Tag: dvd review

Geekscape Reviews: ‘Sailor Moon Crystal’ Set 1

by Natalie Kipper

[Warning: There are potential spoilers in this review.]

The original Sailor Moon anime series was my all-time favorite anime. But as much as I loved it, I wish that it followed the manga more closely. That wish has come true with the creation of Sailor Moon Crystal, a Sailor Moon remake whose storyline is more true to that of Naoko Takeuchi’s classic manga. Viz Media recently released Set 1 of the series in the North America.

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Rather than following the original anime’s “monster-a-day” formula, Crystal is more streamlined. It covers the entire Dark Kingdom story  arc in 14 episodes, which I felt was sufficient to tell the tale without dragging on. Another positive change was the somewhat more serious tone of the show. There are still plenty of light-hearted moments but Sailor Moon’s reaction to Tuxedo Mask’s brainwashing in later episodes definitely is less glossed over. And like the manga, the climax of that plot point is dramatically different than what was in the original anime.

For my part, I loved these changes. Crystal was created to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Sailor Moon. It felt like the show was maturing with its audience.

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I was very impressed with the voice acting in both the Japanese and English versions. It was so awesome that they got the original voice of Sailor Moon, Kotono Mitsuishi, to reprise her role in Crystal! She added an extra layer of nostalgia to the show and honestly, I had a hard time picturing someone else voicing her. On the whole, I didn’t have any issue listening either language track. No cringe-worthy acting here.

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I know that many viewers took issue with the Sailor Senshi’s transformation sequences being computer-generated. I will admit that it was a little jarring the first few times but after about four episodes, you stop noticing so much. I just wrote it off to myself as the artists trying to make their transformations more “separate from regular space” (I have no clue if that is the real reason).

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I had no problem with the general art style of the show (again, plenty of viewers did). Is it different? Yes. Is it visually unpleasant? Hell no. If you approach it with an open mind, I genuinely think you will agree that it is just fine.

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I bestow unto Set 1 of Sailor Moon Crystal a 5 out of 5. I loved the hell out of this show. I didn’t know if it would live up to my expectations, the bar was set pretty high, but it beat out the original anime as my favorite anime of all-time. Any Sailor Moon fan owes it to themselves to check this series out.

[This review is based on a sample provided by the publisher.]

Geekscape Movie Reviews: ‘Marvel Knights: Ultimate Wolverine Vs. Hulk’

by Dennis Finocchiaro

Warning: The following review contains spoilers!

Marvel Knights’ new release, Ultimate Wolverine Vs. Hulk, based on the comic series of the same name, is a highly entertaining variation of the storyline. Writer Damon Lindelof (Lost, Star Trek: Into Darkness) brings the plot to film with the help of artist Leinil Francis Yu (Secret Invasion) and colorist Dave McCaig.

The story is simple. The Hulk was sentenced to death for murdering over 600 people, 60+ of them being children, so Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D. killed him with a nuclear bomb. The problem is, it turns out that’s not enough to kill Hulk. Fury then enlists Wolverine to find Bruce Banner and kill him.

The catch? There’s a little bit more going on behind the scenes, as usual with S.H.I.E.L.D. The Hulk’s ex, a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, just might still be in love with him, and her coworker may have just solved the problem with Banner’s Hulk Formula.

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As Wolverine tries to track him down, the storyline jumps from him to Fury to Hulk/Banner’s points of view, which at times can begin to get a little frustrating. And the episode that focuses on Banner’s travels and struggles with anger is a bit slow-moving. Other than that, the film is fun. The addition of humor to the storyline really helped, with small quips and jokes that are reminiscent of The Avengers. If for no other reason, it’s worth watching just to find out the answer to the age-old joke, “What does Wolverine do to get through the metal detectors at the airport?”

And if that’s not enough, no matter how badass you thought Wolverine was in the past, the opening of this film will prove you wrong when he is torn in half by Hulk and crawls four miles to the top of a mountain to get back his legs. Intense!

Ultimate Hulk vs. Wolverine incorporates a few other fan-favorites, such as Tony Stark, Captain America and a certain female who is large an green as well. The references to pop culture and films (Star Wars, for example) add some fun to the storyline.

This is part of a series of comic adaptations Shout! Factory and Marvel Knights has released. The only other one I’ve personally seen was Astonishing X-Men: Unstoppable, which was decent. It definitely does take some time to get used to the limited movement in the artwork, especially when compared to everyday cartoons and animated films.

Marvel Knights: Ultimate Wolverine Vs. Hulk, is available September 10th and can be preordered on Amazon. Or, you could always enter to win a copy!

Ultimate Hulk vs. Wolverine scores a worthy 4/5.

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