Come Monday those in power in Hollywood will be looking at the box office from this weekend and the stakes are high. If Scott Pilgrim vs. The World does badly you can bet that Hollywood will never touch an indie comic book for many years to come — but on the other hand if it does well it may open the door for other indie comic books to be made info feature length films. Right now when Hollywood thinks of comic books they just see action adventure films with superheroes running around into their underwear, however if Scott Pilgrim can score stories that aren’t about “stuff blowing up” might have a fair chance at the screen. In return that would encourage more folks to read indie comics and then the big guys like Marvel and DC might take more chances. And the price for this? Just one movie ticket and a bucket of popcorn to change the world a little bit.
Any proper Star Wars geek (or Japanophile) knows Danny Choo, aka the Tokyo Stormtrooper. Choo famously shoots videos of himself in Stormtrooper attire dancing around Tokyo, including in geek-town Akihabara, on a Tokyo subway…you get the idea.
But now a few others have gotten into the act. Read more…
Posted by Guest Author on Aug 13, 2010 in Animation
You can talk all you want about what you think is the biggest anime surprise to occur in the last year. For me, that debate starts and ends with the popularity of Hinako. Produced by Primastea and launched in the spring of 2009, Training with Hinako became a hit with fans for reasons I’ve chosen not to think about too much. A few months later the sequel, Sleeping with Hinako, became another surprise hit. It’s now being reported that the studio is going to strike while the iron is still hot and release a third Hinako feature for fans to enjoy privately. Read more…
If you’re a Clamp fan and are lucky enough to be in japan this August you may be able to get your hands on this very cute Kobato Hanato figurine from the manga (and anime) series Kobato (こばと。). Also included in the package is the blue stuffed dog Yogisanmo and a handy traveling bag which will set you back 1890 yen: Read more…
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Aug 12, 2010 in Videogames
Or more specifically, I should say Peter Molyneux won’t. Known for his penchant for over-promising and under-delivering, Molyneux has gone on record to state that the next title in the popular Fable franchise will focus more on story, and balance, than introducing new features, and gameplay mechanics – a move clearly designed with casual gamers in mind. While I hardly consider myself a casual gamer, I actually welcome this news, as I’ve quickly grown tired of Molyneux’s incessant need to clutter his games with features that distract me from the point of the game itself.
If you’re reading this, you probably own an iPhone, and if you pride yourself on being an otaku, there’s a good chance that you love Touhou Project too. If you’re not really sure what that is, don’t worry, I can explain. The Touhou Project is series of indie games developed in Japan that has immensely grown in popularity over the last decade. The series later evolved into a franchise with everything from light novels, to doujinshi. It’s primarily popular amongst Japanese otaku, making this iPhone case a must have accessory for those of you who want to show off to your otaku friends — that is, assuming your still own an iPhone 3G ,or 3GS.
Plan on visiting Hoth anytime soon? Can’t afford a Taun Taun? Don’t worry, Adidas has you covered. The latest addition to their Star Wars inspired Adidas Originals line happens to be a Wookie inspired jacket. I’m fairly certain that no Wookies were harmed in order to make these, but they definitely look warm enough. I just wonder if it actually comes with Chewie’s signature bandolier, as pictured above. Sure, it seemingly served no purpose, but you have to store your thermal detonators somewhere, right? The jacket will be available later this year, and while there’s no current price listed, expect to pay handsomely.
I, for one, never really cared for Star Wars: The Clone Wars. The art aesthetic never really spoke to me, and I suppose I can understand why — it was being marketed to kids after all. To me, trying to sit through an episode is like having to experience Jar Jar, or the Ewoks, for extended period of time. My personal tastes aside, the series certainly has its fair share of fans, both young and old. Given the current climate of social networking and the subsequent move toward casual gaming, it was only a matter of time before someone decided to cash in. Read more…
I love it whenever my favorite toy and figure companies pick up a videogame license, so it’s no surprise that I’m excited about this little venture I’ve stumbled upon. Capcom and Medicom have recently teamed up to create a line of Mega Man inspired Kubricks and Be@rbricks! Each Kubrick, Mega Man and Protoman respectively, come packed with their own 1Up Be@rbrick. Each set will be limited to 500, and are currently available exclusively through the Capcom US online store. Now, they won’t be available until August 12th, but you can pre-order them now for $39.95 each, and if you buy both sets together, you can save $5 off your total. Sure, they might be a little expensive, but they’re limited edition. Besides, if you’re any fan of those classic Nintendo games, you owe it to yourself to pick one up – I know I will.
As you can probably imagine, the leaked Lost epilogue has been pulled from many fan sites around the net since it hit the web yesterday. Disney was quick to pull the plug, though you can still catch it here if you’re lucky. For those of you who’d rather wait until the DVD box set hits shelves later this month, the epilogue promises to answer some, but not all, of those lingering questions that we had once the series finale aired back in May. Read more…
You can talk all you want about what you think is the biggest anime surprise to occur in the last year. For me, that debate starts and ends with the popularity of Hinako. Produced by Primastea and launched in the spring of 2009, Training with Hinako became a hit with fans for reasons I’ve chosen not to think about too much. A few months later the sequel, Sleeping with Hinako, became another surprise hit. 
