Disney+ has debuted the trailer and announced the Japanese and English dub voice casts for “Star Wars: Visions,” an upcoming anthology series from Lucasfilm.

“Star Wars: Visions” tells new Star Wars stories through the singular style and tradition of Japanese anime. Disney+ also released four exciting images from the trailer.

The new trailer (above) provides a glimpse of the captivating tone and stunning visuals from each of the animated shorts, which can all be viewed both with the original Japanese voice cast or the English dub cast when the series launches on Disney+ on September 22, 2021.

“Lucasfilm is partnering with seven of the most talented anime studios in Japan to bring their signature style and unique vision of the Star Wars galaxy to this inspired new series,” says James Waugh, executive producer and Lucasfilm Vice President, Franchise Content & Strategy. “Their stories showcase the full spectrum of  bold storytelling found across Japanese animation; each told with a freshness and voice that expands our understanding of what a Star Wars story can be, and celebrates a galaxy that has been such an inspiration to so many visionary storytellers.”

The English dub cast includes the voice talents of returning Star Wars actors and talent new to the Star Wars universe.

The post DISNEY+ DEBUTS TRAILER FOR “STAR WARS: VISIONS” appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

I have said it before, I love anime movies which help decide if you want to try out a series in a self-contained story.  Even better than that is when the whole show gets remade as movies, as long as it is done right, and that’s exactly what Code Geass did with its initial trilogy, and has now followed that up with a new sequel.  The Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion Movie Collection  lets you watch all four in one Bluray case.

The first three discs are the original trilogy which is the aforementioned remake of the anime series. Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion I –  Initiation followed by Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion II – Transgression rounded out by Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion III – Glorification is an awesome trilogy that is nice and concise, even if it does wind up being six hours long.

Code Geass Lelouch of the Rebellion III – Glorification

The movies are set in a world where Britannia has conquered and annexed Japan, which is now known as Area 11 and the people are known as elevens.  Being stripped of their national identity in this way obviously causes unrest among the people. As such the Brittanian forces have a strong military presence, bolstered by the mechs that are commonplace at this stage.

We are introduced to the titular Lelouch who is of Brittanian descent and is the son of the Emperor. His mother dies and his little sister sees it and in shock loses her sight and the ability to walk. Furious Lelouch gets angry at his father, and not being a fan of being stood up to, his father then sends the two of them to Japan. This is done as a political move to make Japan feel a sense of security, and as such they grow up knowing Area 11 as home.

Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion III – Glorification

Lelouch is living his boring school life when he satisfies some curiosity and accidentally finds himself in a rebel truck. During this he comes in contact with a mysterious woman who gives him the power Geass which allows him to take control over any human once as long as he gets eye contact with them. Then the plot unfolds as he hides his face and helps lead the rebels to fight back against the oppressive Brittania.

The latest movie Code Geass: Lelouch of the Resurrection is set after the main story takes place.  I can’t give out too much detail about the setting without ruining the ending of the original trilogy. What I can say is that Lelouch’s sister is taken by another country who has lost a lot because of the events of the first movie and Lelouch needs to save the day.

Code Geass – Lelouch of the Resurrection

All in all the four movie collection is an excellent watch. The first three movies are only Japanese dubbed which I am generally not a fan of, but I adjusted to the subs because the story was that good. Code Geass: Lelouch of the Resurrection is english dubbed and it caught me off guard as I had started associating the Japanese voices with those characters. Though Japanese Dub is still an option, I let it run and English and the new voice actors did a great job.

The animation and art style is excellent. Going for a common drawing style but using extraordinary details to bring together a world unlike any I have seen before.  Throw the soundtrack in and the whole experience is amazing watching the Blurays on a big screened TV.

Given how the plots follow on from each other it is tough to say too much more without spoiling the experience, but if you aren’t experienced in the mecha anime sub genre this is a great way to check it out. My lack of experience didn’t stop me enjoying the whole thing, even if annoying tropes still make their way through at times.

The post Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion Movie Collection (Anime) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

When I think of anime films, I tend to think of bombastic stories that have visualisations that wouldn’t work in any other format.

So, when I heard there was a love story called I Want to Eat Your Pancreas, I thought I was in for something crazy, what I didn’t expect was a simple but beautiful love story that didn’t do any of the crazy things I expected.

I Want to Eat Your Pancreas tells the story of a teenager, Sakura, who is dying from a pancreatic disease. Another student, Haruki, picks up a book off the ground, flicks through a few pages, discovering it is her diary and the secret that she is dying. As she has been keeping this secret from her friends, she makes an immediate connection with him, and due to his loner ways, he doesn’t reciprocate the feeling.

The film then follows them as she harasses him out of his shell and a strong friendship develops. Haruki does feel a lot like the mopey main character from a lot of JRPGs like the Final Fantasy games, and it feels a little tropey as the whole film revolves around him continuing to be a bit of a dick as she bounces around him with energy.

This has me torn, because the strange merging of these two worlds is handled well as Sakura’s love of wanting to live life with energy plays off his cliché, mopey, outcast demeanor, but he is so damn mopey that he lacks any kind of personality at all until the last 10 minutes.

Despite this, the film builds slowly towards what seems like an inevitable finale, and then suddenly takes an unexpected turn. There were two moments I expected the film to end, the first being right after the twist, where it seemed primed to end without too much of a satisfying resolution.

It then carries on a little longer which gave some wonderful closure to the story, and then it carries on a little too long past that stage where it got a touch tedious.

The film has some good voice acting, and simple yet beautiful art. The art style fits the somber story it is telling that is beautifully animated but done in a way that doesn’t detract from the tone. There is some bad dialogue scattered throughout which is a reminder that is still an anime film, but it was certainly less than some films and shows that I have watched.

I Want to Eat Your Pancreas is a beautiful story that is only held back by some dragging plot moments, and some clichés. The strange name isn’t an indication of what you are in for but is instead an in joke between the main characters which pays off in the end.

There is a wonderful story to be seen here, however I can’t help but feel with some tweaks it could have been so much more.

The post I Want to Eat Your Pancreas (Madman Entertainment) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

If you have been watching My Hero Academia then by this stage you know and love the characters.  The strange premise of the super hero school where kids who have developed their skills learn to be heroic, and our young friend Midoriya have been learning to control their power that All Might bestowed on him One For All.

If you haven’t been watching it, then why are you reading a review for My Hero Academia Season 3 Part 2?

Go watch the other two and a half seasons now, they are amazing.

When we left off with My Hero Academia: Season 3 Part 1, we had finished watching the epic battle between All Might and the show’s big baddie, All For One.  That half of the season is huge with a lot of awesome fighting. So one big question remains, how would the second half follow up?

The short answer is it follows up by completely changing pace and focusing more on the characters and their development which is reminiscent of the start of season one.  It’s kind of weird because I am used to shows starting with the build up and culminating in a big battle.

This way around works well because you have had the action pay off and now you are up for the emotional payoff as you get to know the characters a lot better.

I don’t want to spoil too much of the plot, because presumably you are reading this to decide on a purchase, but the school goes back to exams. Thanks to a few fights and a lot of back story, we get to fill in more of the characters’ stories.

This works well as a nice build up for what should be a fantastic series 4, and the split in the season makes a whole lot of sense due to this change in tone.

One thing I appreciated when checking out Black Clover on Blu-Ray was the extras.  Specifically it is listening to the English voice cast chatting about the show and working on it.  It is interesting to see people after the show has been written and voice-acted in Japanese, to bring in their own spin and how much they add to the characters using their voices as opposed to the whole creation or acting in a role like a movie.

It has been fascinating appreciating the art of interpretation through dubbing an anime show.

My Hero Academia Season 3 Part 2 is a fascinating part of the series, rounding out the season well and building up for Season 4.

It doesn’t quite hit the highs of the first half of the season, but it is an absolutely essential half to the narrative the series has feeding us over the last few years.

The post My Hero Academia Season 03 (Anime – Bluray) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Some anime series can be a tough pill to swallow due to the massive amount of content from the get go.

There are numerous classic series I haven’t touched because 200+ episodes is something I can’t commit to, but despite the 100+ episodes in the first two seasons, I was intrigued enough about Black Clover to tackle this one and I may have found a new favourite.

The Black Clover Season 1 Part 1 DVD / Blu-Ray package contains the first 10 episodes of season one which kicks off with our introduction to Asta and Yuno who are two orphans that want to prove their worth in a magical world. Yuno is a natural with magic becoming powerful early on. Asta on the other hand is a rarity in this world in that he doesn’t seem to be able to use magic at all and overcompensates with intense physical training.

They both attend a ceremony where wizards stand around and are chosen by their grimoires, a magical book that helps their magical power. Yuno has a rare four-leaf-clover grimoire appear for him to everyone’s surprise, but poor Asta isn’t presented with a grimoire, to nobody’s surprise. Later when a confrontation in an alley occurs, Asta is presented with a grimiore seemingly out of nowhere which gives him an awesome magical sword and his perseverance pays off.

The plot of these 10 episodes work as a surprisingly cohesive story that would easily be justified as a short season for the show, despite being part one of five. These 10 episodes cover the backstory of these two through to their joining wizard squads. It continues to follow Asta closely as he proves himself within the Black Bulls squad, a squad that is built from misfits and outcasts who don’t belong elsewhere.

The little touches of Yuno we see during these later episodes show him struggling with the internal politics of the Golden Dawn squad which is generally filled with noble people. Most of them look down on Yuno despite his extraordinary skill because of this fact. On the flip side of this we see the noble woman Noelle who has wound up in the Black Bulls and struggles to come to grips with the idea of being in a team of commoners despite her noble birth.

This is the show’s biggest strength. By showing a noble struggling to be a commoner, and vice versa you get this cool duality throughout the show that takes a fairly common idea of the relationship between the rich and poor, and adds its own little spin on the idea by showing it from both sides. On top of this Asta not having magic shows him struggling with commoners and nobles alike, as the bottom of the bottom but through sheer determination, and a little ignorance, he starts to climb the ranks higher than most would hope for.

These 10 episodes are a surprisingly cohesive package with the season ending with the Black Bulls completing their first mission that makes for a good buy for someone wanting to check out the season and worrying they are only going to get a chunk of the season. The package also comes with a lot of behind the scenes content which I enjoyed as it has the director and voice actors from the English dub discussing the show. Given it has already been animated and voiced overseas it was interesting watching them enjoying the animation while adding their own aspects to the show through the voice acting.

All in all, I wouldn’t recommend looking at this as a chunk of a season, but a shorter season in itself. It’s a fantastic introduction to the show, and I am thoroughly looking forward to seeing where the next 90 episodes will take me given the amount of plot that was covered in these 10.

The post Black Clover Season One (Madman Bluray – 2019) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

NOW CLOSED – Are you New Zealand’s biggest anime fan?

Then you’re in for an overload as Madman New Zealand showcases a catalogue of films in their Reel Anime Film expo.

If you’re near or in Auckland they are screening at Academy Cinemas, Wellington at Roxy Cinemas and Christchurch at Lumiere Cinemas from December the 12th, 2019 to December the 18th, 2019.

Films showing are: Children of the Sea, Rascal does not dream of a Dreaming Girl, Violet Evergarden: Eternity & Auto Memory Doll and Human Lost (trailer above).

Thanks to our good mates at Madman NZ we have FIVE passes to see the film of your choice.

To enter our Reel Anime Pass Giveaway you will need to Answer this Question:

What makes YOU New Zealand’s biggest anime fan?

There is no wrong or right answer, you can be as descriptive as you like, but please keep it short-ish.

You can give us your Answer by placing a Comment below, hitting us up on Facebook, Tweet to us, or Email Us.

* Winner(s) will be randomly selected from those that Comment below / Facebook Comment / Email in accordance to the above Question. Winner(s) will receive a pass to the Madman New Zealand ‘Reel Anime’. Conditions on the ticket must be adhered to. Ticket is only good for one screening / film of your choosing. Some anime films are rated M15+ – you need to be over the age of 15 years to enter this promotion. STG may ask for Age Verification. Competition closes the 12th of December 2019.

The post Enter to Win a Pass to ‘Reel Anime’! appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

“Hiya Georgie!”

From the widely acclaimed 2017 horror film “IT” comes a Nendoroid of Pennywise the Dancing Clown. Even in adorable Nendoroid style, Pennywise’s ominous appearance from the film has been carefully preserved. The figure comes with two interchangeable face plates: a face with blue eyes from the film’s first scene when Pennywise appears in the storm drain and an attacking face.

The Nendoroid is fully articulated, making it easy to recreate a wide variety of terrifying scenes from the film. It can be posed holding a balloon, allowing you to display Pennywise in his simple yet eerie standing pose. Additionally, a recreation of the storm drain from the film’s first scene and Georgie’s paper boat are included.

Be sure to add Nendoroid Pennywise to your collection. If you’re brave enough.

The post GSC’s Pennywise Nendoroid! appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

If there is one thing I love about anime, it’s the extreme variation in styles used. Not many anime shows, or films look the same, but nothing is quite as different to its counterparts as the extraordinarily unique and twisted Violence Voyager which is probably better described as a puppet show… one messed up puppet show.

Violence Voyager is the brainchild of one clever and messed up man Ujicha. The story follows Bobby, an American child living in Japan, and Akkun his friend who find an amusement park. After a quick introduction with the premise of the park they are unleashed to battle the alien invaders with their water guns before things get dark…quickly. Around the half hour mark the sun sets and they are attacked by a dog, in the kerfuffle a girl they found in the park is taken away by a robot. Bobby and Akkun go after her, finding a group of survivors.

At this stage the movie takes a sudden step up in violence. The survivors introduce Bobby and Akkun to their mutilated friend who can’t talk, with a screen thing on the side of his head with his eye running down the middle. Immediately upon seeing him covered in blood and deformed they throw up. This is where things get more gruesome as the mad scientist with his deformed creations hunt the kids down for more of his experimenting.

The most notable aspect of the movie’s style is its animation which uses painted cut-outs which move around on the background. The lack of moving mouths is a little weird at first, but I came to like what it was doing here. Characters are designed beautifully, until the gore kicks in, at which point I wouldn’t have minded them being a little less detailed.

The other thing that is used to great effect is real world liquids. Early on when the kids are using the water guns, the use of water streams hitting their opponents is jarring in a cool way. When the liquids jump to things like vomit and blood, well I started enjoying that effect a whole lot less. Unfortunately, I also didn’t think too much of the voice acting which would be best described as good enough, and sometimes even that was a touch generous, though this could be on purpose I wasn’t a fan.

Violence Voyager is a tough movie to recommend. If you are a fan of B-Grade horror, this is likely right up your alley with its strange effects and twisted imagery. Otherwise watch a trailer and see if it’s something you will enjoy. Although I didn’t like it, I can appreciate some of the awesome things that were achieved in it, even if I didn’t enjoy the experience in the end.

The post Violence Voyager (Anime) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Good Smile Company a Japanese collectible figure maker, has announced Goblin Slayer as the third figure in the series of “POP UP PARADE”.

POP UP PARADE is a new series of figures are new collectibles from the Japanese Toys and Collectibles manufacturer. Each figure stands around 17 to 18cm in height and the series features a vast selection of characters from popular anime and game series, with many more to be added soon.

Goblin Slayer from the anime series “GOBLIN SLAYER”! has a weathered appearance of his battle-worn armor which has been meticulously recreated. The figure is just the right size to fit any display.

POP UP PARADE’s Goblin Slayer is now available for preorder at the GOODSMILE ONLINE SHOP and at participating retailers.

The post Goblin Slayer! appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Fighting games tend to be an interesting beast, most notably with how they approach new players.

They can be welcoming and simple, through to daunting and complex, while the best tends to cover both. Since its release on the PSP, Final Fantasy Dissida has dared to be something else, which can be daunting, especially if you expect a classic fighting game.

The best way to describe the game’s vibe is it is a fighting game, which plays more like a battle in an action JRPG. This is due to the use of a 3D arena, multiple fighters on both sides, and more importantly, the freedom of movement. Players can run, jump, and fly around the arena which is a significant strategy when it comes to fights.

This means it becomes less of what you would expect with a classic fighting game, and leans more to the JRPG style, which absolutely fits the franchise the game belongs to. The problem comes with expectation. Expecting a fighting game can isolate the way you play in early fights which will be detrimental to your experience, and it’s once you break those prejudices that the game starts to shine.

Final Fantasy Dissidia NT has heroes and villains from most of the Final Fantasy games pulled into an alternate world for the fight of good against evil. That’s really about the extent of the story, you follow groups of characters as they make their way along a set linear path using crystals to unlock memories. These memories have some fights associated but for the most part, you’ll just watching beautiful cut scenes.

The Story mode will give you some crystals to advance, but the bulk of them will be collected by playing other modes, which interrupts any flow that the story builds up as you constantly must pull yourself away. The story also doesn’t ease you in with easier fights, in fact even after many hours of play, when I hit the first story fight, I really struggled to scrape through. The story also uses Summon battles which took me more losses to win than I want to admit, and some of which I am still yet to beat.

With the lack of time to being eased into the gameplay, the game requires a tutorial that shines. Unfortunately, Dissidia’s tutorial glows only a little bit, covering the basics, and some complex stuff, but doesn’t capture how to play the game for a newbie, or someone who hasn’t touched the series for years.

Instead, to get the hang of the game you need to lose a handful of fights as you stumble your way through with a knowledge of the basics. Powering through this learning phase is worth it as it suddenly becomes entertaining as you get the hang of the game.

The general gist of the game is each player has a health bar and a number above it. The health bar is damaged with HP attacks, and the number is damaged with bravery attacks. The kicker is that the lower the number is, the more damage the HP attacks do. All the while, the bravery can recover. During this brawl, you will also build up the summon meter, which unleashes a summon who spends some time on the battlefield helping you out. Crystals drop on the field which allows you to boost the summon meter by concentrating attacks on it, but also gives you a chance to hit opponents chipping away at the crystal.

This is where the most challenging aspect of the game kicks in, managing time on the battlefield.

It’s super easy to get stuck on a task such as hitting a crystal, or chipping away at an enemy, but due to its 3v3 nature, this can result in you getting slammed from behind. Being mindful of the huge maps can be difficult, but as the opponents get harder, it becomes more important.

Fights themselves basically consist of either a 3v3 brawl, where you need to knock three opponents out to win, or core battles where you need to take out an opponent’s crystal. Thanks to yourself being able to revive on the battlefield, a couple of lucky attacks doesn’t guarantee a win in either mode, as you will always be against three enemies, which works for the game, but you do get punished by a few seconds of revive time, so it’s better to not be incapacitated.

The core Battles mode is one of the more interesting modes, as you will find yourself having to chip away at the opponent’s crystal, while defending yours. If an opponent is near their own crystal, it won’t take damage, so you will need to knock them out of the area to resume damaging it. Locking on in the game always felt awkward, and it’s never as apparent as in this mode, so sometimes luck based on your opponent’s map placement can feel like a bigger ally at times.

Since the game is clearly geared towards the online competition, and probably eSports, the weirdest flaw is the time it takes to find online matches. Matchmaking consistently took over 30 seconds a round, which sounds like a small amount of time, but not when you’re staring at a screen waiting. And it’s a lot of time to wait to get your ass kicked for the first few hours.

Final Fantasy Dissidia NT is an amazing take on the fighting genre and does the franchise it comes from justice.

With its gorgeous recreation of maps and characters from the games to its distinctly Final Fantasy music, it should appeal to most fans of the series. Keep in mind its steep learning curve, and be ready for some frustration, but bursting through the other side is well worth it.

The post Final Fantasy Dissidia NT (PlayStation 4) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.