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Recently, I’ve had an ongoing online conversation with some friends at the seminary I am attending on the subject of “just war”. The central argument revolves around this question: can a Christian support war in any form and still remain true to the teachings of Jesus? And if war can be supported, what are the [...]
Many years ago, Viz released several small manga titles for short runs in the US, among them a minor work called Baoh. With a run of only 10 issues or so, it certainly wasn’t a really popular title, but it was still OK for a story filled with psychic powers and strange, secret organizations. AnimEigo [...]
Some diversions are better than others. I like watching a baseball game every now and then on TV–and the scent of the ballpark itself makes a live game even better–but I can’t remember the score of a single game I’ve seen. Such is the entertainment value of Babel II. Simply put, its initial plot is [...]
When Rocky won the Best Picture Oscar in 1976, it spawned a genre. Films about sports certainly existed before Balboa came to blows with Apollo Creed, but the concept of a lovable loser breaking into the top resonated with audiences. By the time Rocky V thudded into theatres into 1990, however, the deathknell had sounded: [...]
Look, I’m an old-school guy. There’s no getting around it, especially as I start to realize that I don’t even recognize the titles of many of the current releases in the anime world, let alone their creators, their plots, and so on and so forth. Am I with it enough to know about shows like [...]
There’s nothing like a parody show to get my smile working. Although I can appreciate the comedies of Rumiko Takahashi and romantic silliness like Child’s Toy, the best belly laughs are usually found when anime makes fun of itself. Assemble Insert is just such a show, with two episodes released on a single DVD …
Anime based on video games are notoriously awful. It’s not a sin to say this before every single review of one because it’s universally true. Video games just don’t have the plot, character development, and stories necessary to make a good film. Actually, a few do, like PC titles “The Longest Journey” and “Anachronox”…but nobody’s [...]
As a reviewer, there are some shows that you are more than happy to see finally come to an end. There are simply too many television series that look and sound great, yet have no heart or soul to keep you interested. I expected that with Votoms, a series dating back to 1983 that has [...]
Cyberpunk is what most Americans think of when they hear the word “anime”, primarily due to the institution known as Akira, as well as Ghost in the Shell and series like Bubblegum Crisis and A.D. Police. It’s easy, therefore, to also dismiss other cyber entries as being derivative. However, Armitage III: Poly-Matrix is …
After the success of Armitage III: Poly-Matrix with its star-filled dub and heavy promotion by Pioneer several years ago, it’s not a surprise that a follow-up would be on the way. Like another big film this summer, Men In Black II, it took 5 years for the sequel to actually be released. But unlike its [...]