This was always going to be a challenging movie to make. For a start there are legion of manga and anime fans who really want this movie to bring to life this incredible story and then there’s task of bringing the towering titans to life. People laughed at this horror movie. I was able to […]
Which side would you pick? A review of Expelled From Paradise
Expelled From Paradise begins with a metric ton of fan service. A sexy woman in the sort of strappy swimsuit that’ll sure to provoke a reaction – even if it’s the roll of the eyes – is lazing around on a beach when she’s approached by a hunky guy in budgie smugglers. The action picks […]
Double down for the better: A review of Lupin the 3rd vs. Detective Conan
These are two big franchise titles from the world of anime – Detective Conan and the master thief Lupin the 3rd. Even if you’re not an anime fan you may recognise the names. Conan isn’t the barbarian but named, in the series, after Sherlock Holmes. He’s not even a kid. He’s a young adult shrunk […]
Exploring Asimov’s Three Laws: A review of Time of Eve
Most sci-fi geeks know Isaac Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics. A robot may not injure a human being, or through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. A robot must obey the orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law. A robot must protect […]
Dem feels: A review of Giovanni’s Island
I was able to watch Mizuho Nishikubo’s Giovanni’s Island in a cinema during an anime film festival. I could hear people in the row behind me sniffing and sobbing quietly towards the end. We call that effect ‘dem feels’ in anime fandom. There’s plenty of anime fans who’ll appreciate a good ‘dem feels’ story. The […]
Real enough for you? A review of Appleseed Alpha
I think the Appleseed series is underrated. It’s always been great fun and always pushed ahead to explore with what animation can do. Appleseed Alpha is no exception. At times, for the scenery, I actually wondered whether it was a photo still that had been animated over the top of. The animation quality in Appleseed […]
Sexy gun witches: A review of Bayonetta – Bloody Fate
Bayonetta was a popular action computer game. It got great reviews, sold well over a million and had intense combat. It had a “witch time” system in which the frantic melee slowed down and your sexy witch could take down angels and fight back against the impressive bosses. The movie, Bayonetta: Bloody Fate, follows a […]
Ghost in the Shell: Arise “Ghost Pain” review
“Ghost Pain” is the first episode of the re-imagined Ghost in the Shell OVA. It may be one of only four in the series as each episode is intended to receive a limited cinema release in Japan a month before the Blu-ray release. Ghost in the Shell features a new voice cast. We also have […]
Dealing with death through doppelgangers: Hal movie review
Hal is a movie about a robot who becomes human as part of an outlandish attempt at “robot therapy”. In this instance we’re dealing with someone who’s not been able to cope with the death of a loved one and has withdrawn from the world. The robot “Q01” doesn’t just become human – they become […]
Steins;Gate: Fuka Ryouiki no Déjà vu movie review
Steins;Gate began life as a visual novel in Japan. It’s one of those games where the ‘player’ gets to read through like a book, with pictures of the characters, and occasionally has a choice to make that effects what happens next. It’s useful to know that those “make a choice now” moments are represented in […]