areaseven

Nope. Nothing could ever beat Battlefield Earth in terms of overall crappiness.

Can't wait for the series premiere of Mezzo next week? The official site has a new trailer for the sequel to the controversial Mezzo Forte OAV. So far, it looks pretty good. I wonder which fansub groups will work on the series. http://mezzo-tv.net/datafile.html#movie

One of these days, I'd like to see Jean-Claude go one-on-one with Mark Dacascos (Crying Freeman, The Crow: Stairway to Heaven). Or better yet, against Kane Kosugi (Ryu in Street Fighter Alpha, Jiraiya/Ninja Black in Ninja Sentai Kakuranger).

Well, I'm not gonna comment over Taken, since I haven't seen it yet. But I'll say that G-Saviour makes the new Battlestar Galactica look like The Empire Strikes Back.

Dude, I'll take The Ewok Adventure over G-Saviour anytime.

Dude, you gotta love cheap '80s glam-rock. The big hair, the wild neon colors. That was our generation. And Transformers: The Movie symbolizes it. Something evil's watching over you Comin' from the sky above And there's nothing you can do Prepare to strike There'll be no place to run When your caught within the grip Of the evil Unicron Transformers More than meets the eye Transformers Robots in Disguise Strong enough to break the bravest heart So we have to pull together We can't stay worlds apart To stand divided we will surely fall Until our darkest hour When the light will save us all Transformers More than meets the eye Transformers Robots in Disguise Transformers Autobots wage their Battle To destroy the evil forces Of the Decepticons It's judgement day and now we've made our stand And now the powers of darkness Have been driven from our land The Battle's over but the war has just begun And this way it will remain til the day when all are one Transformers...

Any Japanese tokusatsu or kaiju flick, especially the old-school Godzilla movies. Mad Max and Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome is a travesty). The Last Starfighter, of course (look up the review thread). The Rocketeer (undoubtedly Disney's best live-action film next to TRON).

Wow...two votes for Edith. What a surprise.

ADV Films has just opened their official site for Azumanga Daioh. I'm sure a lot of you have complained about ADV doing a Mickey Mouse job on their anime openings. Azumanga Daioh is just another victim. http://www.advfilms.com/titles/azumanga/

Full review here.

Last night on RAW: - Following last week's incident where Mick Foley walked out of the WWE, Randy Orton went on to proclaim himself as the Hardcore Legend. - RVD won his first RAW match in months, soundly defeating Scott Steiner with the 5-Star Frog Splash. - Does anyone know where this Y2J/Trish relationship is going? - While the Divas were being interviewed, they were almost run over by a black pickup truck. Stone Cold is back. - Wow...a feud between Kane and Booker T. I wonder where that will lead to. - Main event was Triple-H defending the title against Shawn Michaels. During the match, the referee was thrown out of the ring. Eric Bischoff ran in and appointed himself as referee. HBK hit HHH with the Sweet Chin Music and pinned him 1-2-3. - But wait! Bischoff announced that HHH is still champion due to a double-pin. When HBK pinned HHH, his shoulders were down on the mat as well. - Austin entered the ring, announcing his reinstatement as co-GM and ending the show with a Stunner on Bischoff. And that's how the WWE ends the 2003 year in professional wrestling.

No, dude. Unless you want to junk your DVD player, don't bother renting G-Saviour.

Sentou Yousei Yukikaze - Operation:03 ( 퓬—d¸á•— ) GONZO Digimation/Victor Entertainment/Bandai Visual, 2003 Bandai Entertainment, 2004 Directed by Masahiko Okura. Rated 13-Up for violence and mature situations. SAF has lost contact with the colossal air fortress Banshee IV. Rei is partnered with a Native American named Tom John to pilot Yukikaze, board the Banshee IV and investigate on the whereabouts of her crew. Story: B- Right when the storyline started to make sense, episode 3 generates more question marks than answers. As the plot thickens, the action begins to disappear, as well as some interest in the series. And for some reason, Yukikaze suddenly turns from an action/sci-fi to a pseudo-horror anime. Sounds confusing? Try watching this episode for yourself. Hopefully, the pace picks up on Operation:04. Animation: A++ At least the animation is as top-notch as the last episode, even without a single dogfight. You can't but help admire the sheer ingenuity of the Banshee IV's design. Soundtrack: B For some reason, I still can't get into the soundtrack. I like the ending theme, but that's about it. Sub vs. Dub Joining the cast is Kazuki Yao (Bastard!!, Judeau in Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ) as Tom John. The Bottom Line If not for the awesome animation, I would've fallen asleep on this one. Links Bandai Entertainment's Official Yukikaze Homepage Official Sentou Yousei Yukikaze Homepage (Japanese) Victor Entertainment's Official Sentou Yousei Yukikaze Homepage (Japanese) Reference CDJapan Anime News Network

Sentou Yousei Yukikaze - Operation:02 ( 퓬—d¸á•— ) GONZO Digimation/Victor Entertainment/Bandai Visual, 2003 Bandai Entertainment, 2004 Directed by Masahiko Okura. Rated 13-Up for violence and mature situations. Yukikaze is destroyed, but is reborn in the experimental FRX-99. However, during an unmanned testing, Yukikaze indiscriminately attacks other planes on the ground. SAF dismisses this as a technical glitch, but Rei - still recovering from his injuries - suspects the presence of the JAM nearby. His piloting skills are then put to the test when he boards Yukikaze with the beautiful military psychologist Edith Foss. Story: B Well, it looks like the plot is beginning to pick up. The story starts to make more sense here, despite not having as much aerial action as the first episode. Animation: A++ Much like Macross Zero, Yukikaze evolves in animation quality. Artwork is greatly improved, as well as the digital 3D effects. Plus, we're introduced to a hot blonde chick named Edith. Nowhere near as hot as Macross Zero's Aries Turner, but still...SCHWINGGG! Soundtrack: B+ More of the same techno score from the first episode. Sub vs. Dub Joining the Japanese cast is Miho Yamada (Atosuryua in Crest of the Stars, Layla in The Legend of Black Heaven) as Edith. Joining the English cast is Kari Wahlgren (Witch Hunter Robin, Haruko in FLCL) as Edith. The Bottom Line Still not as good as Macross Zero, but Yukikaze is developing pretty well. Links Bandai Entertainment's Official Yukikaze Homepage Official Sentou Yousei Yukikaze Homepage (Japanese) Victor Entertainment's Official Sentou Yousei Yukikaze Homepage (Japanese) Reference CDJapan Anime News Network

Sentou Yousei Yukikaze - Operation:01 ( 戦闘妖精雪風 ) GONZO Digimation/Victor Entertainment/Bandai Visual, 2002 Bandai Entertainment, 2004 Directed by Masahiko Okura. Rated 13-Up for violence and mature situations. Based on the novel by Chohei Kanbayashi. Thirty-three years have passed since an alien race known as "JAM" invaded Earth. Since then, Earth forces managed to drive the JAM away to a distant planet designated as "Fairy." While life on Earth is at peace, the human race remains at war with the JAM on Fairy. Lieutenant Rei Fukai pilots a Super Sylph - an advanced reconaissance/fighter plane with an onboard AI that assists him in combat strategy. Code-named "Yukikaze" (Blizzard), the Sylph's AI is the most advanced ever developed by man. But can both man and machine be able to wipe out the JAM once and for all? Story: B- The plot is very confusing. Character development is pretty minimal. The OAV will leave you a bit confused with what is going on. At least it's better than Blue Submarine No. 6. Animation: A+ GONZO (Full Metal Panic!, Gate Keepers) spared no expense in dishing out digital 3D aerial dogfights that rival Macross Plus. Aviation buffs will love the aircraft designs by Ikuto Yamashita (Neon Genesis Evangelion). Soundtrack: B+ Yukikaze has an adequate techno score composed by Satoshi Mishiba and Dougen Shiono. Not really memorable, though, aside from the new wave ending theme "RTB" by Monsieur Kamayatsu. Sub vs. Dub Sentou Yousei Yukikaze features Masato Sakai as Rei, Johji Nakata (Alucard in Hellsing, Folken in Escaflowne) as Jack, Yoko Asagami (Yuki in Uchuu Senkan Yamato, Claire in Galaxy Express 999) as Lydia, and Masako Ikeda (Maetel in Galaxy Express 999, Nodoka in Ranma 1/2) as Lynn. Bandai Entertainment and ZRO Limit/Animaze's English cast is not Macross Plus material, but just as good. Featured voices include Steve Staley (Shiro in Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team, Daisuke in Heat Guy J) as Rei, Dan Woren (Yang in Macross Plus, Roy in Robotech) as Jack, Carol Stanzione (Cima in Mobile Suit Gundam 0083) as Lydia, and Barbara Goodson (Naota in FLCL, Mitsune in Love Hina) as Lynn. DVD Extras: A Scroll down for the full details. The Bottom Line Sentou Yousei Yukikaze can't take the title "Anime Top Gun" from Macross Plus, but it still remains an awesome title. Pick it up when it arrives on DVD this February. Links Bandai Entertainment's Official Yukikaze Homepage Official Sentou Yousei Yukikaze Homepage (Japanese) Victor Entertainment's Official Sentou Yousei Yukikaze Homepage (Japanese) Reference CDJapan Anime News Network

I have the eX-Driver Danger Zone OAV, which was directed by Shinichi Watanabe (Excel Saga, Tenchi Muyo! GXP). Haven't had a chance to review it, though.

2003 was a good year for tokusatsu (special effects) shows in Japan. After Kamen Rider Ryuki ended with a bang, Toei and TV Asahi followed it up with Kamen Rider 555, which recently generated a theatrical follow-up. Toei's sentai franchise continued to stay strong with Bakuryuu Sentai Abaranger, which will be licensed next year by Saban as the next Power Rangers series. But perhaps the two biggest surprises were Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon and Chouseishin GranSazer. Many people were worried that the Sailor Moon franchise would be destroyed by a disastrous live-action adaptation, but surprisingly, the new show turned out pretty good. Fans and non-fans in Japan and online have picked up the series and followed it religiously, and new Sailor Moon merchandise have sold out everywhere. Will this series see a U.S. release? Only time will tell. Videogame giant Konami - along with TV Tokyo - decided to start a new sentai war with their new show Chouseishin GranSazer. Despite a very lackluster start, GranSazer managed to pick up the pace with its non-stop kung-fu action and off-the-wall special effects. Proof that Konami can hang with Toei, Toho and Tsuburaya when it comes to tokusatsu. Of all these titles, which did you think was the best of 2003?

SPOILER ALERT! Do not read further unless you've seen the film. 1. The film is missing at least 10-15 minutes of footage. Stephen Chow supposedly edited the U.S. version himself. 2. As you know, the original release does not have the following footage: - In the scene where Sing first meets Mui, his words on Shaolin kung-fu inspire people around the block to dance with him. - The Shaolin team seriously bag on Mui's makeover. She also defends herself against her boss. - Bloopers before the ending credits. You won't see these scenes on the U.S. version. 3. In addition, the U.S. version is missing the following footage: - Sing and Iron Head's karaoke performance. - Any scene that has to do with eggs. - Mui going to the transvestite beautician for her makeover. 4. The original opening sequence is replaced by a different version. Must be as lame as Dimension Films' opening for Supercop. 5. They put black briefs on the enemy goalie when his uniform is shredded by the soccer ball.

Siu Lam Juk Kau (少林足球) The Star Overseas Entertainment, Ltd./Universe Entertainment, 2001 Miramax Pictures, 2004 Directed by Stephen Chow (Kung Fu Hustle, God of Cookery) Running Time: 112 minutes Rated II-B (HK) for graphic violence, slight nudity and profanity. (Author's Note: This review is for the original Hong Kong version, not the butchered U.S. version.) Cast Stephen Chow (Sing in Kung Fu Hustle, himself in God of Cookery) as Sing (Mighty Steel Leg) Vicky Zhao Wei (Sun Shangxiang in Red Cliff I-II, Sue in So Close) as Mui Ng Man-tat (C.I.B. Agent in King of Comedy) as "Golden Leg" Fung Patrick Tse Yin as Hung Wong Yut-fei as Iron Head (First Big Brother) Lam Chi-chung (Bone in Kung Fu Hustle) as Weight Vest (Sixth Small Brother) Tin Kai-man (Brother Sum's adviser in Kung Fu Hustle) as Iron Shirt (Second Big Brother) Mok Mei-lam as Hooking Leg (Third Big Brother) Danny Chan Kwok-kwan (The Legend of Bruce Lee, Brother Sum in Kung Fu Hustle) as Empty Hand (Fourth Big Brother) Li Hui as some chick who slips on a banana peel Cecilia Cheung (Dawn in The Legend of Zu) as Double Handsome Dragons player #1 Karen Mok (Kong Yat-hung in So Close, General Fang in Around the World in 80 Days) as Double Handsome Dragons player #2 Synopsis Twenty years ago, star soccer player "Golden Leg" Fung missed a penalty kick, costing his team the championship and putting his career to an end when an angry mob crippled his legs in the ensuing riot. Since then, he has been looked down by his former rival Hung, who is now the manager of China's top soccer team. Then one day, while walking on the busy streets of Shanghai, Fung meets Sing, a garbage collector who is a disciple of Shaolin. For years, Sing has tried to find a way to market Shaolin kung-fu to the general public - but to no avail. Fung sees no interest in Sing's personal goal, but when he sees Sing's abilities during a fight, they both decide to form a soccer team with Sing's five Shaolin brothers. Using their extraordinary kung-fu skills, the Shaolin soccer team make a mad dash to the championship, where they must face Hung's genetically altered players. Lowdown Hong Kong cinema has some of the biggest names in film history - Jackie Chan, Jet Li and Chow Yun-Fat to name a few. And then, there's Stephen Chow. Stephen who? Stephen Chow has been in the business for over two decades, starring in and directing an array of box-office hits in Hong Kong and most of Asia. But until now, Chow has yet to make a name for himself in Hollywood. Perhaps when Miramax finally releases Shaolin Soccer - which is the highest-grossing film in Hong Kong cinema history - the American public will finally know who Chow is. At first, you'll dismiss Shaolin Soccer as a cheap kung-fu flick with no plot, there actually is a story on this one. And it doesn't focus on fighting. Instead, it blends action and comedy with the philosophy of Shaolin kung-fu and mixes them into a sports drama. Aside from the washed-out player Fung and the impoverished Sing, you have Mui, an acne-riddled bakery worker who uses Tai-chi to make some uniquely good bread. And then, there are Sing's Shaolin "brothers" - Iron Head (a night club janitor), Iron Shirt (an unsuccessful stock broker), Hooking Leg (a dish washer), Empty Hand (currently unemployed) and Weight Vest (an overweight grocery helper). Though he has a minor role, Empty Hand does a great job impersonating Bruce Lee - from the nose rub gesture to his yellow jump suit (taken from Game of Death). Weight Vest also steals some of the spotlight as the heaviest guy to hang on strings. For its relatively low budget (under US$2 million), Shaolin Soccer has some spectacular effects done by Centro Digital Pictures (Kill Bill vol. 1). Using techniques taken from The Matrix, Forrest Gump, Gladiator and Fight Club, Shaolin Soccer's special effects have you hanging on the edge of your seats - whether it's the bullet-time camera views or the flaming soccer ball that turns into a blazing puma. Overall, Shaolin Soccer is a film you can't miss, whether or not you like martial arts flicks. Many non-Chinese viewers may not get the jokes, but the rest of the film is all laughs. Forget the U.S. release (which has been moved again; this time to March 2004) - get the Hong Kong DVD instead. Rating: A DVD Extras: B+ The DVD features a documentary on the making of Shaolin Soccer, as well as a collection of special effects scenes made by Centro Digital. There are also some scenes not found in the theatrical release, but the DVD won't let you view the director's cut without having to press ENTER when the white icon flashes on the screen. Going back to the main menu is a hassle, as you have to go through the entire intro screen. Audio is in Cantonese or Mandarin (pick Cantonese, as the Mandarin dialogue is not as funny); subtitles are in Chinese (traditional or simplified) or some rather poor English. Despite the horrid grammar, you'll get the idea of the story. Links U333's Official Shaolin Soccer Homepage (Chinese) References The Internet Movie Database Wikipedia

Project A-Ko 3 left a major question concerning A-Ko's superhuman powers. During the party, she forgot that she removed her arm bands because they clashed with her party dress. And because of this, she was unable to control her super strength. How come the staff didn't focus much on A-Ko's origin (other than being the daughter of Superman and Wonder Woman)?

Kachou Ouji - Hard Rock Save the Space ( 課長王子 ) AIC/A.P.P.P./WOWOW/Pioneer LDC, 1999 Pioneer Entertainment, 2000 Directed by Yasuhito Kikuchi (El-Hazard, Magical Girl Pretty Sammy). Rated 13-Up (should be 16-Up) for violence, T&A, HLA and strong language. Oji Tanaka has a wife, a child and a mundane job as a salary man in Tokyo's modern society. But life wasn't dull for him to begin with; 15 years ago, he was known as "Gabriel", leader of a short-lived heavy metal band called Black Heaven. Oji's life gets a sudden change in direction when he is invited by a mysterious blonde woman named Layla to pick up his Gibson Flying V and once again display his "legendary" guitar skills, not knowing that his music generates power for a massive weapon in an intergalactic war. Story: B+ Black Heaven starts out pretty slow, but it gets addictive with its wit and humor. It's very reminiscent of some of the cartoons shown on MTV's Liquid Television series back in the mid-1990s. Animation: D+ You know about misleading stories, but how about misleading artwork? You'll probably expect some cool animation when you look at the shiny DVD cover art, only to find out that the characters look like they were drawn on an Etch-A-Sketch. The mix of digital 2D and 3D computer animation makes Pilot Candidate look like Heat Guy J. Soundtrack: B Koichi Korenaga (Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040, Love Hina) supplies a score that's mostly J-Pop, but the guitar riffs and the opening theme, "Cautionary Warning" by John Sykes (ex-guitarist for Thin Lizzy and Whitesnake), are priceless. Sub vs. Dub Kachou Ouji features Koji Ishii (Kimura-sensei in Azumanga Daioh) as Oji (no wonder this guy looks depressed! ), Kae Araki (Chibi Usa in Sailor Moon, Felicia in the CAPCOM fighting game series) as Yoshiko, Miho Yamada (Miki in Magic User's Club) as Layla, Rika Fukami (Myung in Macross Plus, Minako/Sailor Venus in Sailor Moon) as Hamill, Atsuko Enomoto (Steel Angel Kurumi, Misaki in Angelic Layer) as Kotoko, Miwa Yanagihara as Eriko, Ayako Kawasumi (Mahoromatic, Ruriko in Gate Keepers) as Rinko, Rikako Aikawa (Nahato in El-Hazard, Moto in Brigadoon) as Gen, Cha Furin (Mole Man in Escaflowne, Ernest in Argento Soma) as the guitar store owner, and Shoji Nakata as Formalhaut. ZRO Limit/ANIMAZE's (Cowboy Bebop, Macross Plus) English dub sounds okay, but John Billingslea (Jet Black in Cowboy Bebop, Millard in Macross Plus) as Oji seems like a miscast. DVD Extras: B The DVDs feature textless openings and endings, line art and screen shots. The Bottom Line Black Heaven is like a proverbial train wreck - it's painful to look at, but you just can't stop watching it. Strictly a rental unless you're into heavy metal or MTV. Links AIC's Official The Legend of Black Heaven Homepage AIC's Official Kachou Ouji Homepage (Japanese) Reference Anime News Network

Asagiri no Miko ( 朝霧の巫女 ) Chaos Project/TV Tokyo/King Records, 2002 AnimeWorks, 2004-2005 Directed by Yuji Moriyama (Project A-Ko, Geobreeders). Rated 13-Up for violence and mature situations. Based on the manga by Hiroki Ukawa (Serialized in Monthly Young King Ours). Since childhood, Tadahiro Amatsu has two different-colored eyes - one brown and one light hazel. But because of a dark secret behind his left eye, he's become a target for the masked sorcerer Ayatara Miramune and his band of demons. To combat the demons appearing all over town, Yuzu Hieda, a priestess in training, recruits four other girls from her high school. Under the supervision of Yuzu's elder sister Kurako, the five young priestesses must undergo months of training to master their abilities. Story: A- I picked this anime up online without any knowledge of what it's about, and it completely got me off-guard. Yes, each episode is 10 minutes long, but is filled with non-stop laughs. To loosely describe it, Asagiri no Miko is like Azumanga Daioh poking fun at the magical girl genre. As a matter of fact, most of the characters are derivatives of the Azumanga girls. For instance, Seiko is Tomo with a hunting spear. Chika is a demented Chiyo with a digital camera. I could go on further, but all I have to say is you have to rent or buy the DVD, as Asagiri no Miko is a damn good series. Animation: B+ Did I mention that the artwork and animation look a lot like Azumanga Daioh? It sure does, only not as consistent with the digital 2D. It's still pretty good, though. Soundtrack: A- The BGM by Tsuneyoshi Saito (Tenchi Muyo! In Love 2, Nazca) is an interesting mix of pop and traditional Japanese instrumentals. Fans of Megumi Hayashibara will dig the opening and ending themes. Sub vs. Dub Asagiri no Miko features Takahiro Mizushima (Christopher in Scrapped Princess, Kouta in Sora no Stellvia) as Tadahiro, Ai Shimizu (Minawa in Mahoromatic: Something More Beautiful, Monica in Heat Guy J) as Yuzu, Kaoru Morota (Hakuryu in Saiyuki) as Seiko, Nanase Katou (Madoka in Magic User's Club) as Chika, Sayaka Ohara (Misumi in Please Teacher!, Ezra in Vandread) as Shizuka, Rie Kanda as Izumi, Megumi Hayashibara (Need I mention what she's done?) as Kurako, Shizuku Hasegawa (Nana in Tenshi no Shippo) as Tama, and Ryotaro Okiayu (Jinnai in El-Hazard, Sakata in Love Hina) as Masashi. No word on who will be in charge of the English dub. It'll be either Bang Zoom! Entertainment (Figure 17), NYAV Post (Berserk), or Arvintel Media Productions (De:Vadasy). The Bottom Line If you like Azumanga Daioh, you'll enjoy Asagiri no Miko (even though they're not related). It's probably the best anime comedy not yet available in the US. Links King Records' Official Asagiri no Miko Homepage (Japanese) Reference Anime News Network

14.00394% - Geekish Tendencies

Hah! All Akebono has to do is watch episode 6 of the You're Under Arrest J-Drama to find Bob Sapp's weakness.

I checked out IMDb and verified that Samantha Newark played Jerrica/Jem. However, the listing says that Jem had a separate singing voice.