Galaxy Express 999 (1979 Movie) Review

I've checked this movie out of curiosity. I wanted to see what this popular anime title was like and how Captain Harlock was related to it...

The 1979 movie version of Galaxy Express 999 is a compression of the story of both the manga and the television series of the same title created by Leiji Matsumoto. It follows the adventure of young street kid Tetsuro Hoshino as he desires for an indestructible mechanical body to be able to live forever and to avenge his mother who was killed by Count Mecha. While the mechanical bodies are expensive on Earth, it is supposedly given away for free in the Andromeda Galaxy, the last stop for Galaxy Express 999, a space train that only comes to Earth once a year.

In the process, Tetsuro meets Maetel, a beautiful woman who resembles his mother. Maetel offers him an unlimited pass for the 999 if he will be her traveling companion which Tetsuro agrees to. Both of them boarded the 999 and went out on their journey to the Andromeda Galaxy.

My Views:

Usually, I don't watch anime, movies or TV shows that's drama-oriented. Before watching this movie I thought that I might get bored with it, turns out I was wrong. I actually liked the movie. First is because of the adventure and the sci-fi elements that was present. Tetsuro and Maetel stopped over on various planets on their way and encountered  several characters including the cameo appearances of Captain Harlock and Emeraldas who had longer roles that I have expected. Second is the very touching storyline and some breath taking moments and third is the good voice acting and the musical score. Well, something is different in the BGM's of 1970's movies which makes it cool. Also, the band Godiego performed two songs in this movie: one is the insert song "Taking Off" and the other is the ending theme "The Galaxy Express 999", both songs are fit for the movie perfectly.

Overall:

Galaxy Express 999 might've been at least 3 decades old but it can still do a good job of entertaining both young and older anime fans. It is a good summarization of a 113-episode series and It's a superb classic anime movie. No wonder it's still very popular and has spawned sequel movies, OVAs and video games. Another awesome work of Leiji Matsumoto.

...and now, the ending theme music please.

"...The Galaxy Express 999
 Will take you on a journey
 A never ending journey
 A journey to the stars..."

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Gokaiger Game for the Nintendo DS

This past August, we had a Kamen Rider game for the Nintendo DS in commemoration of the series' 40th year.

Another Tokusatsu show-based game for the Nintendo DS is coming up from Bandai Namco, it will be for the current running Super Sentai series Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger. It will be titled Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger: Atsumete Henshin! 35 Sentai!

It is scheduled to be released in November 17, 2011.

Official Site

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Persona 4 to get a PS Vita port

Atlus' recent teaser website is what most fans expected it to be, it is for a port of Persona 4 for the Playstation Vita. It will be titled Persona 4: The Golden and in the same manner as last year's Persona 3 Portable for the PSP, new features will be added to P4's port.

Amongst the new additions for this port are new characters. One of them is a girl named Marie.

Another will be the addition of more voice-overs for the Vita version as well as new songs. Also being added is a new opening movie, and new event and anime cutscenes during the course of the game.

Persona 4: The Golden will also utilize the Vita’s online capabilities. You’ll be able to cooperate with another player if you are having a hard time in the game’s dungeons. Finally, Famitsu mentioned a mysterious highly-requested feature that has also been added to the game but will be announced at a later date.

Spring 2012 is the slated release date for Persona 4: The Golden.

Source: Famitsu via Siliconera

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Evangelion 3.0 in 2012

It has been confirmed that Evangelion Shin Gekijouban Q Quickening (or Evangelion 3.0), the third film in Hideaki Anno and Khara's four-part remake of Gainax's 1995 anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion, will open in Japan in Fall of 2012. The announcement was made during a new preview of the film that aired after the television premiere of the second film.

The Yaraon! blog was able to post some images from the new preview. Here's one of them:

Sources: Anime News Network, Yaraon!

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Black Rock Shooter PSP game, North American release

NIS America, the anime and game distributor responsible for such titles as Disgaea and Prinny, acquired the rights for the North American release of the Black Rock Shooter The Game for the Playstation Portable.

For those who are not yet familiar with Black Rock Shooter, it is a 50-minute OVA is based on the song of the same name by Supercell.

The story takes place in 2032 AD after Earth has been assaulted by aliens for 19 years. A battle android named BRS is created solely for the purpose of saving Earth, but she comes to find that only 12 human beings are left on the planet.

By the way, here's a trailer for the game:

Not all anime game titles get an official English release, Thanks to the BRS's popularity, Non-Japanese fans can get to experience and enjoy the game in full. In addition to the game, the OVA has also spawned two manga series.

No release date has been announced yet so we'll just have to stay tuned.

Source: NIS Press Release

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GARO 2nd Season to Premiere this October

Garo Makai Senki (Garo Makai Battle Chronicle), the second series of the Garo tokusatsu franchise, will premiere on late night television on October 6.

Before the episodes premiere on television, they will first be previewed in premium screenings in five Japanese theaters. The first three episodes will be shown in theaters on September 24, followed by more episodes in screenings on October 8, October 22, and November 5.

...and here's a trailer:

It has been six years since the run of the first Garo series which focused on the life of Saejima Kouga, who obtained the title of Makai Knight to protect humanity against dark demonic manifestations called "Horrors". The series had 25 episodes, a two-part TV special (Beast of the White Night), and recently, a 3D movie (Red Requiem, 2010) and an upcoming spin off movie (KIBA the Dark Knight).

Source: Presepe News via Anime News Network 
Official Site

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Gokaiger Shoot 'em Up game for iPhone

Namco Bandai released a game for the recent Super Sentai series Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger titled Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger: Let’s Gokai Galleon.

It is a shoot 'em up game where you get to control the Gokai Galleon, Captain Marvelous' pirate ship, and shoot up enemies in space. Shoot down eight enemies and you can temporarily transform the Gokai Galleon into the invincible mecha, the Gokai-Oh.

Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger: Let’s Gokai Galleon is available on iTunes for iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPod touch devices (3rd generation or later), and iPad.

Source: Siliconera

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Loudness, upcoming album

Loudness is best known for their recent contribution for the Mazinkaizer SKL soundtrack (the songs "The Eternal Soldiers" and "The Danger Zone") and for being one of the first Japanese heavy metal bands being recognized outside Japan back in the 1980's.

Loudness will be releasing their 25th studio album next month and it will be entitled Eve to Dawn. It will be their third album with drummer Masayuki Suzuki since 2009's The Everlasting and 2010's King of Pain.

Track List:

1. A Light In The Dark

2. The Power Of Truth

3. Come Alive Again

4. Survivor

5. Keep You Burning

6. Gonna Do It My Way

7. Hang Tough

8. 喜怒哀楽 (Emotions)

9. Comes The Dawn

10. Pandra

11. Crazy! Crazy! Crazy!

Eve to Dawn will be released on September 14, 2011. Audio samples are also available on their website.

Pre-order now through CD Japan: Eve to Dawn / LOUDNESS.

Source: Official Website

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Pokemon Black and White review

I've finally finished both games. Now it's time for my thoughts on it...

Pokemon Black Version and Pokemon White Version are the first two games for the 5th generation of Pokemon series for the Nintendo DS.

In Pokemon Black/White You will experience your own adventure in becoming the champion of your region, Unova and in completing the PokeDex as a side quest. Unlike the other Pokemon games, the protagonist is a teenager - not a twelve year old kid. You were given this chance when Professor Juniper from your hometown sends the starter Pokemon to you and your two friends Bianca and Cheren.

As your journey starts, you will meet a mysterious boy called N, who is plays the role of your rival. Along your journey, you will also encounter the evil schemes of Team Plasma who wants to free the Pokemon from their trainers.

Now, for the gameplay, It is still similar to the previous games plus a lot of changes. 156 new Pokemon has been added to the lineup giving you 643 to collect in total. The graphics are now in semi-3D, the battle scene has been enhanced and there are some areas where the camera angles actually changes. 

Professor Juniper is the first female Pokemon Professor in the game series.

The system had major upgrades as well, One of the noticeable improvements is the implementation of the Season cycle. Since the 2nd generation games, a day/night cycle system has been implemented where the wild Pokemon that you encounter varies if it is day or night. In Black and White, the day/night cycle is still implemented, the season cycle is added where you encounter different Pokemon from season to season. One season lasts a month. Several areas have new areas accessible within certain seasons. An example of this is Icirrus City where, in Winter, a snowfall allows you to access areas previously inaccessible. It also affects some Pokemon such as Deerling which has different forms depending on the season. 

Also introduced are the Triple Battles and Rotation Battles as an upgrade to the Tag Battles started in Pokemon Emerald and Ruby. It also comes handy that the TMs can now be used infinitely, similar to HMs.

C-Gear Interface (below)

Also added is the C-Gear function. It sits upon the bottom screen in a similar manner to the Poketch in the Diamond, Pearl and Platinum. It constantly looks for local Wireless, Infrared and Wi-Fi connections. Through infrared, players can have speedy battles with up to four players and speedy trades directly from the player's party or PC box.

Another one of the new features within Pokemon Black and White is the Pokemon Global Link. Accessed through the C-Gear, this feature allows you to upload your save to the Internet to access a specific website in order to get features and Pokemon in the game.The Dream World is another aspect added to the game where you can sync your game up to your Pokemon Global Link account and play mini-games.

Overall:

Pokemon had a major upgrade in Black and White. The new legendary Pokemon's designs are nicely done. New features and new areas to explore provides you with a new Pokemon experience and could leave you playing any of these games for hours. The wait for these games are worth it. Just like how the previous Pokemon games were, it's simply addictive. It's almost a perfect game for all ages. Check it out and you will not be disappointed, especially if you are a fan of Pokemon.

I wonder what will be the title of the third one... (Pokemon Gray, anyone?)

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