areaseven Posted July 3, 2013 Posted July 3, 2013 (edited) Iron Man: Rise of Technovore (アイアンマン ライズ・オブ・テクノヴォア) Madhouse Studios/Marvel Studios/Sony Pictures Entertainment, 2013 Directed by Hiroshi Hamasaki (Texhnolyze, Ai Monogatari) Based upon characters created by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Larry Lieber and Don Heck Running TIme: 88 minutes Rated PG-13 for graphic violence and strong language. Cast (English) Mathew Mercer (Tygra in ThunderCats, Kiritsugu in Fate/Zero) as Tony Stark/Iron Man Eric Bauza (Fiendish Dr. Wu in Black Dynamite: The Animated Series) as Ezekiel Stane/Technovore James C. Mathis III (T'Challa/Black Panther in The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes) as Col. James Rhodes/War Machine John Bentley (Fire Emblem in Tiger & Bunny) as Nick Fury Kate Higgins (Sakura in Naruto, Karin in Bleach) as Pepper Potts Kari Wahlgren (Witch Hunter Robin, Cher in Wolf's Rain) as Maria Hill Norman Reedus (Murphy in The Boondock Saints, Daryl Dixon in The Walking Dead) as Frank Castle/The Punisher Troy Baker (Schneizel in Code Geass) as J.A.R.V.I.S. and Clint Barton/Hawkeye Clare Grant as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow Tara Platt (Temari in Naruto, Anna Williams in Tekken: Blood Vengeance) as Sasha Hammer J. B. Blanc (Joker in R.O.D. -The TV-, Enrico in Hellsing Ultimate) as Obadiah Stane Synopsis Tony Stark is preparing to launch his new spy satellite "Howard" as his contribution to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s war on terrorism, but the launch ceremony is disrupted by a group of terrorists led by Ezekiel Stane, the son of Stark's late nemesis Obadiah Stane. Making matters complicated is "Technovore", a new form of techno-organic armor Ezekiel uses in his quest to be the only dominant species on Earth. Story: C- This is one of the few examples of an anime adaptation of an American comic book title missing the mark. Iron Man: Rise of Technovore is bullet-riddled with loopholes that the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier can jump over. The pacing is horrid and the character interaction is almost non-existent. Maybe we were spoiled by Robert Downey, Jr., as his portrayal of Tony Stark "made you feel he's a cool exec with a heart of steel"; as a result, any small-screen incarnation of Stark is just flat. What's probably an insult to Marvel fans is Norman Reedus being topbilled in the credits, especially when the Punisher is only in the film for less than 10 minutes. Animation: B+ About a decade ago, when anime started mixing 2D with 3D, it looked cool. This, however, looks kinda cheap for a Madhouse production. The 3D looks good, but the 2D animation feels wooden. There are moments during the battle scenes where War Machine looks like a dark gray wooden block moving around the screen. Soundtrack: B- The musical score by Tetsuya Takahashi (Appleseed, Resident Evil: Degeneration), who has done the music for other Marvel anime titles, is just generic. Sub vs. Dub Unfortunately, I was unable to obtain the Japanese dub of this film. But by reading the supplied subtitles, the Japanese script has a lot of different dialogue that seems to have more wit in Stark's lines. The Bottom Line Thus, the decline of anime continues. Stick with the live-action movies. References Anime News Network The Internet Movie Database Edited June 9, 2016 by areaseven Quote
badboy00z Posted July 3, 2013 Posted July 3, 2013 I saw it a while back and I have to say it was lacking in both story and the acting. It was pretty to look at though. Quote
Ivan Posted July 3, 2013 Posted July 3, 2013 I agree, the animation seems top notch and it's good to look at. Is this part of the bigger movieverse or is it in a standalone universe? Don't plan to see it unless it's available on some Chinese video sites for free. Quote
areaseven Posted July 3, 2013 Author Posted July 3, 2013 I agree, the animation seems top notch and it's good to look at. Is this part of the bigger movieverse or is it in a standalone universe? Don't plan to see it unless it's available on some Chinese video sites for free. Though it's supposed to be part of the Marvel anime universe, it appears to be a tie-in with the Marvel cinematic universe, as it incorporates a lot of design cues from The Avengers and some backstories from the first Iron Man movie. Quote
GU-11 Posted July 3, 2013 Posted July 3, 2013 At first glance, I thought it was a Japanese anime production. Like everyone else said, nice graphics, but given the comments about the plot, I'll only watch it from a video streaming site or something. Quote
terry the lone wolf Posted July 5, 2013 Posted July 5, 2013 I liked it. I thought it was the most "Anime" of Marvel's Anime productions. Quote
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