Castlevania was just released on Netflix. The first season, only four episodes, is streaming, but season two has been confirmed. I was at the show’s panel at Anime Expo 2017, where a Netflix executive told us, in person, that season two is happening and will double the amount of episodes.
Given that season one is a mere four episodes, fans will be glad to hear that the next season will be longer. Additionally, although details haven’t been officially released, Adi Shankar, Executive Producer, made it seem like all the main cast, writers, and director will be back for season two.
Have you seen Castlevania yet? If not, do you plan to watch it? Sound off in the comments below.
Months ago Netflix announced an animated series based on the beloved video game franchise Castlevania from Konami. Today, the Dracula-slaying series has finally whipped its way onto the streaming service. As advertised, the series is R-rated, featuring plenty of bloody, monster-fighting action. But does it deliver otherwise? Well, that might depend on who you ask and what you expect from the series. At four episodes and just over 80 minutes total, Castlevania’s a short series that ultimately leaves a lot to be desired.
Castlevania was written by storyteller extraordinaire Warren Ellis (Transmetropolitan = Life).
Castlevania begins with a woman, Lisa, who befriends Dracula in the hopes that he will teach her ancient “magic” secrets otherwise known as science. Dracula and Lisa fall in love and marry. Soon after, local townspeople take Lisa and burn her. Naturally, this pisses off Dracula who vows revenge on the town and all humanity one year from the day. A year passes, the people did nothing to appease the vampire lord, and all hell breaks loose. Cue Trevor Belmont, a member of a disgraced family of monster slayers who gets wrapped up in what’s going on even while the townspeople despise the Belmont lineage and he, at times, seems uninterested in helping.
The first thing viewers will notice about Castlevania is the obvious — the animation. Castlevania is beautifully rendered, while it’s not groundbreaking, the mood and atmosphere of the show come alive and are ever-present in the artwork. Action scenes are clear and impactful and, as mentioned before, there’s plenty of guts and gore.
Castlevania was written by storyteller extraordinaire Warren Ellis (Transmetropolitan = Life. Ellis typically combines so many interesting elements into his story. Here everything is pretty straightforward and in part, self-defeating. From the early moments, Ellis creates a sympathetic villain who is supremely powered. It’s reminiscent of Khan in StarTrekIntoDarkness. It seems to be an attempt at blurring the good versus evil lines, especially since Ellis writes other, human, characters as a-holes. Blurring lines of morality is practically essential in modern storytelling but a story still needs someone to root for and someone to root against.
Fans of Castlevania will appreciate the in-jokes referring to the third game in the series, Dracula’sCurse, on which this series is heavily based.
One of the most disappointing aspects of Castlevania, though, is the lack of any complete narrative. There is a definitive beginning that slips into a middle that never ends. At four, twenty-minute episodes, the series ends before it ever really gets going. In fact, the “cliffhanger” ending introduces us to an entirely new character (familiar to those who know the franchise). The entire series takes just over 80 minutes to tell a quarter of a story. Yes, Netflix already renewed the series with more episodes, but it doesn’t change the fact that these four episodes serve as a glorified commercial for the rest of the show with no real resolution in and of itself. And any hope of resolution won’t come for another year. It begs the question, why didn’t Netflix just do a whole arc instead of barely half of one?
Fans of Castlevania will appreciate the in-jokes referring to the third game in the series, Dracula’sCurse, on which this series is heavily based. Anyone unfamiliar with Castlevania won’t feel like they’re missing anything, but they also won’t feel like they got much. It’s an action cartoon with little intrigue that ultimately tells no real story. In the end, Castlevania is a fraction of a narrative that doesn’t do much more than any of the video games.
After much teasing DC Comics have announced that the unimpeachable Sean Gordon Murphy of Tokyo Ghost and Punk Rock Jesus fame is to write and illustrate Batman: White Knight. The seven-part series will see The Joker’s rise to political stardom having been cured of his psychopathic impulses. Using his inherent charm and wit, the re-newly christened “Jack” strives to make Gotham great again the only way he knows how: getting rid of Batman. The ex-lunatics are about to run the asylum in a series that dares to ask if vigilantism has a place in society. Does the world need Batman or will the former clown prince of crime have the last laugh?
“We know Joker’s a genius, we know he’s relentless, and we know he can play the crowd, so why not make him a politician?” said Murphy. “Why not strip away the psychosis (the thing that’s holding him back) and let him challenge
Batman unimpeded? And to make it even scarier, what if he did it legally and without breaking any rules, so that Batman couldn’t stop him?”
Set in a world where the Joker is cured of his insanity and homicidal tendencies, The Joker, now known as “Jack,” sets about trying to right his wrongs. First by reconciling with Harley Quinn and then by trying to save Gotham city from the one person who he thinks is truly Gotham’s greatest villain—the Batman.
“Seeing Gotham for the first time with clear eyes, his psychosis now cured, he starts to understand the absurdity of vigilantism and how Batman’s actions are only contributing to Gotham’s endless crime cycle,” said Murphy. “Joker sets out to beat Batman by becoming the White Knight that Gotham really needs.”
BATMAN: WHITE KNIGHT #1, written and illustrated by Sean Murphy, arrives on October 4. Cover artwork by Murphy with color by Matt Hollingsworth.
“Pirates of the Caribean” has always teetered on either side of the ‘family-friendly’ debate. The problem is spelled out in song lyrics: “We pillage and plunder, we rifle and loot/ Drink up me ‘earties, yo ho/ We kidnap and ravage and don’t give a hoot/ Drink up me ‘earties, yo ho”. And yet, the Pirate is a classic figure in storytelling. A classic figure for Boys Only.
Pirates of the Orange Groves
Disney Imagineers, along with Walt Disney himself, designed the “Pirates of the Caribbean” attraction pretty realistically–and that meant women were immediately put into victim roles. Pirates chased women around their villas, stole their clothes, and offered to “share” them once they were conquered. Many of these instances were removed in the 1990s when public outcry finally became too much for Disney to ignore.The ride was changed in small ways. If you’d never seen the original, you’d probably never know. Now house maids chase pirates out of their homes weilding rolling pins. The naked girl in the barrel was eventually replaced by Jack Sparrow. Though most of the original ride remained, one original script writer was thoroughly displeased with the changes. X Atencio, an Imagineer from the 60s who worked on the original “Pirates” attraction, called the updated version “Boy Scouts of the Caribbean“. He wasn’t alone.
Important to note: no cannons, guns, or nooses were removed. Everyone kept their swords. All the rum stayed. Men still slept in pig styes. Skeletons steer ghostly ships into the dark unknown before the track drops out from under you in a pitch black room, and you float on to the middle of a battle on the high seas.
Waterboarding is still fine
Havin’ a Lady Aboard is Bad Luck, it is
She’s the one with the lipstick
As the ride was edited over the years, the only element removed was the ravaging of women–mostly. One scene remained, and while it remains problematic on several levels (human trafficking, fat shaming, HUMAN TRAFFICKING, sexism, and the SELLING OF HUMANS), it’s a hallmark of the ride and difficult to change quietly. The auction scene is so popular that “The Redhead” has her own merchandise. She’s the only female character depicted in the ride’s Tsum Tsum collection. “We Want’s The Redhead” has rung from animatronic mouths for almost 50 years. A young girl tearfully bemoans her fate in the background, and another woman is overlooked for her size. The upcoming changes to the ride, however, shift the redhead’s fate forever.
Pehaps the auction scene remains because the redhead is so popular. Perhaps she evades criticism because she takes part in the auction just as actively as the pirates themselves. Whatever the reason, the redhead’s days on the auction block are coming to an end.After a lengthy refurbishment period, the “Pirates of the Caribbean” ride in Disneyland Paris will get the first “new” redhead early next year. Instead of being sold, the redhead now does the selling, as she leads an auction of plundered booty. Once more, the redesign changes nothing about the scene except the way women are treated. There’s still stealing, and profiting off stolen goods. There’s still gunplay, and she stands on a barrel assumedly filled with alcohol. So okay, less kidnapping and ravaging, but the rest of the song lyrics still stand, and we get to keep the redhead. Problem solved, right?
Whiners of the Caribbean
Prisoner
Problem never solved, because as soon as women are given a fair shake, people everywhere seem to think things are getting “too Politically Correct”. Here’s why this is not the right battle to pick, if that’s your conclusion: DISNEY IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR HISTORY LESSONS.
Pirate
Girls in pirate stories often have to pretend to be a man, or fight like one to prove their worth. Otherwise, they become a pirate’s prisoner, and subject to all types of horrors. Even the “Disney-fied” pirate tales fall into this trap–Elizabeth Swan isn’t taken seriously until she trades in her corset for less feminine garb.
Changing the role of women in the Pirates of the Caribbean ride isn’t historical erasure, or denial about the horrible things pirates did. It’s telling a new story about fictional archetypes. A story that doesn’t involve rape.
That’s it. That’s all that was changed about the “Pirates of the Caribbean” ride–they took out all the rape. They gave women weapons. They didn’t let us be sold, or have our clothes taken, and have our bodies shared. They let us join the fight on the offense. That’s the ONLY thing that was removed from the attraction. Rape. Is rape REALLY the thing you want depicted “accurately” on a ride in a children’s park?
If there’s an attraction in the parks that should be held responsible for historical accuracy, it certainly isn’t the one about the same characters who fly away from Peter Pan on a boat in the sky. Fifty feet away, you’re expected to believe that all of the world’s giant rivers connect. In the other direction, there’s a mansion with singing ghosts. If “accuracy” is the problem, then I have bad news for fans of Space Mountain.
Girls with Swords in “Pirates of the Caribbean”
What Disney is doing with the new auction scene is levelling the playing field. In the past few years, the entertainment juggernaut has recieved the same message over and over again: Not all Girls Are Princesses. Let us fight your Star Wars. Let us be an Avenger. Let us swashbuckle and haunt. We don’t want the redhead anymore, we want to be her, and that’s a very different message to send young girls.
Spider-Man is, without a doubt, Marvel’s most popular superhero. Because of this, it is impossible to underestimate just how different the Marvel Cinematic Universe would have been had the studio owned the rights to the web-head from the moment they embarked on their successful venture back in 2008. Chances are it would have been Peter Parker, not Tony Stark, who kicked off this sprawling universe and became Nick Fury’s first recruit for The Avengers Initiative. Of course, Sony’s held the rights to the teenage hero, and because Marvel didn’t own the rights to two of its other most well-known brands – The Fantastic Four and the X-Men – they were forced to begin their massive undertaking by elevating B-List superheroes (Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, the Guardians of the Galaxy, etc.) who only the true comic nerds followed or cared about, and elevate them to A-List status. The gamble, of course, paid off for the now Disney-owned studio, and forced them to be more creative in the way it’s told its stories. Our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, on the other hand, hasn’t fared nearly as well at Sony.
Sure, Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man remains a fan-favorite, and his Spider-Man 2 remains to this day one of the best superhero movies ever made, but he and the studio both dropped the ball with the critically panned Spider-Man 3. After the terrible reception garnered by that movie, Sony decided to give Peter Parker and his world a rest for a while before bringing him out of retirement a mere three years later in the too-soon reboot, The Amazing Spider-Man. While it was received positively enough, its sequel, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, was so bad that it made Raimi’s Spider-Man 3 look like a masterpiece. Coupled with diminishing returns, fans began clamoring for Sony to sell the rights back to Marvel Studios, whose own cinematic universe was off and running at this point. While it’s unfortunate Sony decided not to, fans received a welcome surprise when the two studios eventually reached a deal that would allow Marvel to use old web-head within the confines of their universe.
This resulted in our third, and youngest, Spider-Man, who made his debut in Captain America: Civil War. In his limited screen time during that film, Tom Holland, who plays Peter Parker, immediately took the world by storm and was praised almost unanimously as the best incarnation of the teenage hero that we’ve received yet. Immediately afterward, excitement and hype began to build toward his first solo-outing within the MCU, despite the fact that it would mark the character’s seventh outing on the big-screen. The few cautiously optimistic naysayers that were out there all raised valid concerns that boiled down to one fundamental question: “This is our third live-action Spider-Man in three different continuities in under twenty-years; it’s getting tired now. Is there any way Marvel can do something different with the character and imbue him with new life?”
I’m happy to report that not only did Marvel and director Jon Watts do something new with Peter Parker in Spider-Man: Homecoming that audiences have not yet seen before, but Tom Holland cements his title as the best actor to ever play the part.
Before continuing further, please be aware that there are some ever-so-slight spoilers past this point.
Could one of the prominent characters of Gurren Lagann have survived? After you have enjoyed enough Manga and Anime you are able to read between the lines and can see a detail or two another may have missed. Through this and other detailed evidence you are able to piece together what really happened in a particular series. This results in an abstract idea, a thought which doesn’t have a physical existence but can be speculated. Welcome to Anime Abstract.
SPOILERS FOR GURREN LAGANN
Throughout this series filled with over the top action and awesomeness, many characters met their end while fighting the good fight. Was there one who didn’t have to pass on into the great unknown?
The answer is yes! Nia could have lived! With the Anti-Spirals gone, Nina had served her purpose and faded away soon after her and Simon got married. The simple fix for her disappearing would have involved something with the spiral energy. A simple explanation of “The Spiral Energy brought allowed her to stay” was all which would have been needed to keep Simon from becoming a Widower moments after saying I do. The power allowed characters to control robots and fight galaxy sized opponents, how hard would it have been to keep one character around?
Now some of you out there are probably filled with a bit of rage of over this assumption. You no doubt thought by the title there was a chance Kamina, the original leader of Team Dai-Gurren could have survived. Sadly, this just can’t happen. Why you may be asking, as you get ready to leave a nasty comment in revenge? Simple, because if he did, the story would play out much different.
Until the eighth episode of this series, it could be argued the main character of the series wasn’t Simon but was instead Kamina. After all it had been his plan to journey to the surface, he had assumed the role of leader the band of rebels to form team Dai-Gurren, and he had a blossoming relationship with Yoko. All of these hold the marking of being the main protagonist. Frankly, this is why his death came as such as shock, because everyone thought the studio had killed the main character.
Without Kamina around, Simon had no choice but to eventually step up and take up the spot his bro left vacant. Simon became a better mecha pilot, fighter, and leader because of the void left in the wake of Kamina’s death. Through the many trials and tribulations which followed, Simon was able to prove his spiral energy was strong and what was needed to save the entire universe from the threat of the Anti-Spirals.
Sure, it would have been nice if the studio could have found a way for Kamina to live since he was such an amazing character. Still, in his death, Simon knew he had to honor Kamina’s memory and keep in mind how his bro had taught him not to believe in himself but instead to believe in Kamina who believed Simon could use his drill to pierce the heavens! Row! Row! Fight the power!
— Gurren Lagann is streaming at Crunchyroll. What are you thoughts on this anime abstract? Leave a comment below and let us know.
Spider-Man: Homecoming is a very important movie. Peter Parker is a character that I’ve always found parallels with, and the timing of this film is perfect. I just graduated high school, and am heading to college in a few months – I know what a modern day high school should look like, and Homecoming nails it. It’s as if Jon Watts, the director, made a perfect mashup of a cute, high school love story and a badass, heroic superhero film.
In many ways, this movie gets Parker and his alter-ego perfectly. The web-slinger is a quick witted, nerdy, courageous character who strives to do whatever he can to help people. Something I’ve always found interesting in Spidey comics, and now in Homecoming, is that being a “good person” in high school is often not the popular thing to do. Regardless, Parker has always been the one to take responsibility. After six movies, Homecoming finally nails this crucial aspect of Parker’s character model. While the previous films had our main character go against the grain and help people when the time often wasn’t optimal, this flick goes a step further and truly makes it a trait that Parker carries with him wherever he goes.
After nearly 10 years of the Marvel cinematic universe, it’s challenging to not find similarities between each film. While minor common threads are fine, it’s the overused “end of the world” ordeal that I am not interested in anymore; Homecoming takes the Marvel formula, twists it, and makes an extremely personal film about a kid, his friends and family, and dealing with a pissed off everyday man trying to get revenge on Tony Stark. Although the movie deals with the prospect of many, many people dying, it’s ultimately about Parker and his life – this is the greatest feature Homecoming boasts.
The best part of Spider-Man going back to Marvel is shown in Homecoming. While it’s cool to see Spidey team up with the Avengers, it’s so refreshing to finally have a true high school drama that is, in turn, a great Spider-Man film.
I left high school a mere month ago; Spider-Man: Homecoming is the perfect movie for anyone in my position today: leaving youth and taking the plunge into adulthood. However, the film also stands as an everyday action/comedy/drama that can be enjoyed by anyone looking for a fun theatrical experience.
Steven Soderbergh’s Logan Lucky is, in the simplest terms possible, a redneck Ocean’s movie. The twotrailers have been amazing, and the cast looks incredible, but none more so than Daniel Craig.
Now, we have the first clip from the movie, which could really just serve as an extended character trailer for Craig’s Joe Bang. In this clip, Joe weighs the pros and cons of taking on this NASCAR heist with Channing Tatum and Adam Driver.
Check it out:
I would like to go ahead and put in the call now: Daniel Craig will get a Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for this. It’s the sort of out-of-left-field role for the typically super serious Craig that will undoubtedly steal the movie and take center stage for the awards season push. Plus, Phil Noble Jr. over at Birth.Movies.Death. floated the idea that we haven’t heard any new James Bond news for this very reason. Let Daniel Craig have this moment before putting him back in the tux.
Aside from Craig, Tatum, and Driver, Logan Lucky also stars Katherine Waterston, Sebastian Stan, Riley Keough, Seth MacFarlane (?), Katie Holmes (!), and Hilary Swank (!!). It will be here in just over a month, August 18th, and I for one cannot wait for this.
Famke Janssen believes her returning to play Jean Grey is unlikely.
The Dutch actress feels like she won’t be coming back to the film series, according to reports.
At the Denver Comic-Con, Janssen made remarks that seem to suggest her time is done. As it stands, Sophie Turner is playing Jean in the X-Men franchise.
Janssen explains she loves playing Jean Grey, but she doesn’t think a return is in her future. “It’s the gift that keeps on, kept on giving,” she says. “I think we’re done, but it was really great while it lasted and it lasted for a long time.”
“I don’t think any of us had any understanding of how popular our first movie was going to be and that it was gonna live on for 15 plus years,” she says. “And then I certainly didn’t realize…I mean I knew Jean Grey could turn into Dark Phoenix, obviously, and that Phoenix rises from the ashes, but the fact that as Jean Grey or the Phoenix they’ve killed me, I’ve come back, I’m like a cockroach. They can’t get rid of me.”
Of her favourite memories, Janssen cites working with Hugh Jackman, James Marsden and the original cast. The actress has nothing but kind words for her co-stars.
“It’s been nothing but a pleasure working not just as Jean Grey, which was such an honor because comics were so fantastic already, but then the entire cast who I got to play with, all my fellow actors, thespians who are so talented. It was just a wonderful experience. I’m very grateful.”
Even though Turner is playing Jean, it remains to be seen whether or not Fox would ask Janssen back. Hugh Jackman is done playing Wolverine, and Patrick Stewart thinks his time as Professor X is over.
However, Janssen would play Jean in a supporting role as a hallucination during The Wolverine. She and Marsden did return for cameos in X-Men: Days of Future Past. Ian McKellen, Halle Berry, Shawn Ashmore, Daniel Cudmore, and Ellen Page would reprise their roles in that film.
Would Janssen reprise the role if asked? “Jean Grey is a part of me,” she says. “I would definitely come back to play her whenever they ask me.”
Turner will reprise the role of Jean in 2018’s X-Men: Dark Phoenix.
With the release of the latest issue of Shounen Jump, as well as a Promotional Video, Shokugeki no Souma has its 3rd season coming!
Souma’s Third Season Antics?
So far Shokugeki no Souma has gone through a training camp, autumn elections, and a stagiaire. From here we can only expect more drama, beginning with his encounter with the Elite Ten. Whether it be a new rival or some unexpected drama with prior acquaintances Souma takes his next step towards the top in Season 3. Will he take the top spot or fall to the ground, just short of his dreams?
As of right now, the anime is predicted to begin in the Fall of 2017. Based on the promotional video, this is all the information we are given. No clue as to the length of the 3rd season, either 12, 24, or more episodes. However, the manga is a decent number of chapters ahead. It can be expected that a 24 episode season would fit in, if not more. However much is unknown other than the fact that one of the most anticipated Jump series is coming back to animation.
If you want my review on the anime’s first two seasons, click here.
The ride was changed in small ways. If you’d never seen the original, you’d probably never know. Now house maids chase pirates out of their homes weilding rolling pins. The naked girl in the barrel was eventually replaced by Jack Sparrow. Though most of the original ride remained, one original script writer was thoroughly displeased with the changes. X Atencio, an Imagineer from the 60s who worked on the original “Pirates” attraction, called the updated version “
After a lengthy refurbishment period, the “Pirates of the Caribbean” ride in Disneyland Paris will get the first “new” redhead early next year. Instead of being sold, the redhead now does the selling, as she leads an auction of plundered booty. Once more, the redesign changes nothing about the scene except the way women are treated. There’s still stealing, and profiting off stolen goods. There’s still gunplay, and she stands on a barrel assumedly filled with alcohol. So okay, less kidnapping and ravaging, but the rest of the song lyrics still stand, and we get to keep the redhead. Problem solved, right?
the latest issue of Shounen Jump, as well as a Promotional Video, Shokugeki no Souma has its 3rd season coming!