Japan! Culture + Hyperculture

We first heard hints about the upcoming event known as "Japan! Culture + Hyperculture" months ago. For a refresher, check out my original post back in March. The 2-week long festival will take place on February 2008 at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. A detailed schedule has been posted up and from the looks of the line-up, this event has a little bit of everything, giving viewers a glance at Japanese culture, both traditional and modern. Japanese robotics, kabuki, musicals, contemporary dance, plays, a laptop orchestra, ballet, and other musical performances are just some of the events that will grace DC in February. Most noteworthy of course is the world premiere of "Genius Party," the anthology of short animated films made by the gurus of the anime industry. A marathon of three anime premieres will be shown back to back. Japan! Culture + Hyperculture is shaping up to be the event of the new year.

Tickets for this amazing event will be available for purchase September 28, 2007. For more information and of course, to land some tickets, be sure to check out the Kennedy Center website here.

EVA Lance of Longinus Sold!

The Yahoo! auction for the 62-pound steel Lance of Longinus closed at a whopping $120,000. EVA truly represents the culmination and the reach of anime, proving that anime is without a doubt, a work of art, beyond the outer surface of animation and beyond what anyone can possibly fathom.

Square Enix Store Opens in America

If you've been a video gamer and a fan of anything made by Square Enix, then you are no novice to the plethora of FF, KH, Dragon Quest, Valkyrie merchandise available to Japanese residents and importers. The rate of announcements have been steadily growing to commemorate the opening of the North America Square Enix store. Well, the wait is over. Gather up your gil and get your goodies straight from the source at square-enix-shop.com.

A minimum order of $23.00 has been placed, but let's face it, it won't take much to spend get over that little itty bitty hump.

EVA: New vs. Old

Some "Evangelion" fans have gathered screen shots from the acclaimed series and movie to see just how different the new and old versions really are. Whether you're a fan of originals or not, you can't deny to crispness and clarity of the new four-part movie. Check out the following links for all the image comparisons: Image 1, Image 2, Image 3, Image 4, and Image 5.

Top 100 OP/ED Songs

The top 100 anime theme songs have been tallied and here are the results, according to Japan. You may be extremely suprised to see who made it (or didn't) on the list, and see who reigns on top. Rank lists have almost always never coincided between Japan and the rest of the world, and this list of course, was no exception. While I won't divulge the top ranked theme song, I will say that the list was relatively top-heavy with robot anime, classic titles make a few appearances, and there were several nail-biting and heart rendering moments scattered throughout. Test your otaku self and see how many you recognize...

100-62:


61-22:


21-1:

Happy 10th B-day FF VII!

Japan spent Labor Day weekend commemorating, in gallery format, the 10th anniversary of the revolutionary RPG that needs absolutely no introduction -- Final Fantasy VII. Among the expected pieces lay a few rarities -- a life-sized buster blade, a huge model of Midgar, and another set of hard-to-find special FF potion drinks. I fully concur with IGN's simple yet true statement -- I doubt another event like this will ever reach past the waters of Japan. While many enjoyed the exhibit, most are left only to drool over these pics. For more pics, be sure to check out IGN and Dengeki.

Streaming "Air"

The 2005 movie, "Air" is available for free viewing in japanese courtesy of Animate.tv. This showing is to commemorate the September 15 opening of the Clannad movie.

The movie is a reiteration of the anime. It's been a while since I last saw this movie. But from what I remember of it, "Air" is visually fluid. It's a nice and light story that should please any fan, regardless of choice genre. A traveling puppeteer enters a town that just isn't quite right. Yukito, the puppeteer, later meets up with Misuzu with a mission of her own. A dramatic, romantic and supernatural story, you're sure to enjoy it.

Divided into 3 parts, you can catch some "Air" here.

Grave of the Fireflies Live Action

The wonderful and epic novel turned into a little anime movie known as "Grave of the Fireflies," will be turned into a live action movie. The film carries a tentative release date of Summer 2008. This is one exceptional story set in Kobe in the time of WWII. It follows 2 young siblings as they struggle to survive during this time of incredible strife.

I sincerely hope the live action transformation is a success. The anime was truly perfection.

Eva Hype Continues...

Following up on my August 12th entry, Rei and the new upcoming "Evangelion" movie continues to attract the press. In addition to the stunning Rolling Stones issue, Rei boasts nicely on Continue's 35th volume and the September issues of Kinejun Information and Newtype Magazine. Monthly Shonen Ace has devoted their entire August 21st issue to all things Eva.

Afro Samurai iPod

Check out www.afrosamurai.com for details on how to win 1 of 8 rare 30GB iPods with custom artwork hand drawn by none other than "Afro Samurai" creator Takashi Okazaki. The iPods also adorn the autographs of Okazaki and director Fuminori Kizaki.

Tokikake

Hilarious, delightful, wistful, light, serious, joyous, heart rendering, and sad all at the same time, "Toki wo Kakeru Shoujo" (The Girl who Leapt Through Time), or "Tokikake" for short, is another unique movie to add to the list of legendary anime of all time. The story follows a girl named Makoto who is mysteriously endowed the powers to leap through time, allowing do-overs and all-night karaoke. Later, Makoto soon realizes the consequences of time travel.

Under the surface of its directive facade, lies a surprising treat of hidden deep plots and serious undertones. The movie definitely has it all and does it flawlessly. If there is one movie you should watch this year, make it "Tokikake." You'll be taken on a rollercoaster ride of emotions...laughing out loud and later brought to tears of joy and sadness, all at the same time.

Kanno & Macross Reunite

Yoko Kanno will co-compose "Macross" newest TV series, "Macross Frontier." The story in production takes place in "20XX A.D." on a galactic colonization fleet named Macross Frontier. Other than a few voice casting announcements, no other information has been divulged quite so early in the process. No doubt, Yoko Kanno is sure to deliver to the caliber we are so used to receiving.

Otaku Gari

Akihabara has long time been a haven for otaku universally -- nerd heaven, if you will. However, this year alone, there have been an exponential increase in Otaku Gari (or Otaku hunting) where otaku's are hunted and robbed of their posessions. The growing international popularity of Akiba is largely to blame for this, as more people aim to buy and sell for higher prices in their homeland.

Akiba continues to be a hotspot for crime and just recently, a brother and sister were caught hunting. Their tactic? She would bump into the target and the brother would demand the "dork" to hand over "apology money." Once the otaku gari duo were apprehended, they confessed that "otaku are weak, and they've got big money, so we went after them." Foreign scroungers are taking over our beloved haven. It's time for us otakus to show 'em what we're made of! Let our hidden abilities surface from all those years of training... (^_^)

MapleStory Adaptation

"MapleStory", the fantasy massively multi-player online role-playing game (MMORPG), well known worldwide, will be getting the anime treatment in October. The "MapleStory" inspired anime will be broadcasted by TV Tokyo October 7th. According the ANN, it was previously announced that Madhouse Studios ("FFVII: Last Order", "VHD: Bloodlust") was to animate the series.

Eva Chronicles

30 color encyclopedia volumes make up the "Evangelion Chronicle," now for sale at the Official Eva Store at a retail price of about 240 bucks.

You can store your beautiful collection in 3 stunning custom made binders. And why not throw in two exclusive figures of Rei Ayanami and Asuka Sohryu Langley while we're at it? A great addition to any collection.

Where's my Katamari?

In the past, Playstation has always been able to boast about its lead in the gaming industry. As I stated around the time of the release of the PS3, what makes Playstation a force to be reckoned with has been its games and its exclusives -- the ability to attract only the best of games.

The Playstation 3 will be nearing its one year anniversary by the end of 2007, but things have not changed much. Players are still left yearning for kick-ass games, and with the most prestigious titles either carrying a 2008, 2009, or TBA date, the situation has not progressed. What's worse, Playstation is losing its edge in their run for exclusives. Nevermind that games such as "Resident Evil" and such come available on every console. But when games are available only to non-Playstation consoles, it's a pretty good indication of their winding streak.

I could deal with the fact that "Blue Dragon" wasn't going to be on the PS3, PS2, or PSP. Though I was looking forward to it. But to deal with the fact that "Beautiful Katamari" has turned into an XBox 360 exclusive, was asking for too much. If you've been diligently waiting for a concrete release date for the PS3 version, you will notice that it has been cancelled in both Japan and the U.S. All the while, October will see the release of "Beautiful Katamari" only on the Xbox. Way to go Sony!

I've always been a faithful fan of Sony, but is it time to move on? I hope not. But this mediocrity has got to stop at some point. I only hope it happens sooner rather than later. Come on 2008, don't disappoint!

Evangelion Saves Us

The cover of the September issue of Rolling Stone magazine (Japan Edition) adorns the elusive Rei Ayanami.

The cover coincides with an article called "Eva no Saishinsaku wa Eco Datta?" ("The Latest Eva Work Is About Ecology?") with the English subtitle, "Does Evangelion Save Us?" The article covers the Evangelion: 1.0 You are [Not] Alone movie remake of the psychological science fiction series. It follows the magazine issue's "Rock Meets Eco!! Stop Global Warming" main feature.

Akiba Fest 2007

Virginia's very own anime store, Anime FX, continues their annual tradition of Akiba Fest today. This year's Akiba Fest J-pop Summer Bash, the interactive concert experience, will feature performances from Yoko Ishida & FICE. It was several years ago when I first picked up Yoko Ishida's CD. She definitely represents the J-pop scene and was one of the first artists to have a main stronghold in the US. This will be FICE's first time in America, and Akiba Fest is a great place to introduce fans to the visual kei part of japanese music. The J-pop duo is much like another duo, Funny Stones, who performed at last year's Katuscon in DC. Suffice it to say, FICE's performance should be electrifying. Other events surround the main concert -- merchants, contests, and other activities.

Doors will open tonight at 4:30 at the Jaxx Nightclub in Springfield, VA. Tickets will be available at the door, if you don't have yours on hand yet. For more information, check out the official Akiba Fest site.

The Akiba Fest Halloween Ball, October 27th, will feature Salia, from Unicorn Table and Psychic Lover. Salia is best known for her work on "Jinki Extend," "Vandread," and "Cutey Honey." And having met Salia before, I can tell you that her performance won't disappoint.

Naruto Marathon

Get ready for a string of "Naruto" madness. Cartoon Network will air 100 episodes of "Naruto" for 50 hours starting 6:00 am on Friday, August 17 and ending at 10:00 pm on the 19th.

Hence, for those of you so inclined, get your VCRs revved up and popcorn popped, or simply skip it altogether. The choice is yours.

F.E.A.R. Sequel

While there is still a long wait until the sequel to the awesome game "F.E.A.R." is released on the PS3 and Xbox 360, Monolith has finally narrowed down the title to three possible choices, and it's up to the fans to choose. Fans can visit www.nameyourfear.com to vote on their favorite title: 1) Dead Echo; 2) Project Origin; and 3) Dark Signal.

Alma is back. Need I say more? Based on an interview with Monolith producer Troy Skinner, the sequel will starts 30 minutes before the end of the first game. "Your unit knows all hell is breaking loose somewhere in the city, but doesn't know any details about Alma, the battalion of Replica soldiers on the loose, etc. Your team is assigned to a seemingly routine mission, when Alma is released, the city is leveled and the effects of Alma's increasing power are felt." Check out the whole interview at IGN. The screenshots only give a glimpse to what appears to be another wicked game stamped with a 2008 release date.

200,000 Yen Gundam T-Shirt

Bandai has released a deluxe "Mobile Suit Gundam" t-shirt with a hefty price tag of 200,000 yen (approximately $1,600). The t-shirt's design will be etched in handstiched Swarovsky crystals. While there isn't an available pic or artist rendition, according to a report, the t-shirt will comprise of Gundam Mobile Suits and Zakus, etc. from the original "Mobile Suit Gundam" anime. These glittery shirts will be available at select department stores in Japan.

It is also reported that plans have been made to release a more affordable version of the shirt in the US, France, Italy, Singapore, China, and Japan. This shirt will be comprised of glass beads instead of crystal and has an estimated retail price of 38,000 yen (about $320).

Alive: The Final Evolution Vol. 1

There has been an unusually high volume of talk behind the new manga, "Alive: The Final Evolution," and it seems to live up to the ever-growing hype.

Volume 1 of "Alive," just recently released, opens up a can of worms with a story that is like no other story I've read before. And as a person who's read her share of manga, light novels, and the like in every possible genre for almost two decades, this is saying a lot already. The overall setting and feel of the story is reminiscent of "Eden" and "Death Note," but even that's a bit of a stretch.

The story centers around Taisuke, and 3 other subsequent characters -- his sister (a nurse at Taisuke's high school), his best friend, and his "girfriend." A string of inexplicable mass suicides has occurred around the globe, including Japan, the U.S., and China over seven days, now deemed, "Nightmare Week." The cause of the mysterious suicides have been linked to a strange virus, but police are no closer to finding the cause.

The story's dark themes of life and death, and its wistful blend of comedy, make "Alive" an addicting manga. The author, Tadashi Kawashima, does an exceptional job in setting up the story and building a structure behind the four main characters and their individual connection to death. In fact, by the end of volume 1, Kawashima leaves a rather large opening, leaving the reader asking more questions and itching for even more.Why are some immune to the powers of the "virus", while others are only left to succumb to its will? What powers do Taisuke and his best friend, Hirose, have?

Volume 2 is set to be released at the end of October this year.

The Sims 2: Castaway

What do you get when you cross the famous PC game turned console game, "The Sims" with the Nintendo DS game, "Lost in Blue?" You end up with "The Sims 2: Castaway" coming this October in multiple platform (DS, Wii, PSP, and PS2). In "Castaway," you must help your Sims survive and thrive on an uncharted island. As you traverse and learn to adapt on the island, your Sims will discover clues and unlock treasures to finally lead them back to civilization. "The Sims" line has a great reputation and I doubt that "Castaway" won't be another success.

The Simpsons Movie

Marketing for "The Simpsons Movie" has exploded, overflowed the silo, and continues to spread as I type this review. Passing the borderline, "The Simpsons" is probably the only instance where this kind of craziness is left tolerable. A number of 7-Eleven convenience stores have been revamped to our favorite Kwik-E-Mart all over the U.S. - Krusty O's Cereal, Buzz Cola, Donuts (with pink icing and sprinkles, of course), and Slushies hit the shelves.

It has been 18 years since America's first family made their debut and entering its 19th season, "The Simpsons" have never looked better. I remember the first time talk surfaced on bringing "The Simpsons" to the big screen in 1992. And after at least 15 years, depending on when you start counting, wishes are finally granted. The penultimate date of this long awaited movie would be July 27, 2007.

Friday night...as I inched closer to the movie theater, anticipation grew and my patience continued to evaporate. If only I had a bull dozer to graze through the traffic. I had spent the entire day at work with one thing in my mind -- years of waiting and today is the day.

BEST. MOVIE. EVER!

The infamous dysfunctional family is at it again, or rather, Homer does not waiver from his true self. It can always prove quite difficult to describe the plot of any "Simpsons" episode and to do any justice. The movie, as expected, does not stray from that trait. The plot centers on protecting the environment. One thing leads to another and before you know it, the people of Springfield are faced with total annihilation, all thanks to Homer and his pig.

This movie felt a bit short-lived and this is no doubt due, in part, to the continuous humor provided throughout the movie. No single second was spared. Every waking moment was filled with nonstop action and humor, and a whopping cast. It's hard to choose specific moments that are worth calling out...that was the entire movie. Itchy and Scratchy never change, Ralph is too cute with his 20th century Fox chant, Nelson's "Ha-Ha!" still has the same effect, Ned Flanders is still goo-diddly-od, and Homer is still, well, Homer.

Flanders takes a surprsingly major role in the movie, while characters like Apu and Mr. Burns made minor appearances. The frequency of "D'ohs" were extremely miniscule as well. Though I would have liked more movie time than 1 hour and 27 minutes, I cannot wait till another movie comes out.

The writers and produces did a simply wonderful job capturing everything we love about "The Simpsons." The script was flawless and was definitely worth the effort put in by everybody involved. My props go out to Matt and crew...I have no doubt in my mind that every long time "Simpsons" fan came out of the movie theater with gleeful satisfaction. Two big yellow thumbs up!!!

Broly comes to Blu-Ray

FUNimation has finally joined the hi-def wagon by means of Blu-ray. According to IGN, the lucky title to grace its presence is none other than the old school DBZ. More specifically, two Broly titles, representing the largest selling DBZ movies, will be released simultaneously: "Broly: The Legendary Super Saiyan" and "Broly: Second Coming."

The two movies have been remastered in high-definition, digitally restored, and enhanced with a sound quality to compliment. The Broly movies will be released November 13, 2007, followed by future releases of FUNimation's other top titles.

Spear of Longinus

A human scale of the Spear of Longinus as seen in "Evangelion" takes part in "Imagination of Evangelion," an art exhibit hosted by Tokyo's J-Art Project from July 21 to August 3. This double-helixed spear extends more than seven feet and weighs in at a whopping 62 pounds! According to ANN, all the Eva-inspired displays are divided into four zones: "Eva at Work" display by Gallery Point, the Evangelion Store, the "Evangelion inspired - new generation" display by students who entered Bandai Visual's design competition, and the "Evangelion inspired - professional designers" display of items from the development of merchandise.

Harry Potter - Book 7

The long awaited date of July 21, 2007 has finally come and gone bringing forth the seventh and final installment of the Harry Potter series dubbed as "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows." I picked up my reserved copy of the book that Saturday morning and was surprised and satisfied with the way things were organized. "Borders" had a very efficient system making the line of happy and anxious faces move with ease and constant speed. Hopefully this was true for most other places.

While I couldn't get much reading done that day, I was able to finish the book last night. I will not provide any spoilers, so as far as my full review goes, that may have to wait. I realize that the risk of accidentally finding out what happened before finishing the book is way too high for comfort...I would hate it if that happened to me. Nevertheless, the threat is there, so I'm sure most people will be finishing, if not already, ASAP. And believe me, it won't be a hard feat to accomplish. The hardest thing I found was putting down the book before actually finishing.

The major answers we seek to find are in this final book -- will the downfall of Voldemort ever arrive, will Harry Potter die, is Dumbledore really dead, is Snake a friend or foe, and what does fate have in store for everyone? I am itching to discuss the book, but I'm sure I won't have to wait too long. I will say this though: the book kept me off the edge of my seat from page 1 until the very end -- I loved the book and wouldn't have changed a thing. Although, I probably would've done without the epilogue. I feel that it brought down the whole mood of the book, though not in an advantageous way. Nevertheless, readers will be succumbed by various emotions, so be prepared for a rollercoaster ride of your life.

Jin-Roh RAH KERBEROS

Among Medicom Toys newest releases lies the awesomely no-words-can-describe Jin-Roh RAH KERBEROS figure. Jin-Roh struts high and mighty with its elusive red goggles. Pictures does not do any justice to this bad-ass figure. The figure stands at about 12 inches tall and comes with interchangable parts and is fully poseable.

Prices range from about $150-250 and is available as I type this and as it is standing in my room. I haven't brought myself to open the box yet, let's face it, there's a good chance I won't. The box is just too killer to even touch.

Solid State Society

I was finally able to watch "Ghost in the Shell: SAC Solid State Society" and boy, was it worth the wait. The year is 2030, two years has passed since the Individual Eleven incident and Major Motoko Kusanagi's resignation from the elite group known as Public Security No. 9. Togusa is now taking the effective leadership position and the group is investigating a series of odd suicides by bureaucratic individuals.

Talk about a topsy-turvy plot...the story is so immersed and never turns the dial down until the credits eventually roll. Even at that moment, you are still left with reminiscent thoughts of the surprising and wild conclusion. The execution of this movie was incredible and the artistry of it all is highly commendable. Our favorite characters are back and with the changing times, character design is done so as to connect with the audience that time has not stood still.

No one element was disregarded or imperfect -- in short, the crew really had all the bases covered. I didn't think GITS' CG animation could get any better, but I'm sure glad I was proven wrong. You can tell how much consideration and thought was given to every little piece of detail. I don't want to give out much more detail of the story, it is truly a masterpiece you have to enjoy firsthand. So it comes to no surprise that I state, this movie is a MUST-SEE and I bet noone will be able to watch SSS once.

It is another success for Yoko Kanno, the continuing music composer for the "Ghost in the Shell" franchise. You can always expect great things from Kanno, and SSS was no exception. Among many other extras, the limited edition release includes the SSS original soundtrack and is well worth every single penny, yen, euro, or whatever. Amidst my many Kanno favorites, the tracks titled "player," "zero signal," and "undivided" join the list. The 3-disc set is no mere edition. Especially note-worthy is the "Work World File" recounting every crucial moment in the entire GITS world. It really takes you back in time to the very first episode of the first season and opens it up to the future.

Compelling, riveting, addicting, SSS does a wonderful job of keeping the integrity and interconnections of GITS intact, while simultaneously building anew.

AnimeOnline.com Shutdown

AnimeOnline.com, an ever-growing anime community website is shutting down today at 6pm eastern time. FUNimation and company have decided to pull the plug on the anime news site and "re-evaluate their internet strategy." Only five months old, it's hard to believe this is happening, especially with no warning. Their full report can be found on their site (for now).

BACK-ON at Anime USA 2007

The J-rock band "BACK-ON," best known for the opening theme songs of "Air Gear," "Eyeshield 21," and "Murder Princess," will be performing at this year's Anime USA in Arlington, VA (Crystal City). Anime USA will be held on November 16-18. Now in its ninth year, this con has gotten better and better over time.

BACK ON's style is quite unique with a blend of hip hop, metal and electronic sounds. Check out their official site for more info.

More Metal Gear!

Hideo Kojima and Konami are not quite done yet. After the satisfying treat of MGS4 for the PS3, Kojima, at the Playstation Premiere press conference of PSP's "Metal Gear Solid Portable Ops +," announced that Kojima Productions is currently developing a PS3 version of "Metal Gear Online." You may remember the MGO version that appeared in "MGS3 Subsistence."

Based on Famitsu and IGN, Kojima will play the game live at next week's Metal Gear 20th Anniversary Party event in Tokyo and will share specifics on what players can expect. It is not clear if MGO will be a standalone release, or part of MGS4. We'll probably learn more after next week, but how exciting!!!! "Metal Gear Online" seems like it would find a great home with the PS3 and its online gaming capability (e.g. "Resistance: Fall of Man").

Inoue Kabuki: Go Izo

If you've been a big fan of anime, j-pop music, and/or j-doramas, chances are you already know about the infamous music group, V6. And as you know, the six guys are not strangers to the big and small screen, having quite a few live action movies and dramas on their belt. V6's own Go Morita will star in a theater production early next year as Okada Izo, a famous assassin in Hidenori Inoue's "Inoue Kabuki: Go Izo."

The cast also includes "Death Note's" Misa, Erika Toda.

"Glimpse" of Silent Hill 5

An extremely brief "glimpse," if it can even be called that, of "Silent Hill 5" was shown at E3 this year. The trailer consisted of a somewhat familiar red symbol and a mediocre voice over for 55 seconds. That's it. The trailer as it stands seems to only serve as an announcement that, yes, SH5 is in development.

"Silent Hill 5" marks the debut of the psychlogical horror series that needs no introduction on the next-gen consoles. You play as Alex Shepherd, a war veteran returning home from overseas. While investigating the disappearance of his brother, Joshua, Alex finally finds himself in the fog shrouded empty streets of Silent Hill.

I am looking forward to everything I love about SH...orginal plot, storyline and characters and a haunting score provided by the one and only Akira Yamaoka. Surprisingly enough, the voice acting for Alex is awful in my opinion. I've never had any issues with the voice acting before. I just hope it gets resolved or another option is made (i.e. Japanese track). A 2008 date has been announced, but I highly doubt it'll happen by then. So much as I want this game to come out ASAP, I wouldn't want a rush job, especially for a game like "Silent Hill."

FFXII Judge Gabranth

Stunning and meticulously detailed, this 1/4 scale figure of FFXII's Judge Gabranth is definitely a force with the power of 10 tsunamis. This isn't some puny figure, so the $400 price tag comes as no surprise. The 20-inch Judge Gabranth is set to be released January 2008, preorders are now being taken at several locations.

Rebuild of Evangelion Official Trailer

Hot off the press, the official Evangelion movie site has finally posted up the clean and official version of the newest Eva trailer. A low quality trailer done with a home camcorder has been roaming the web for some time now. Be wary now...you'll need a Japan I.P. address to view it from the official site, but there are, thankfully, some alternative sources. The trailer is also available for viewing at Japanator and YouTube, and now you have it here. So enjoy. As I mentioned in a previous post, Utada Hikaru has done a new version of "Fly Me to the Moon," and what better time to present it than in this trailer.

My love for Eva has never subsided after all these years and you won't need 3 guesses to figure out where I'd love to be when September 1st rolls around.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

The Rebellion began on Wednesday, July 11th marking the opening day of the fifth movie installment of J.K. Rowling's famous wizard with "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix." With the rising return of the evil Lord Voldemort, dark times most definitely lie ahead for all. And behind the curtains, the Order of the Phoenix, a coalition built 14 years ago during the height of Lord Voldemort's rampage, reforms once again to defend against his wrath. As the prophecy foretells, neither Lord Voldemort nor Harry Potter can survive so long as the other lives.

The fifth "Harry Potter" book was by far my favorite book out of the six books released thus far --the seventh and final installment is due next week, July 21st! And comparing the book with the movie, the movie may be seen as a tiny let-down for HP fans. All four of its predecessors delivered almost flawless and on cue adaptations of the novels -- exactly or even better than how I imagined it while I read the novels. However, the fifth movie was a bit patchy and with a little over two hours, fans will notice quite a bit of crucial elements missing. Now with the bad out of the way, let's get on to the good stuff.

"Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" brings forth a new director and score composer. You could definitely feel the difference in direction, creating a hybrid between the old and new style. The score was also done appropriately, combining the original and recognizable soundtrack with certain additions, to paint the darker settings of the plot. Casting is as good as ever, most note-worthy is the sadistic Professor Umbridge, and of course the odd Luna Lovegood. Casting aside the movie based on the book, the movie itself is extremely entertaining and the darkest of them yet. The experience felt short-lived, but let's face it: in the end, the legacy of "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" prevails. The movie, no doubt, sets us up nicely and in perfect timing for the release of the long awaited seventh book.

VGL DC Concert Report

A corrupt OS left me with a computer in slumber while I waited for my new hard drive to be delivered. After some delivery delays, confusion, and frustration, I am finally up and running again, almost to full capacity. Because of that, my reports have been put on hold, that is, until today. Luckily and perhaps accommodatingly, the anime, gaming, manga, and music world has been low key since my last entry, giving me ample time to catch up. So without further ado, here is my long overdue VGL report.

On the nights of June 29th and June 30th, the metro and DC streets were flooded with gamers from far and wide for the exciting sold-out Video Games Live (VGL) concert. The gaming atmosphere only intensified as opening time drew closer. And before you knew it, the concert hall was filled with individuals dressed as their favorite classic and modern characters, from "Zelda's" very own Link to "Mario Kart" and to "Kingdom Hearts." Most were sporting awesomely wicked T-shirts -- I went for a KH theme myself.

As the lights grew darker, we were taken back in time through the evolution of the gaming industry. I couldn't have asked for better seats -- second row baby! Feelings of nostalgia, awe, surges of adrenaline rush, intrigue, and unshed tears of joy were definitely shared by everyone in the audience. The concert really represents a show tailored specifically for the long-time avid gamer.

The concert event was truly Immersive and Interactive with a couple of capital "I's." Tommy Tallarico ("Advent Rising," "Metroid Prime"), co-founder of VGL was a great host and kept the energy going throughout the night. Jack Wall ("Myst III," "Splinter Cell), co-founder of VGL, served as the VGL composer, leading the electrifying performance.

An onset of mini-games, enactments, contests, exclusives, and a slew of guests and performers were the equal highlights to the actual song performances. "Metal Gear Solid's" very own Snake made some audio announcements providing one of the first interaction with the audience. And as the composer striked up the band with the MGS theme song, a familar cardboard box showed up on the left side of the stage followed by the infamous guard dressed in black and armed with a gun. Snake inched his way across the stage as he tried to avoid being noticed by the guard. And at the penultimate part of the theme, an familar exclamation point is raised over the guard and a chase ensued. Snake successfully makes it across. Whew!

It will probably take me several pages to recount every electrifying moment of the concert, or to even give you the major highlights, but I'll give it a shot. Individuals were picked out from the audience to play "Frogger" and "Space Invaders" as the live orchestra provided the background music. Special video introductions were shown before several songs -- two of which need no introduction: Hideo Kojima and Koji Kondo!!!! Sid Meier ("Civilization IV") took the stage to announce the release of "Civilization" on the next-gen console. Laurie Robinson, the original soprano singer for "Advent Rising" gave a spectacular performance as well. The infamous video game pianist, Martin Leung, also made an appearance and performed a 10-song piano melody a la Nobuo Uematsu. Gerald Marino ("God of War") was just one of the many other composers at the concert's "Meet and Greet." And what would a concert be without an encore ending featuring "Final Fantasy VII's" "One-Winged Angel."

Some other games featured, in addition to those already mentioned, include: "Dragon's Lair," "Gauntlet," "Tetris," "Pong," "Donkey Kong," "Zelda," "Medal of Honor," "Kingdom Hearts," "God of War II," "Castlevania," "World of Warcraft," "Tron," "Halo," Myst," "and "Final Fantasy."

The VGL tour is not stopping just yet. Be sure to check out the website for tour dates and other information. Future performances worldwide are being announced: Brazil, California, Canada, Germany, Italy, Paris, New York, and Philadelphia, and lots more.

E3 2007 MGS4 HD Trailer

Simply awesome. Each "Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots" trailer that has come out gets even better and better and the newest HD trailer from E3 is absolutely no exception. 2008 seems too far away to satiate this growing hunger. My sane days are numbered.

[Note: If you can't view the trailer, click here.]

Trinity Blood: From the Empire Vol. 1

The 24-episode anime series and seven-volume manga, "Trinity Blood" makes its way in the collection of novels translated in English, brought to us by Tokyo Pop. Volume 1, "Trinity Blood: Rage Against the Moons - From the Empire" is made up of sequences of novelettes, under a main umbrella, that are lightly connected with one another. The english translation is done well and the plot is coherent throughout the entire novel. In fact, I much preferred the novel over the manga. The splashes of black and white illustrations are a nice complement to the story. There is quite a collection of characters and a good variety of different elements blended together. If you enjoyed "Trigun," you will more likely enjoy "Trinity Blood" as well.

Two nations exist on Earth and remain split 500 years after the apocalyptic war between them. On one side stands the Roman Catholic Church powered by the Vatican, and on the other stands the vampire (aka "Methuselah") kingdom known as the New Human Empire. As each nation tries to best the other, a clear chain is formed. Humans eat animals and vampires eat humans, but what eats a vampire? How about a vampire that eats other vampires? A "Crusnik." And that is exactly what Abel Nightroad is.

Stranger - Mukoh Hadan

"Stranger - Mukoh Hadan," the new samurai action anime film due out this September, looks wickedly stunning. The "Stranger" official site (http://www.stranja.jp/) boasts three new clips giving viewers a short glimpse of some extremely violent sequences. The story is set in feudal Japan (like "Inu-Yasha") with an unlikely pairing of a ronin, who has abandoned his sword and name, and a boy, with his dog, on the run for his life. Mysteries and lost memories are revealed as their expedition continues.

As a studio BONES production, you can bet the animation will be something to revere at and by the looks of it, I have pretty high hopes for this movie. It'll be interesting to see how it will actually turn out. As far as some samurai titles go: "Samurai 7" and "Samurai Deeper Kyo" were mediocre and a bit of a let down; "Ruroni Kenshin" and 'Ninja Scroll" -- untouchable classics; and "Samurai Champloo," well let's face it, is in a league of its own -- an utterly beautiful and innovative piece of work. The fluidity and animation seem to be the strong point of "Stranger." Hopefully the plot and characters won't disappoint.