Blog Archives

Ichi (2008)

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Posted on September 18, 2009 by Samson

Zatoichi is a legendary blind masseur and sword master, a fictional character who has appeared in numerous Japanese movies and television shows. The original films starred Shintaro Katsu, and many of them have now become classics. In 2003, Takeshi Kitano gave his own interpretation of the character in Zatoichi, a hugely entertaining movie. And now, the Zatoichi legend lives on with Ichi, a ‘re-imagining’ of the Zatoichi tale that features a young swordswoman.

In ancient times, troupes of … (read more)

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Haeundae (2009)

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Posted on September 13, 2009 by Justin

Haeundae is this year’s enormous Korean film: a big-budget blockbuster, it sold more than ten million tickets domestically, the first film to do so since The Host a couple of years ago. It’s also apparently Korea’s first disaster film, and takes as its subject the idea of a megatsunami threatening Haeundae Beach, which sees millions of visitors a year.

The film follows several sets of characters living in Haeundae: there’s Man-sik (Sol Kyung-gu), a local who looks after Yeon-hee (Ha … (read more)

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Baccano! (2007)

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Posted on September 9, 2009 by Deni

Sometimes you have to wonder if anime is getting just a little too clever for its own good. After all, its basic function is to entertain, and I’ll be the first to argue that being entertained should not necessarily preclude having to think. But Baccano!, based on an award-winning novella by Ryohgo Narita, is entertainment that not only demands thought, but seems to do almost everything in its power to make that as challenging an undertaking as possible.… (read more)

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Sword of Alexander (2007)

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Posted on September 6, 2009 by Tom

Usually for the site I end up reviewing anime titles, however lately I’ve been branching out and I guess experimenting with other titles. 13: Game of Death was one such title. Imprint was another. With Sword of Alexander it feels a little like coming home to anime as the story, action and special effects all feel like it’s a live action adaptation of an anime or Manga. It’s not though. It’s based on a novel. I still believe it would … (read more)

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Crows Zero (2007)

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Posted on September 2, 2009 by Samson

‘Another round of violence has broken out at Suzuran Boys’ High School in Japan. The school has now been turned into a battlefield, and for its students, their peer groups have become armies and classmates are now comrades.‘ No, this is not the latest news headlines on Heroic News. It is actually the setting for Takashi Miike’s hit movie Crows Zero, also known as Crows: Episode 0.

Crows Zero tells the story of the students at … (read more)

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Strait Jacket (2007)

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Posted on September 1, 2009 by Samson

Strait Jacket is an anime that tells the story about demon hunters. It features demons on killing rampages, fierce battles between demons and their hunters, and one particular demon hunter with a dark past who is constantly looking for ways to atone his sins.

It is a world where people make use of magic in every field. As a price for doing so, those who use magic thoughtlessly lose their minds and have their bodies transformed into demons, either through … (read more)

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Ponyo (2009)

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Posted on September 1, 2009 by Andy

It may be heresy to say, but quite frankly, Studio Ghibli’s last two outings have been major cause for concern. Howl’s Moving Castle and Tales of Earthsea (the latter directed by Miyazaki’s son Goro) were disappointments, but of more concern was that both suffered from similar issues. To say any Ghibli film suffers from issues let alone repeat them is like suggesting that Shakespeare should work on his characterization. With themes close to Miyazaki’s heart, it is easy to see … (read more)

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K-20 (Kaijin niju menso den) (2008)

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Posted on August 23, 2009 by Deni

It was bound to happen; in fact, it actually hails from a fairly respectable lineage. Films like Jet Li’s The Black Mask, a whole swag of masked kamen riders and power rangers too numerous to name, as well as legendary thieves like Lupin and A.J. Raffles are definitely where K-20: Legend of the Mask draws some of its narrative quirks. But there’s a strong Western feel to the film too; the way it looks and plays out are a … (read more)

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