Blog Archives

The Slayers Evolution-R (2009)

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Posted on February 11, 2011 by Tom

Welcome back to a two-part review. What’s that, you missed the first part? Well that won’t do. You should probably check out the review for The Slayers Revolution before reading the review for the sequel series The Slayers Evolution-R (you see what the creators did with the title there. Those kooky animators, what will they think of next). So I’ll just sit here for a moment while you read the first review. All caught up? Good, we can now begin.… (read more)

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The Slayers Revolution (2008)

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Posted on February 11, 2011 by Tom
There are some fantasy and science fiction realms that fans would just love to jump into. Middle Earth, Sunnydale, Endor and New York are fictional places that fans just want to be real. I’m really glad however that lands featured in Slayers isn’t real. Sure they look real peaceful and nice place to vacation. I just really would hate to be in country when Lina Inverse and friends roll into town. Chances are that in an attempt to save the town they’d blow it up trying.
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Sengoku Basara: Samurai Kings (2009)

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Posted on January 23, 2011 by Deni

For anyone who’s played even five minutes of the long-running Koei title Dynasty Warriors, the concepts driving the Capcom franchise Sengoku Basara won’t be all that alien. Basically, they’re what’s quaintly titled a ‘crowd fighting game’. If body count stats are your thing, if you like watching that ticker go up too fast to count, it’s the game for you. Games of this kind I’ve found involve a lot of dramatic posturing, a lot of powering up, and more … (read more)

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Eden of the East (2009)

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Posted on January 15, 2011 by Samson

If you ask me what my absolute favourite anime series from the last decade was, I will answer with a high level of certainty: ‘Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex‘. The handsomely drawn, brilliantly scripted and amazingly entertaining series is quite simply a modern anime masterpiece. The genius behind Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex was director Kenji Kamiyama, and from this man now comes a new anime series, Eden of the East, which I … (read more)

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Sumo Do, Sumo Don’t (1992)

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Posted on January 8, 2011 by Samson

I like sports movies, and I love Japanese sports movies. They are often touching, usually inspiring, and almost always entertaining. Sumo Do Sumo Don’t was one of the first sports movies that I have ever seen, and what a fine example of the genre it still is. I have had the joy of seeing this film again with its release on DVD in Australia, and here are my thoughts some 15 years on from the time I first saw it … (read more)

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20th Century Boys (2008)

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Posted on January 6, 2011 by Deni

A little while ago, this reviewer was seen complaining about a certain live action film’s failure to translate coherently from its source material. And admittedly, it’s possibly an unfair criticism. After all, a feature film is a limited frame of time and a manga series – particularly a long running manga series – has years to tell its story (and in film’s defense, some manga reads like the author doesn’t know where the hell it’s going, either).

The makers of … (read more)

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Feel the Wind (2009)

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Posted on November 14, 2010 by Samson

I am not a runner, and when I do run, I feel the pain (in my legs) more than I feel the wind (on my face). So after learning in Feel the Wind that anyone can run and enjoy running, I have decided I ought to get off my bottom a little more and do some exercise. Yes, Feel the Wind is that kind of movie. It is uplifting and inspirational, as it describes an incredible level of fitness that … (read more)

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Hanamizuki (Flowering Dogwood) (2010)

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Posted on November 14, 2010 by Samson

Hanamizuki is a personal favourite of mine amongst all the films that I have seen at this year’s Japanese Film Festival. It is perhaps not as accomplished in various aspects as a few of the others, but it has managed to touch me and tug at my heartstrings in a way that no other films have done.

Based on the lyrics of a moving love song by Yo Hitoto (played in full at the end of the film), this story … (read more)

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