areaseven

And knowing is half the battle.

Well, the ECW show was crap, but it was actually good news for SciFi: Other notes:

Got any pics?

Since this is the resident Saint Seiya thread, I thought I'd post this for you guys. Enjoy:

Yeah, I've seen tidbits of Ring of Honor, and it's pretty good. However, I recommend International Wrestling Syndicate. These guys are probably beyond ECW when it comes to hardcore. Sample Video 1 Sample Video 2 Sample Video 3

It's a movie made for TV.

Nope. I'm not feeling it. Maybe if Mr. T played a 1982 GMC Custom Van in the movie...

Hotaru no Haka ( ç«åž‚ã‚‹ã®å¢“ ) NTV, 2005 Directed by Toya Sato Based on the novel by Akiyuki Nosaka Running Time: 148 minutes Not Rated. Contains disturbing scenes of death. Cast Hoshi Ishida as Seita Yokokawa Mao Sasaki as Setsuko Yokokawa Nanako Matsushima (Azusa in GTO, Reiko in Ringu) as Hisako Sawano (the aunt) Mao Inoue (Makino in Hana Yori Dango) as Natsu Sawano (the cousin) and Keiko Mitsumura (Natsu's granddaughter) Keiko Kishi as Natsu Mitsumura (present day) Yui Natsukawa (Tsukihime in Onmyoji) as Kyoko Yokokawa (the mother) Jun Kaname (Makoto/G3 in Kamen Rider Agito) as Yoshie Sawano Synopsis On the final days of World War II, 15-year-old Seita Yokokawa and his five-year-old sister Setsuko are orphaned after their mother is killed during an air-raid by American forces in Kobe, Japan. After having a falling-out with their aunt, they move into an abandoned bomb shelter. With no surviving relatives and their emergency funds and rations depleted, Seita and Setsuko must struggle to survive their hardships as well as those of their country, which is on the losing end of the war. Lowdown You've seen this story before and know it very well in anime form as Grave of the Fireflies. And for years, many have said it was impossible to adapt this story into live-action, mainly because casting a young girl to play Setsuko was considered next to impossible. Well, NTV actually produced a full-length live-action TV special of Hotaru no Haka. So how does it compare to the anime? For starters, it begins on the present day, when a teenage girl named Keiko learns from her grandmother Natsu about life during WWII. Natsu reveals that 60 years ago, she had two cousins that died in poverty and she blamed her mother for their condition. Nearly everything plays out exactly like in the anime. The major difference is that we learn more about the families around the lives of Seita and Setsuko. In the anime, we first have a sense of resentment towards their aunt for being harsh on them. Then, somewhere down the line, some of us realized it was Seita's fault for putting Setsuko through all the hardships. In the live-action, however, there's actually a reason to feel both bitter and sorry for the aunt (who is known here as Hisako). She actually starts out as a kind relative to the two siblings, especially when she gives Setsuko a tin can of fruit drops. But once she hears of her husband's death as a result of the war, she simply loses all hope for everything except for her children. As rations grow short, she has Seita and Setsuko eat less than that of her family. She eventually causes them to leave the house and have them fend for themselves. Things get worse when she kicks her own brother out of the house as well, especially since he's crippled. Throughout the ordeal, Hisako's daughter Natsu can only feel sorry as she sees Seita get caught stealing food. And much like the anime, we witness the final outcome of the two siblings as WWII comes to a close. As far as the acting goes, Hoshi Ishida and Mao Sasaki actually do a great job playing Seita and Setsuko, respectively. Veteran actress Nanako Matsushima also gives a remarkable performance as the aunt. And for a period title, the production team did a wonderful job with the costume and set design. The only major complaint would be the CG renderings of the B-29 bombers, which look a bit low-budget. Compared to the anime, Hotaru no Haka is a little less of a tearjerker, but still a good movie, nonetheless. It's a great companion to the anime, as it tells the story through a different point of view. Rating: B+ Links NTV's Official Hotaru no Haka Homepage (Japanese) Reference Anime News Network The Internet Movie Database

Wow...that was a rather dull start for ECW on SciFi: - Surprisingly, RVD received no pop when he was given the ECW title. As much as he likes the new belt, he said he's keeping Cena's WWE title because it spins. - Cena's appearance and attack on Edge did nothing to make the show interesting. - WTF was with the Zombie and vampire on the show? - Hell, this show doesn't feel like ECW at all. It's more like Velocity on crack. The only thing interesting about tonight's episode was that blonde chick Kelly. Hopefully, the pace picks up next week.

William Daniels is still alive, but I really don't see his voice fitting in anywhere on this movie. It just wouldn't be funny.

Well, that's a waste of Samoa Joe's time, especially since Steiner's known not to sell to anyone. TNA's beginning to lose my interest now that Sting, Nash and Steiner are in it. Right when the X-Division was to be the future of pro wrestling, Jeff Jarrett decided to bring in more has-beens. It's WCW all over again.

Earlier tonight on The Kliq Show: - Well, as of tonight, RAW has changed from The Triple-H Show to The Kliq Show, as HHH and HBK reformed D-Generation X. - Meanwhile, Cena unleashed his dark side, lashing out his frustrations towards Edge and the ECW wrestlers at ringside. That still won't get him over, though. - And Foley vs. Flair? Like anyone would be interested in that feud... - Bad enough that Charlie Haas accidentally bumped Lilian Garcia out of the ring (and that wasn't even remotely in the script). Worse is that WWE decides to drag the accident into the Viscera/Lilian love story.

The most ridiculous amount of money I spent was probably $130 for my Yamato 1/72 YF-19 when it first came out. Yeah, that was a ridiculous price to pay, especially when HLJ had it for $85 (including shipping to the U.S.). Worse was that the douchebag in Hong Kong shipped my YF-19 in a gift wrap and not in a parcel box. At least the toy itself was intact.

While majority of Season 2 is forgettable, it does have its moments. One of which is "Act 18: The Greatest Villain," where Beck and his goons attempt to battle Big O with their "combining robot."

In the case of Season 1, CN had nothing to do with the production. They picked up the series and just didn't realize it would be a hit in the U.S. Season 2 probably didn't do too well in Japan, either. But then again, you're probably right on CN paying Sunrise in this case. Funny thing is that Season 2 had mediocre ratings on Adult Swim. While CN has the option to produce a third season, it seems they're not interested at the moment, as Adult Swim is now comedy-oriented with very little room for action.

The whole PPV would've been great had WWE not been too involved in it. Appearances by JBL and Eugene were pointless (not to mention a complete waste of Sandman's time). I'm hoping that ECW's new show starts out good tomorrow night.

Mobile Suit Gundam Seed C.E. 73: Stargazer Trailer

I just met up with a friend who runs AMC Theatres in Century City, and he told me that he just read some advanced reviews for Superman Returns. And they're not good. One review said it's nothing but a chick flick. Another said it has a horrible script with terrible acting by Routh and Spacey. Regardless of this, I'm still checking it out when it premieres two weeks from now.

According to this article posted by the Anime News Network three years ago, Cartoon Network has the option to produce 26 more episodes of The Big O. I don't know why they haven't started with season 3, as the last episode left plenty of room for more stories.

The Big O (THE ビッグオー) Sunrise/WOWOW/Cartoon Network/Bandai Visual, 1999, 2002 Bandai Entertainment, 2001-2002, 2003-2004 Directed by Kazuyoshi Katayama (Those Who Hunt Elves, Argento Soma)Written by Chiaki J. Konaka (Armitage III, RahXephon) Created by Hajime Yatate (pseudonym for unnamed staff members of Sunrise) Running Time: 25 minutes per episode Rated 13-Up for violence, mature situations and mild language. "Cast in the name of God, ye not guilty." Cast (Japanese) Mitsuru Miyamoto (Hubb in Wolf's Rain, Itsuki in RahXephon) as Roger Smith Akiko Yajima (Rickert in Berserk, Tsubasa in Figure 17) as R. Dorothy Wayneright Motomu Kiyokawa (Fuyutsuki in Neon Genesis Evangelion, Walter in Hellsing) as Norman Burg Tessho Genda (Daijiro in Voltes V, D in Project A-Ko) as Major Dan Dastun Emi Shinohara (B-Ko in Project A-Ko, Sailor Jupiter in Sailor Moon) as Angel Unshou Ishizuka (Guld in Macross Plus, Jet in Cowboy Bebop) as Alex Rosewater Shinpachi Tsuji (Musashi in Getter Robo Armageddon, Shusaku in Kaze no Yojimbo) as Big Ear Katsunosuke Hori (Futagami in RahXephon) as Michael Seebach/Schwarzwald Houchu Ohtsuka (Yazan in Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam, Chibodee in Mobile Fighter G-Gundam) as Beck Gold Issei Futamata (Shinshi in Patlabor, Yusaku in Maison Ikkoku) as Alan Gabriel Goro Naya (Zenigata in Lupin III, Dawson in Golgo 13: The Professional) as Gordon Rosewater Cast (English) Steven Blum (Spike in Cowboy Bebop, Celestine in Ah! My Goddess: The Movie) as Roger Smith Lia Sargent (Hand Maid May, Milly in Trigun) as R. Dorothy Wayneright Richard Barnes (Delaz in Mobile Suit Gundam 0083, Gomez in Macross Plus) as Norman Burg (season 1) Alan Oppenheimer as Norman Burg (season 2) Chuck Farley as Major Dan Dastun Wendee Lee (Faye in Cowboy Bebop, Antonia in Heat Guy J) as Angel Alfred Thor as Alex Rosewater James Lyon (Briareos in Appleseed, Duke Red in Metropolis) as Big Ear Michael McConnohie (Norris in Gundam: The 08th MS Team, Dawson in Golgo 13: The Professional) as Michael Seebach/Schwarzwald Robert Wicks (Gene in Outlaw Star, Hubb in Wolf's Rain) as Beck Gold Crispin Freeman (Alucard in Hellsing, Togusa in Ghost in the Shell: SAC) as Alan Gabriel William Frederick (Aramaki in Ghost in the Shell: SAC) as Gordon Rosewater "Big O! It's Showtime!" Synopsis Paradigm City - a metropolis with a lost past and an uncertain future. Among its citizens is Roger Smith, a negotiator who solves the city's problems not handled by the military police. When problems escalate beyond human control, he calls upon his Megadeus known as Big O. Along with his butler Norman and a mysterious female android named Dorothy, Roger keeps the city safe from crime while trying to solve the mystery of lost memories from 40 years ago. "Big O! And, Action!" Story: B+ Imagine Batman: The Animated Series mixed with Giant Robo, and you have The Big O. It has a mix of film noir and giant robot action, along with a complex storyline. You also have a host of characters that come straight out of Batman. Most obvious are Roger and Norman, your typical rich hero and his butler. Some of the villains like Schwarzwald and Beck act like stand-ins for the Joker or Riddler. Season 1 ended with a cliffhanger, which prompted Cartoon Network to step in to help produce season 2 by popular demand. And like many newer anime titles, The Big O's ending was rather anticlimactic, as it was a variation of the "pushing the reset button" scenario used by Neon Genesis Evangelion. At least this one made more sense. Animation: A So why does this anime look a lot like Batman: TAS? Simple: the same animators worked on it. Slick character and mecha designs by Keiichi Satou (Mazinkaiser) give life to the retro backgrounds. And even though the Megadeuses are big, lumbering machines, the battle scenes score up there with Giant Robo and Kishin Corps. Soundtrack: A+ "Big O! Big O, Big O, Big O!" Toshihiko Sahashi (Full Metal Panic!, Steel Angel Kurumi) supplies one of the most underrated anime soundtracks ever composed. It uses classical and jazz with shades of John Barry (Dr. No and most of the James Bond 007 movies), Jerry Goldsmith (The Twilight Zone, Star Trek) and Danny Elfman (Batman, Darkman). The opening theme by Rui Nagai has Queen's Flash Gordon theme all over it. And it's one of those songs you'll be singing all over. Sub vs. Dub Surprisingly, the English dub blows the Japanese version out of the water with its excellent voice acting and script. Perhaps it's because The Big O looks very un-anime. DVD Extras: B Each disc comes with text interviews with staff members, creditless opening and ending sequences, and production sketches. The Bottom Line Still underrated to this day, The Big O is a must for any anime or sci-fi afficionado. We have come to terms. Links Bandai Channel's The Big O Homepage (Japanese) Bandai Entertainment's The Big O Homepage Cartoon Network Adult Swim's The Big O Homepage Reference Anime News Network

Are you talking about Black Convoy? Sure, the color scheme is great, but he's not as poseable as Fire Convoy. And Jinnai, Fire Convoy and Super Fire Convoy are in the same package, so there shouldn't be a comparison between the two.

Additional ECW Notes Sign of the week: "If Cena Wins We Riot" If you've never seen an ECW crowd, you're missing a lot. They're probably the most rabid crowd in a wrestling event. WWE Superstars received the following chants: "You Suck C*ck!" "Orton Swallows!" "Shut the F*ck Up!" "F*ck Him Up Sandman F*ck Him Up!" "Same Old Sh*t!" "Cena Sucks D*ck!" In the two minues he was in the ring, the Big Show displayed more wrestling skill than ever in his entire career. Prepare for a swerve tomorrow night on RAW. Since Heyman made the three-count, the title change will most likely be unofficial. Therefore, Cena will probably keep the belt. Otherwise, prepare for a feud between RVD and Edge, who will sign with ECW after screwing Cena over.