. However doing so launches an old murder game where those who possess cursed “killing tools” try to kill the hair queen, in other words Kiri must now protect this girl from those seeking to kill her.
This is certainly an odd sounding series and the whole aspect of the killing tools seems very farfetched, however the promotional material does make the series look decent enough. Plus these aren’t just basic weapons they are using, there are things such as a pair of scissors, a random syringe and more so it will be interesting to see what will occur throughout this season.
Photo Kano
This one is a story about a high school student named Kazuya Maeda who is given a camera at the start of his next school year. He then begins taking pictures of the girls that he likes and it seems that they will eventually start to fall in love with him.
Now… well this one just sounds odd. Anways, it’s an adaptation of a dating simulation video game so I’m not expecting much in the way of plot here. Still, it appears similar to Amagami SS so it’s at least worth checking out, though I’m keeping my hopes relatively low.
Hataraku Maou-sama!
Devil King Sadao is ready to take over the world. However at the height of his powers he is beaten by a hero named Emilia. Defeated, Sadao is forced into another world which happens to be modern-day Tokyo. However since he has zero skills that are worthwhile in a modern world, he must try to live in this world and begins working at a fast food place to try and pay for his living expenses.
There have been quite a lot of demon king type shows lately, and this one is obviously focused on comedy so it’s an easy pick up for me. It appears to have a bit of Working!! in it with fantasy elements and the art style is appealing, so some worry free comedy is always worth checking out.
Hyakka Ryouran Samurai Bride This one happens to be the sequel to Hyakka Ryouran Samurai Girls. In an alternative reality, the Tokugawa Shogunate remains in power and the student councils in Japan oppress the schools they rule over. Yagyuu plans to rebel against the student council with the various girls who have become his allies/love interests and since they have already obtained impressive strength thanks to the powers of famous samurai heroes being passed down to them, things will probably be a lot more intense than last season.
Boobs? Wait I did that joke last season didn’t I? Anyways, this is a no brainer obviously considering the high levels of fan-service as well as the fact that I watched the original anime season. It appears to continue the story with the same girls as well as introduce new ones which will probably be enemies initially and eventually turn into allies. Sad to see that the ink splotch censorship will probably return with a vengeance.
Namiuchigiwa no Muromi-san
The story focuses around a mermaid who is called Muromi-san that has suddenly been caught by a boy named Takurou that is part of his high school’s fishing club. Muromi loves sweet things and alcohol and states she’s been alive for over a thousand years. Throughout the series Muromi will meet new and old friends and have numerous hilarious conversations with her friends and bothering of Takuro.
This series looks like a nice comedy anime with no strings attached plus potential fan-service. Also helps that the whole mermaid girl thing is a big plus in my book. Anyways, this series appears to be only fifteen minutes long each episode and even if it is random brainless comedy, it’ll likely be hilarious and fresh. Plus considering I’ve never seen a comedy anime involving mermaids before, outside of My Bride is a Mermaid of course, this is at least worth checking out thanks to the comedic promo video.
Ore no Imouto ga Konnani Kawaii Wake ga Nai. This one plays as a direct sequel to the first Oreimo season and will continue from where the OVAs left off. Supposedly this second season is meant to take the anime all the way to the end of the visual novels and have a definitive ending for the anime crowd.
Mmm, considering I watched the entirety of the first season it is an easy pick up for me when it comes to Oreimo season 2. However whether or not I will actually manage to stick around for all of Kirino’s annoying actions and bashing of her brother again is going to be tough to call. Then again, considering this one will be racing towards the finish, it will probably focus more on romance than friendship building like the first season.
Haiyore! Nyaruko-San W
As a sequel to the first season of the anime, viewers can expect the anime to center around the actions of Nyaruko who is meant to be Nyarlathotep from the HP Lovecraft Cthulhu Mythos in girl form and Mahiro, a high school boy who Nyaruko has become infatuated with despite his repeated rejections.
Considering the very random nature of the first season, I’m unsure of where this second season could go. However one thing I know from the original Nyaruko-san was that it was absolutely hilarious and packed full of various references to other anime series and Japanese culture. With more hilarious Nyaruko antics on the way, who could possibly say no?
Hayate no Gotaku! Cuties
This is now the fourth anime series for Hayate the Combat Butler, however just like the third season this one will not be following the manga but instead will feature spin-off stories of each character. It seems that there will be no overarching plot so far from all of the promotional material so far, but this may not be the case in the end.
It is disappointing to see that the Hayate no Gotaku! anime series continue to avoid providing manga continuation, but given this season’s focus on various characters and the fact that it is only ten episodes long, it should be a nice visit into the world of Hayate once again. Unfortunately it seems that the animation quality and the character designs have become even worse, but considering my adoration for the series, I’ll survive.
Toaru Kagaku no Railgun S This is the long awaited second season to the very popular Certain Scientific Railgun series which is a spin-off of the Index novels that focuses on Mikoto Misaka and her friends. As far as information goes, this second season is meant to cover the Sisters story arc from the original source material and will expand upon the events that took place during said arc, though it is said that the events that occur will be much darker than what was shown in Index.
Whether it is due to the popularity of Misaka or the fact that the main cast is all female, it is odd to see that Railgun is almost as popular, if not more popular, than the series it originated from. I will admit though after watching the first season many years ago, I can’t resist picking up this second season, not only because of my love for the Index franchise as a whole but also for more Misaka, Kuroko, Uiharu and Saten.
Hentai Ouji to Warawanai Neko
Yokodera is a teenage boy, which means that he is always thinking perverted thoughts. However for some reason, whenever he does anything perverted (all the time) the people around him think that he is doing something good. Because he is tired of people misunderstanding him and being a pervert like he is, he travels to a cat statue at a shrine that will take a personality trait from a person who wishes upon it. However when his personality trait is swapped for someone else’s, Yokodera and Tsukiko, the girl who’s personality trait he received, have to try and work together to deal with their new predicament.
The series sounds very promising from it’s story synopsis and seems steeped in romantic comedy with a decent chance for light fan-service here and there so this is a clear pick up for me. It’ll be interesting to see how the characters will react now that their personalities have shifted and since it’s an adaptation of a light novel series which has also been given a manga adaptation, the storyline should be worthwhile as well.
Ever thought to yourself that there isn’t enough anime about otaku vampires, sexy ghost girls, steel pipe wielding werewolves and three eyed cafe proprietors? Well the wait is over! The upcoming adaptation of Yuki Kodama’s horror battle manga Blood Lad is all that and more.
New details have come to light on the Blood Lad anime series which looks to be a graveyard smash.
A brand new visual for the anime has been revealed which can be seen to the right. It features the main cast of the series with series protagonist Staz in the foreground.
The series follows Staz, a vampire otaku with a particular obsession with humans, as he falls in love with the ghost of a human girl named Fuyumi who now wanders the Demon World.
He makes the promise that he will help Fuyumi regain life and return to the Human World on the condition that he comes with her.
Also confirmed was the series staff at Brains Base studios. The following people will comprise the main staff working on the series:
Director: Miya Shigeyuki
Series Composition: Takeshi Konuta
Character Design & Chief Animation Director: Kenji Fujisaki
Prop Design: Yoshinari Saito
Art Director & Setting: Toshiyuki Sakae at Art Team Convoy
Color Design: Sakiko Ito
Director of Photography: Shinichiro Tate
Editing: Yasutaka Ikeda
Sound Director: Satoki Iida
Music: Yuuki Hayashi
Music Production: Flying Dog
Animation Production: Brains Base
The Blood Lad manga began serialization in Young Ace magazine in 2009 and continues to be ongoing as of posting. The manga has been licensed and release in English by Yen Press.
At this point in time none of the cast has been confirmed. Casting details are sure to come to light as the series premiere approaches in the coming months. At this point however no solid premiere date has been set. Instead Blood Lad is tentatively set for a vague ‘2013’ release date. Until then we can all do the monster mash, because I just can’t stop referencing that monstrosity of a song no matter how hard I try. It just catches on in a flash, that monster mash.
I recently spoke with Producer Stephane Jankowski and Game Designer Jared Pearson of the Might and Magic: Duel of Champions team at Ubisoft Quebec, in this audio interview. Duel of Champions (still in Beta phase) is a PC Free to Play card game that is also available to play on iPAD in some countries. If you’re up for the adventure you can visit the official website, www.duelofchampions.com. All the in depth details about the game can be found in the audio interview below.
Another person I got to meet at the Ubisoft office was Andree-Anne Boisvert, who was working on a facebook game for Toys R’ Us called “Toys R Us Towers”, which initially seemed okay but as Andree-Anne explained the game I was interested in find out more about it. Usually facebook games give you not much real world value, but “Toys R Us Towers” actually rewards you with coupons to use on real merchandise at any Toys R’ Us store. In my personal opinion, I find this to be beyond ideal for killing time on facebook.
I also got to look around and check out the office and take some photos (check out image gallery below) but not too many because at the time the hard working developers and staff were working on the Assassin’s Creed III DLC, however I was not given any information on it.
Virtual MMO anime Accel World will start streaming on North America’s Neon Alley service by Viz Media on April 19, with a list of voice actors revealed. The English cast include:
Haruyuki Arita – voiced by Erik Kimerer
Kuroyukihime – voiced by Kira Buckland
Takumu Mayuzumi – voiced by Lucien Dodge
Chiyuri Kurashima – voiced by Michelle T. Hseih
Niko – voiced by Sarah Williams
Accel World is set in the near future where a heads-up-display for every individual, linked to an online network, is now a reality. Haruyuki Arita is the typical overweight kid whose self esteem is challenged by constant bullying and is forced to indulge in virtual games to escape from reality. By chance, the most popular girl in the school Kuroyukihime takes interest in him and introduces him to a virtual reality called the Accel World. It is here that opponents don their aliases and battle each other in arenas for supremacy.
Alongside Accel World, Neon Alley will also begin streaming the English dub of Fate/Zero and Zetman on the same date. Neon Alley is a streaming service exclusive to North America available for US$6.99 per month and airs other popular anime television series such as Naruto Shippuden, Bleach and One Piece.
It seems incredibly likely that the Wii U will receive yet another port of a game released earlier on rival consoles.
Deus Ex: Human Revolution Directors Cut has been listed on Amazon for a May 7 release in the states and is set to host many improvements, pack in additional content and make use of Wii U’s unique features. Not many specifics are detailed but the GamePad will apparently be used as Adam Jensen’s newest augmentation, the “Neural Hub”.
Although no official word has come forward from Square Enix, this is very likely to be true as the Australian ratings board recently approved a rating for an updated version of the game and Amazon has listed official box art.
The Wii U’s unique control scheme could help put a new coat of paint on this older title and immerse players further in the world of Deus Ex. Let us know in the comments what you think about this Directors Cut and about the Wii U receiving yet another port.
Leading gaming peripheral inventors, Razer, have just released the latest in their line of mousepads, the Razer Megasoma 2. The Megasoma 2 mousepad is constructed with a kind of silicon-base that makes it both hard and precise, but also flexible and with a cushioned feel.
The mousepad is also being praised as being an improvement over its predecessor by being thinner and by being treated with an anti-static solution ensure the most smoothest possible movements. On the mousepad Razer had this to say –
“This is the mat for gamers who need a no-fuss, all-in-one solution built to go the gaming distance,” says Min-Liang Tan, Razer co-founder, CEO and creative director. “We’ve improved on our ground-breaking original design, absorbing customer feedback as we always do, and I’m confident what we’ve launched is the best all-in-one mouse mat in the world.”
The Razer Megasoma became a worldwide phenomenon as a revolutionary hybrid soft/hard mat that delivers the comfort and flexibility of the former, with the precision of the latter. The Razer Megasoma 2 returns with a complete overhaul of design and construction, improving surface stability for marked improvements in mouse control.
Price: USD $39.99
Availability:
Razerzone.com – available now
Product features:
Hybrid silicon soft/hard mat
Specialized texture design for comfort and precision
Durable anti-static, anti-fraying surface
Non-slip rubber base
Product dimensions: 230 mm/9.06 in. (w) x 350 mm/13.79 in. (l) x 2.3 mm/0.09 in. (h)
The press attention for G.I. Joe: Retaliation is sizzling now, and so it’s only apt that we have some sizzle reels for you, as well as a vignette featuring interview snippets with director Jon M. Chu, inter-cut with new scenes (which can be seen at the very bottom of this article).
The first sizzle is dubbed the “Lupe Sizzle” as it is backed with the Lupe Fiasco track, “Little Weapon”(feat. Bishop G, Nikki Jean). The second is called the “Macho Sizzle” – and yep, you guessed it – it shows the male members of the cast filming the more physical sequences as well as the end result. Although I am disappointed in the distinct lack of Storm Shadow (Byung-hun Lee). The two videos can be viewed directly below.
Lupe Sizzle
Macho Sizzle
G.I. Joe: Retaliation comes out nationwide on March 28th. Look for our review to be up on March 25th. Also read our own interviews with cast members Adrianne Palicki and DJ Cotrona, Byung-hun Lee and the directorJon M. Chu.
The Australian Anime publisher over here in Australia, Hanabee, have announced their upcoming gameshow to appear at conventions called: NeuroMania – The Anime and Pop Culture Challenge. This challenge will be available at their booth at some of the upcoming conventions that Hanabee will have a booth at.
Hanabee have detailed that the conventions showcasing this new gameshow will be the upcoming Supanova events in both Brisbane and Adelaide. According to the article on their site, finalists will be chosen to participate in a final round on stage. These finalists will be selected over the course of the day at the Hanabee stand where participants can choose to enter and participate in preliminary rounds. The first of these quizzes will be held on the 14th of April at the Supanova convention.
For more information, be sure to check out the Official Website.
Ever thought to yourself that there isn’t enough anime about otaku vampires, sexy ghost girls, steel pipe wielding werewolves and three eyed cafe proprietors? Well the wait is over! The upcoming adaptation of Yuki Kodama’s horror battle manga Blood Lad is all that and more.
It seems incredibly likely that the Wii U will receive yet another port of a game released earlier on rival consoles.
