The English dub cast for Sentai Filmwork’s localization of Gintama: The Movie which is set to be released on the 29th of May, 2012 has been leaked online by fans who got screener copies of the title. The film is a summation of the Benizakura story arc from the anime series upon which the film is based. The following is the English cast for the film:
Shinpachi: Mark X. Laskowski
Kagura: Luci Christian
Kotaro: Illich Guardiola
Shinsuke: Kyle Colby Jones
Nizo: Jay Hickman
Tetsuya: John Swasey
Tetsuko: Brittney Karbowski
Henpeita Takechi – George Manley
Matako Kijima – Carli Mosier
Jintetsu Murata – David Wald
Tae Shimura – Shelley Calene-Black
Sadaharu – Kyle Colby Jones
Kondo Isao – David Wald
Toshiro Hijikata – Blake Shepard
Sougo Okita – Clint Bickham
Sagaru Yamazaki – Clint Bickham
Bansai Kawakami – Andrew Love
Abuto – Kyle Colby Jones
Kamui – Chris Ayres
Mitsuba Okita – Shelley Calene-Black
Otose – Shelley Calene-Black
Catherine – Luci Christian
Kyubei Yagyu – Brittney Karbowski
Ayumu Tojo – Blake Shepard
Taizo Hasegawa (Madao) – Chris Ayres
Tatsuma Sakamoto – Chris Ayres
Katakuriko Matsudaira – Kyle Colby Jones
Prince Hata – Andrew Love
Elizabeth – Andrew Love
Shoyo Yoshida – David Wald
Sentai Filmworks have also announced that they may dub the anime series if this film sells well. So if you would like to see the Gintama anime series dubbed into English then buy the film. So what do you think of Sentai’s dub cast? Let us know in the comments section below.
Recently Japanese media site Biglobe posed the question of ‘What is your favourite Spring 2012 Anime?’ Over 11,000 Japanese anime viewers sent in their response to the question. The results may surprise you, or not. The most popular Spring 2012 anime series are as follows:
1. Hyouka
2. Fate/Zero 2
3. Accel World
4. Sankarea
5. Nyarko-san: Another Crawling Chaos
6. Kids on the Slope
7. Saki Achiga-hen episode of side-A
8. Space Brothers
9. Is This a Zombie? of the Dead
10. Kuroko’s Basketball
11. Jormungand
12. Kimi to Boku. 2
13. Polar Bear’s Café
14. tsuritama
15. Acchi Kocchi
16. Dusk Maiden of Amnesia
17. Medaka Box
18. Natsu-iro Kiseki
19. Shining Hearts -Shiawase no Pan-
20. Hiiro no Kakera
21. EUREKA SEVEN AO
22. Mysterious Girlfriend X
23. Zetman
24. Queen’s Blade: Rebellion
25. Upotte!!
26. Phi Brain: Kami no Puzzle 2nd season
27. AKB0048
28. Saint Seiya Omega
29. Pretty Rhythm Dear My Future
29. Himitsu Kessha Taka no Tsume Neo
31. Cardfight!! Vanguard: Asia Circuit Hen
32. Transformers Prime
33. Yurumates 3D
34. Kuromajyo-san ga Tōru!!
35. Arashi no Yoru ni: Himitsu no Tomodachi
36. Gon
Did your favourite series make the cut? Mine did, just between me and you I’m a huge an of Kids on the Slope. Curse you Hyouka or tapping into the Clannad and Haruhi Suzumiya audience! What do you think of this list? Would you make any adjustments? Let us know in the comments section below.
News has just broke that Sony’s stock has witnessed a record 31 year low, marking the lowest point in the companies history as part of the gaming industry. With the increasingly poor business decisions by Sony and their loss of touch with consumers, they have been left with poor sales across the board and a reported loss of ¥456.7 billion which amounts to $5.71 billion US dollars. Currently Sony sits at a record low $14.16 a share.
This is without a doubt a bad sign for Sony as things just continue to get worse for this company. With the, for lack of a better term, piss poor sales of the PS Vita and the increasingly desperate attempts by Sony to cash in on rival company Nintendo’s ideas (Playstation All-Stars: Battle Royale, Move Controller) they have lost a lot of faith in the eyes of consumers and stockholders.
Sony is in such financial woes that it’s a mystery how they intend on turning around this situation, which hasn’t just left them in the red financially, but in the proverbial shithouse. Financial analyst Yuki Sakurai weighed in on Sony’s future: “Sony is facing a lot of difficulties and the new president has not been able to produce a clear plan as to how he will turn around the company. Even the little that investors have heard, they are not very impressed with.”
This is definitely sad news for Sony fans as the future of the company is currently in utter discord. Sony needs to make a turnaround as soon as possible because current financial forecasts are predicting Sony’s may only have a few years left in them if they continue to report such immense losses. If such losses continue Sony may have to file for bankruptcy in the next couple of years.
Sony has however outlined their plan to revitalize the dying company. The plan which they call ‘One Sony’ focuses on using their gaming sector to spur on sales in order to boost overall revenue. How exactly this plan will work is anyone’s guess, as currently Sony have not been doing too well when it comes to their gaming sector (PS Vita’s mediocre sales) it is rather puzzling why Sony would bank on it to revitalize their company.
What do you think can turn Sony’s financial woes around? Let us know in the comments section below.
Those who are hoping for some special bonuses for pre-ordering Square Enix’s Kingdom Hearts 3D, also known as Kingdom Hearts 3D [Dream Drop Distance], will be happy to hear that Square Enix revealed today that anyone who pre-orders the title will be receiving a couple of AR cards to go with the game.
Everyone who pre-orders the game will receive a free card that unlocks the “R&R Seal Dream Eater” as well as a second card that will unlock one of three other Dream Eaters, either Ursa Circus, Sudo Neku, or Meowjesty. A final card will also unlock a viewing stand for 3D Dream Eater images. The Dream Eaters can be seen in the artwork below. Also released today are a slew of screenshots featuring charactesrs which can be met in Traverse Town, especially those from The World Ends with You.
Let me say right now that this will contain a number of spoilers about the endgame of Batman: Arkham City so, if for whatever reason you haven’t beaten the game yet just skip the entire article. Those who have beaten the game may know that Batman: Arkham City presented us with the death of The Joker. Now Batman: Harley Quinn’s Revenge will take place a few weeks after the end of Arkham City and players will be taking control of both Batman and Robin.
Batman has disappeared and both Oracle and Robin are concerned about him because he has been acting differently ever since the Joker’s death. With Harley Quinn taking over the Joker gang and turning it into her own, Robin must try to save his partner and mentor. Those who wish to play as the caped crusader still will be able to as the DLC will feature flashback sections as well. The DLC will be available on May 30th worldwide for either 800 MSP or $10 depending on your console of choice.
Otterbox has released five new colour combinations for the Otterbox Defender line of cases for the New iPad and the iPad 2. Joining the Black case is White/Gray, Pink/Gray, and Blue/Black. Exclusive to the Otterbox web store is Yellow/Black and Sea Green/Gray. The Otterbox Defender is a larger case designed to provide your iPad protection from the worst of drops thanks to its multi-layered design. Three layers protects the iPad, starting with a foam interior for padding, a polycarbonate shell for scratch protection, and a silicone skin for impact protection and grip. The Defender has a built in screen protector for your iPad. The case also comes with a polycarbonate shield stand that has magnets that works in a similar fashion to the Apple Smart Covers and doubles as a stand for hands free viewing. When not in use, the shield stand can be snapped to the front or back of the Defender case for extra protection.
The Otterbox Defender is available online and in stores for $89.95.
After a nerve racking months and a bit, Republique finally gets Kickstarted with just a few hours to spare. Republique is developed by Camouflaj, an independent studio staffed by veterans who have participated in big name projects such as Metal Gear Solid and Halo, and Logan, an independent production house behind the iconic iPod commercials and the Skyrim TV ad. The team strives on creating an AAA quality game optimized for touch screens. Republique stars Hope, who makes a desperate phone call, begging the player to hack into the omnipresent surveillance system that traps people in a totalitarian state and assist her escape.
After a slow start, Republique managed to pick up steam after announcing an often requested PC/Mac version of the game and the addition of David Hayter of Metal Gear Solid fame and Jennifer Hale, the voice of FemShep in Mass Effect. Republique is currently slated for a June 2013 release.
Bracketron Inc has announced their latest product, the MetalDock. Slated for an end of June release, the MetalDock is a stylish, minimalistic, and lightweight dock for the iPhone 4/4s that can be used in both landscape and portrait orientation. With its three foot cable, the MetalDock can connect to any USB port , including the travel charger included with the iPhone. The MetalDock has rubberised feet to ensure a solid grip to what ever surface the MetalDock rests on. Due to its design, the MetalDock is most likely incompatible with most cases. The MetalDock is available for pre-order on Bracketron’s website for $34.95.
Very recently, Capcom have announced that their latest Street Fighter game, Street Fighter X Tekken has been made available digitally for the PC. The game features a robust cast of Street Fighter and Tekken fighters that duke it out in Tag-Team matches.
The game itself is quite pretty, running on the Street Fighter IV Engine. The cast consists of 38 Characters from both franchises. The PC version also includes all gameplay modes from the console versions, additional graphics settings and 3D capabilities, making this the superior Street Fighter x Tekken experience.
For more information, be sure to check out Capcom-Unity. The game is available through Steam, Origin, The Capcom Store and other leading online services.
NANA is, for lack of a better phrase, porn for the female psyche. The Anime series is an adaptation of the serialised Manga by the same name and follows the story of two Nana’s as they live out their new lives amidst the bustling city of Tokyo.
This series is a drama series aimed primarily at a female audience, which puts this in the Shoujo category of Anime. This category is something that many male anime fans tend to avoid, and after watching this series, it is apparent why this is the case. No male should be willingly subjecting themselves to large doses of this stuff as it may seem quite nonsensical, illogical and even degrading. Maybe things are over-exaggerated to appeal more to the target demographic (teenage girls), but it is still geared for the female id.
Story
The story of NANA follows two young women named Nana, each with almost polar-opposite personalities. The first Nana we meet is the Nana that seems like a normal girl, she’s cute, charming, boy-crazy and is obsessed with her friends. The second Nana is almost completely different, she’s in a punk rock band, aloof, not at all girly but at the same time, is completely badass. The two of the Nana’s meet one fateful day on a train heading into Tokyo, where they both plan on moving for reasons of their own (hint, both are for guys).
Unlike most other Anime series that I have seen, NANA’s storyline arcs follow sets of relationships that Plain-ordinary Nana, nicknamed Hachiko (which I’ll be using from now on to differentiate her from the cooler Nana), has with the people around her. I don’t want to spoil the story too much, but it is literally just as I described, by episode 30, Hachiko has switched guys 3-4 times and even falls for a big-time player who adds a crap-tonne of emotional drama to the series.
Actually lets talk about that player for a bit shall we. He’s the a guitarist in one of the main bands in the series, Trapnest, and is a well known philanderer. Now, everyone tells Hachiko this, yet she still falls for this guy. A known player, someone who uses women for sex, and she was still deluded into thinking this was a good thing. There are even multiple scenes in the arc where she constantly rationalises her involvement with the guy. Why couldn’t she just be all like “Hey, this guy wants me for the sex, I want him for the sex, so we’re sleeping together”. But no, this doesn’t happen, instead she focuses on how this will affect her relationship with those around her and her own image within her group of friends. Look, if you don’t want to look so promiscuous, then keep your legs closed. Simple.
Opposing Hachiko and her man-eating ways, is Punk-rock Nana. She is an incredibly loyal woman, a bit of a tomboy at times and throughout the series she is really only with one guy. Her boyfriend from back home, Ren, the lead bassist for Trapnest. Sure she seems a little hot-headed at times, but I think these traits are played up for comedic value as her friends and Band, Blast, seem to remain friends with her. Though, this becomes more apparent throughout the series, Nana is a pretty possessive woman in that she literally has a chain around her boyfriends neck as a symbol of ownership. She even refers to Hachiko as her pet numerous times.
Many times throughout this series, I often asked myself whether this show was serious or not. I mean, the way the characters behave, think and feel are all almost completely alien to me. Nothing is rational, organised or logical, nearly everything is designed to hit you emotionally. Now, I’ll admit this freely, I actually thought that I was watching a bad parody of female stereotypes and was laughing so hard for the first 15 episodes or so. Past that point, it became rather apparent that it was taking itself seriously, this is really how women view the world… I mean I really hope it isn’t, but it really seems like it was designed to fit their perspective.
What I really hated about this is that the men are made to fit the way women see them. The author, or writer, or whoever, seems to have a harder time entering the male mind-set and as a result all the men are presented mostly by their actions or what the author has experienced of men. When it comes to the male homelife, many of the guys seem to have very bare rooms, and do not behave typically the way myself or probably most other men behave. It seems that they only exist to placate their female love interest.
Visuals
As a series from the early 2000s (2003, if I recall correctly) the visuals may look a little dated compared to the Anime of today. However, this does not mean that they are inferior to the Anime series of today.
I found that the backgrounds and a lot of the objects found within the series had a lot of detail put into them. I think this is because the series revolves around so few locations, it’s not like a fantasy series where characters are visiting a new town in each episode. However, opposing this, is the characters.
While each character is quite detailed, they are also very unrealistic looking. They are rather disproportionate, almost to the point of looking like they’re all just skin and bones with extremely odd looking limbs. I mean, out of the main cast, the biggest character only looks that way because he’s in a suit.
Actually, the series’ visual style really reminded me of a Shounen series by the name of One Piece, but only a little. The characters in this show are much more pretty, almost unnaturally so. It’s almost as though they’re a fashion accessory, used to gain some kind of social advantage over other women.
Audio
To quote myself in conversation about this series – “… NANA has an amazing soundtrack”. I will standby that statement until someone can prove me wrong using evidence and sound logic.
Even though the series is pretty light on tunes from either of the main bands, the ones that we hear are quite significant and sound quite amazing. The only thing is, you really, and I mean really, want to hear more songs from both of the bands. If the producers put in more concerts, they could have made a killing selling copies of both of the bands albums out here in the real world. I would buy the crap out of them.
However, the amazing soundtrack kind of ends with the bands. Most of the background tracks seem to be constructed from a generic score, I think that a Punk Rock style score would have fit the show much better than the backing tracks that we were given.
Extras
The series includes many extras, but my favorites are the animated video for the song Lucy and the clean opening and closing segments. The complete list is this –
Clean Openings
Clean Closings
Directors Interview
Music Scene Selections
“Lucy” animated video
Line-Art galleries
Overall
NANA is a fairly average series that probably wouldn’t interest too many guys. Fortunately, there is a massive fanbase for this kind of material and for them, this show would be ideal. The kinds of people that would love this series are people that have read the Manga, love Shoujo stories and are massively into gossiping about drama. I would also like to say that any guy looking to try and catch a glimpse of what it’s like to exist in the mindset of a woman to check this series out. In small doses.
