Summer Wars Review

Remember that movie I told you to go see play in LA, while now it's out on Blu-ray and dvd if you missed it.
It's all about family in this heart warming story of acceptance and what it means to be family. That and a possible nuclear bomb going off. First I'll grade the story. The realism and the art syle.

Spoiler ahead
Let's start with  Oz, yes, like the land of Oz, its what the Internet could be one day, like a takashi murakami painting coming alive. All communication is churning through Oz from business to government, purchases to the stock market to people just playing video games.

That has little to do with a young programmer Kenji Koiso whose asked to pretend to be the young boyfriend of the lovely young miss Natsuki Jinnouchi . Turns that girl has a extended family, a way extended family. The only reason Kenji's there is to be the fake man she'll marry in here elderly great-grandmother eyes. You'd think the story be enough with the bizarre hug family to deal with, but there's a whole extra level.

Kenji's also a math wiz that's why his a programmer. He gets a mysterious message with numbers on his cell phone late in the night. He cracks the code and something goes awry. That going would be none other than Love Machine a AI virus who wants to have some fun. Accept his fun will start affecting the whole world. You see your accounts are linked to the Oz world and everyone goes on Oz. So let's say your in charge of a power station. If love machine hacks your avatar, he has all your personal information, codes, what have you. The power is going out.

Skipping ahead you have a amazing story that's about family and identity theft. A million hit attack by a internet god. A supped up rabbit that"ll kick you in the face. The influence of a 90 year old woman on Japan. The fate of the world by a game of Hakufuda (Japanese card game)

Gamer cred comes at you at a million hits. That's to bad for one character when Love Machine takes all the avatars at him with one finger. However, Love Machine is a gamer at heart and that was his downfall, even in the end Love Machine acts like a total child about losing. On his level thought that means crashing a satellite into the Jinnouchi household.  Will they survive? Pick up a copy?

There's also one of those F-yeah parts where you"ll think it our say it out loud.

What's inside the Blu-ray case

The movie has a lot of realistic tendencies in the way of family. You have a uncle or a cousin you could see in the roles of the extended Jinnouchi family. Funny to see family in a movie not about your own. One of the best parts was when some of the family didn't realize how horrible the virus was causing problems for the world.

It comes with four double sided card from a game in the movie

The animators know whats going on. There are so many movies where people don't seem to be using technology correctly. But the ds's do shine. For some reason the Japanese are the only ones to incorporate a little sense of realism and modern society in cartoons. Usually, technology and current culture are never incorporated into American cartoons. It makes watching a cartoon movie more real.

The art style you breath in slowly. Both worlds Oz and reality are different, yet both stunning. The big Jinnouchi household looks so inviting and like Isaid early Oz is like a Takashi Murakami painting. It's like a huge amout of chibi out of nowhere. Fight scenes and danger give you highs and break up the movie from just being about family.

 Summer Wars is a movie to impress, for creativity, writing and visuals. No wonder it was nominated in the Annie Award this year, too.
Summer Wars is $15.99 is on Amazon as I write this

and Pre-order Eva 2.0 on dvd for only $9.99

Adventure Time Exhibit

these are just from a artist on the show don't think they'll be part of the show

So I stumbles upon the news they'll be a Adventure Time Exhibit at Gallery Nucelus in April
here's the link
Adventure Time Exhibit


April 16, 2011 - May 6, 2011

Opening Reception / Apr 16, 7:00PM - 11:00PM

at the same time a Edward Scissorhands 20th Anniversary Tribute will be going on too
which is clos to the Tim Burton Exhibit opening at LACMA


info's scarce right now, but I'll have more as I find out.
the only other Adventure Time art show was done, by the Autumn Society in Philadelphia and then sadly I missed it when it was moved into LA at Cartoon Nework Studios in Burbank

bonus adventure time piece of paper face covers

 Check out today's episode "Death In Bloom"

Durarara!! Review

Durarara!! has come to America dubbed in English for your enjoyment.  Not Durarra that I expected. I thought I'd be seeing a comedy brawler show.

It's isn't that, but it's a small part of it. Your introduced to a large amount of characters and you follow them by a strange oh wait that person was in the background kind of story telling. Many different facets and takes on whats going on and what just happened.

I could say the stories about Mikado a young kid who wants some difference in his life so he headed to the big city. This big city has some big problems, but it also has some people that might make good friends or is it enemies. But, the story isn't about Mikado it's about multiple characters.

One of them doesn't have a head. Yeah you see that cute biker chic with a cat helmet is kind of like the Headless horsemen. She isn't evil she's more like Batman or a heroic vigilante. Cely or the Black Rider has a somewhat weird relationship with her care taker. I guess I shouldn't go into every bit and piece and connection that's for you to find out.

We learn others in this city have some strange powers that certainly don't seem human, powers like throwing a vending machine in the air. Super fast speed and other weird going-ons.

Remember this show inspired a lot of artist for Anime Expo 2010. So there's just something in there design that may stay with you. I know Celty would make you have a double take even when she isn't headless.

Pick it up the 1st DVD  here
* 2 discs in a deluxe digipak with clear case

* Exclusive Newly drawn art for North American DVD by Brain's Base
* 5 collectible postcards included (based on Japanese package art)

and preorder the next dvd for the end of March

For more info check out their US site

Obligatory Game Over 4/GDC Post

Like all gaming sites I thought I'd post some pieces from the show, than say how nice it is. It makes me miss I am 8-bit even more. I'll look for a link to a bunch of photos as soon as I find one. These pieces are all from Chris Kuzma.

Update:

It looks like I am 8-bit has a presence at GDC this year, too. Kind of painting by colors except this time it's pixels, "Painting By Pixels" . A giant image will be made at the GDC  conference this week with sticky notepad paper. I'll be sure to post a pic when it's done. Jude Buffum is behind this one and with the other work he's done it should be a masterpiece.

8-bit with Hexanine also did 4 different commemorative posters for the 25th anniversary of the GDC. There just amazing and any gamer would love to have them up near his video games/computer desk/ television/ toilet. They show the year game items were introduced.

uhh, I'm sad I missed it this year, too. Maybe someone could send me a poster. I think pink and yellow are my favorites.

Remake Review

Do robots care if you call them gay? Max Guy does and that's only the beginning of his strange adventures in Remake.
This is a book to make you laugh and question what the Hell just happened. You have a girl with unicorn arms for hands. Cat cereal that makes you throw up a cat monster and a robot baby. That's only the start
of this graphic novel by Lamar Abrams that heavily inspired by anime and video games.

Remake is a graphic novel staring Max Guy a robot boy whose mostly a jerk more than hero. He might be the strangest take on Megaman/Astroboy ever. I 'm not talking Pluto dark ( a dark take on Astro Boy thats popular in manga) .

Update: I found another Astroboy/ Megaman piece

In a interview for Newsarama Lamar explains the reason it's titled "Remake"

"Remake is a title I came up with when I first started making comics. I figured that if I ever wanted to change the story, characters or style that I could still get away with calling it Remake and not have to worry about coming up with a new title."

Guy has a stories that just abruptly end as they start. A lot of time things don't make sense and it makes you laugh out loud and say, "Why'd that cat throw a book out the wind..., Wait! It went up into the sky?!!!"

To tell you a little bit more about Max, he carries the Max Blaster which can change anything into something else. A rocket back, not pack even though that's what it is that allows him to fly away if he's losing a fight. Don't forget his head is a helmet, so don't try punch him there and he can just say Max drink or Max Watch and it'll appear on him or in his hands. He might also be bullet-proof . Accompanying Max is he's room-mate Cardinal he's a robot ,too. Maybe a waitress whose ass Max stares at sometimes.

I'd have to say, it's like watching a immature robot hero accomplish heroism while learning nothing and definitely not learning from his mistakes. He even wins a battle by sucking. It's like a weird version of Megaman with the writer of Invader Zim. You''ll love it.

Get it on Amazon for $12.95

Then in April check out Remake Special for $9.95 to see new tales of the kind of a jerk robot Max Guy.

The Best Toys Coming Out... Later

pic via Fort 90

The only decent picture of the Portal Turret Toy. I already asked Gaming Heads the makers of this beautiful looking Valve repica about release date. They said keep watching their site. No idea about price or if it"ll talk or light up yet either.

Go to Hell, Hulk Hands! This Green Lantern hand looks so awesome already, looks like you''ll be able to shoot energy contrsuct nerf balls at your enemeies. I hope the movie is a fun as this toy. See it around when the move comes out.

Thunder! Thunder! Thundercats sword!!!! It actually grows bigger like the old lightsaber of yesteryear. You'll see it when the show comes out. O' Sword Of Omens.

It's Thor's Hammer Moljnir. I'm sure that's why it's just refered to as Thor's Lighting Hammer, but who cares it's a giant hammer as a toy. It launches a missle, why the Hell, not? Where are those Hulk Hands so I can crush them into dust with my big ol' Hammer. Suck on my lightning attack Hulk!!!

Two Funny Images

 Mac Stores and Hello Kitty Floppy Dolphin Fan Age 3+

Warning! Incoming Review! ReBoot Review!

Warning! Incoming Review.

Warning! Incoming Review.

There's just something creepy about a giant purple cube coming down trapping you in a game.

Bob, Dot and Enzo are back! Finally, out on DVD is ReBoot. The nostalgia factor is high, as every word they say now actually makes sense ... to a nerd. That might be the first thing you notice when you watch the show again, you finally understand what there talking about. Alpha-numerical!

Megabyte's voice is just classic villain sauce. When you hear it again it's like hearing a old friend who you shouldn't trust. "Hack, Slash your fools", lol. Oh, Bobs catchphrase, "I don't think so", totally 90's vibe. Glitch the omni-tool that can become anything. Fong who makes you play pong to gain his wisdom. Sorry, I'm just throwing Nostalgia at you.

What was new has become Windows 95. The show set the bar for a cgi show, but you can see some problems with animation. You can't be to angry with Mainframe Entertainment, now called Rainmaker. They were just learning how to use computer graphics.I think a problem might have been, they didn't study animation or the limitations of computers at the time. Hold on though, because they still pull of some great cinematic moments. I recently rewatched Toy Story 1 and eye blinking in that becomes a bit insane, so even the pros had problem starting out.

One scene where Hexadecimal holding a infected teddy bear and making it act out emotions with her finger is just so cinematic. Or who could forget Hexadecimal's mask change. Just spooky and inventive.

The dvd quality is great in all departments, but remember graphics just weren't that advanced yet. Some background stuff may be blurry, but that just because it was when it was released. W

hat does hold up is the fun stories and characters. The show had a lot of heart and was the epitome of a Saturday morning cartoon show,The oddball sense of humor for computer jokes. Plus, the refrences. This is a nerds show. Aliens, Star Trek, Mad Max, Power Rangers, Star Wars are all parodied throughout the two seasons.

The main part of ReBoot, the games sent by the user were always creepy. Having parts of the city destroyed and if the user wins everyone gets nullified and becomes a horrible slug creature. High stakes for a kids show.


I can't wait for seasons 3 &; 4. The parodier is higher and the show takes a much more darker turn.

ReBootS1&2 for about $25
ReBoot The Definitive Mainframe Edition about $70

Bonus Features:

• 20-page booklet
• Fast Forward: The Making of ReBoot
• A Look Back at ReBoot with Co-Creator Gavin Blair
• Original Animated Character Models
• Commentaries featuring Producer Christopher Brough, Designer/Storyboard Artist Blair Peters, Animator/Director Zeke Norton, Michael Benyaer (“Bob”), Ian James Corlett (“Glitch Bob”) and Voice Director Michael Donovan (“Phong”/”Mike the TV”)

pre-order with them for the mainframe edition and receive a limited-edition 3D lenticular postcard

BTW Topless Robot said another well-known show is coming from Shout Factory! and Rainmaker Ent to dvd. It's been asked for, for a long time.

Beast Wars! Transformers

Shout Factory provided reviewer with Season 1 &2 dvd set for review

Anime Hype 3 Cockroaches and Such

Via OMG Posters
Because Hentai is still around us.

Durarara!! subtitle version is being streamed at Crunchyroll.com as well as our Youtube page, www.Youtube.com/AniplexUS

Cute Cockroach girl anime on it's way. Gokicha was a manga in Japan that has been picked up and become a anime. The story is about a cute, well Cockroach named  Gokicha-chan . It appears she's as big as a cockroach and much cuter than one as a human cute girl hybrid that anime is known for. I look forward to the bizare nature of the show.

Via Sankakucomplex

Rocket Fizz Lands In Ventura

Ahhz not as colorful in comparison.

The Rocket Fizz franchise finally has a store in Sherman Oaks. The sweet saccharine shop carries a collection of rare sodas and candies. I have yet to go in by myself, but if it's anything like the one in Burbank it'll be a rocket blast. I just hope it's not as bad as the one in Pasadena, terrible customer service.

Anyway if your looking for a huge variety of soda and candy come on down.

Rocket Fizz Soda Pop and Candy Shop

14613 Ventura Blvd
San Fernando Valley, CA 91403
(818) 981-9009

The only close place to compare would be Sweet Harts Sweets

So Melissa Joan Hart own the place, so thats the name. It has a wide selction of candy. They have self serve frozen yougurt and baked goods. It's a small place and well extemely hidden. It's quite possibly in one of the worst locations, because you can't see it from the street. Forget parking they have about four spaces.

Freindly service and a nice aestis help, just move the storefront to the front facing the street.
Sweet Harts Sweets

Sweet Harts Sweets
13704 Ventura Blvd
Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
(818) 788-5004