NOW CLOSED – Sing a Bit of Harmony is a limited showing at cinemas and thanks to our good mates at Madman NZ we have five double passes up for grabs!

Sing a Bit of Harmony tells the story of the beautiful and mysterious Shion (Tao Tsuchiya) who transfers to Keibu High School where she quickly becomes popular for her open-hearted personality and exceptional athletic talent… but she turns out to be an AI (artificial intelligence) in the testing phase.

Shion’s goal is to bring chronic loner Satomi (Haruka Fukuhara) “happiness.”

But her strategy is something no human would expect: she serenades Satomi in the middle of the classroom. After finding out that Shion is an AI, Satomi and her childhood friend, engineering geek Toma (Asuka Kudo), steadily warm up to the new student. Along with the popular and attractive Gotchan (Kazuyuki Okitsu), the strong-willed Aya (Mikako Komatsu), and judo club member “Thunder” (Satoshi Hino), they become more and more moved by Shion’s singing voice and earnestness even as her antics bewilder them.

But what Shion does for Satomi’s sake ends up involving them all in some serious pandemonium… Get ready for the heartwarming story of a not quite market-ready AI and her classmates.

To enter in for a chance of winning one double pass to see Sing a Bit of Harmony at your local participating cinema, have a go at answering this question:

Sing a Bit of Harmony’s main character Shion Ashimori is voiced by which Japanese actress?

A: Tao Tsuchiya

B: Hiroshi Kamiya

C: Miyuki Sawashiro

Sing a Bit of Harmony releases at cinemas on the 27th of January 2022 at selected theatres.

You can give us your answer by placing a comment below, hitting us up on our FB Chat, DM us on Facebook, Twitter, or Email Us.

Important stuff: 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 Double pass to see the film ‘Sing a Bit of Harmony’. Winner(s) must adhere to the conditions stated on the Double Pass. tickets cannot be transferred, exchanged and only redeemable at participating cinemas. ‘Sing a Bit of Harmony’ is age rated PG. Competition ends on the 24th of January 2022. Only New Zealand entries are accepted for this promotion. Due to the current alert levels for the COVID-19 pandemic please check your local area for screenings and level safety. Always adhere to the local or national COVID-19 level restrictions.

The post Sing a Bit of Harmony (Anime) Ticket Giveaway appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

I love Greg Davies. That is reason enough to watch Cuckoo. Review over.

Since I am actually reviewing the DVD collection Cuckoo – The Complete Series 1-5 I will go into some more details, but if you do want to save some time, go buy Cuckoo now and watch it. Seriously, you won’t regret it.

For those who haven’t bought it yet, Cuckoo is a brilliant British comedy.  A young woman brings home to her family an American hippie named Cuckoo. The father Ken is a classic father figure who is immediately unimpressed with Cuckoo and his ways of life. So naturally as the two go head to head with their different ethos for life, comedy ensues.

The first season has Andy Samburg in the role of Cuckoo and of course he is consistently excellent. Weirdly though the show gets so much better when he leaves. Season 2 has his son appear played by Taylor Lautner and the show gets so damn good. Taylor plays Dale who is an optimistic but likeable American boy who comes to meet their family.

He quickly becomes attached to the family as Ken develops a sweet spot for him.

This aspect of Ken’s personality makes the show infinitely watchable. To go from him being the grumpy dad not liking the new boy in the house, to liking the company of the next new boy is nice. He of course keeps being a grumpy old man in every other aspect, especially in his work life, but these changes add a lot to his character.

Then there is Season 5 when Dale has left and the new person in the family’s life is Ivy, Ken’s sister. Ivy has been in America and comes from a more higher status lifestyle. This clashes with Ken’s middle class sensibilities as she manipulates him throughout the season. Again we get to see grumpy Ken at full force and I love it.

The rest of the family around Ken helps the show a lot. His son Dylan is one of the crappiest people you will meet and his interactions with the family are made funny through Ken being Ken.

Ken’s wife Lorna is the character keeping the family together, and despite Ken being a terrible person at times, they have an interesting and loving relationship. Rachel’s character at times feels more like she is there to give the show a plot, but then Rachel and Lorna are the most normal people in the show.

All in all Cuckoo is an outstanding series.

The changes to characters keep the plot fresh, albeit ridiculous, and the acting is all solid. It is a consistently funny show that showcases how excellent British comedy can be, especially with a leading man like Greg Davies who is utter excellence.

It would have been cool if the box set had bonus features like outtakes because with the cast I imagine they could have been great, but as far as the content of the show goes, excellence.

The post Cuckoo – The Complete Series (Bluray) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Finding love is hard.

Even moreso for Sean (David White) who is recovering from the murder of his entire family five years ago and trying to get back to some form of normality in a small New Zealand town where most of the public in the close-knit community suspect him of the crime.

After a dating video doesn’t work Sean resolves to using a dating app.

Eventually, even to his surprise, he meets a local girl – Casey (Alice May Connolly).

After a couple of some very awkward dates a relationship blossoms, a feeling of connection that Sean had been missing.

But not all is going to go so well, as local ex-cop, now Petting Zoo and ‘Theme Park’ owner Pam (Robyn Malcom) has been the main instigator in not letting people forget that she believes Sean is guilty of shooting his entire family. Even so much so that she set up her own free-to-call hotline for tips.

Pam is on a one person crusade to take him down and get the case resolved.

Then there’s the local journalist Janice (Rima Te Wiata) who is always looking that big scoop – at Sean’s expense and is also very tight with Pam and her belief that Sean has gotten away with mass murder.

But, when the truth does finally come out, it hits Pam alot closer to home than she could have ever suspected.

This Town, co-written by the Director David White (himself from a small New Zealand town called Waipukurau) is a dark humour / drama that at times almost makes you feel guilty for having a laugh or two.

As always an outstanding performance from New Zealand’s legendary actresses Robyn Macolm (Shortland Street, Outrageous Fortune) and Rima Te Wiata (Hunt for the Wilderpeople) and of course the multi-talented writer and Director David white who plays the main role, Sean.

If I could give This Town more than 5 stars I most definitely would.

The post This Town (Madman Entertainment) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

One thing I love about Anime films is they tend to be standalone stories that you don’t need to know the source anime for.  Dragon Ball Z and My Hero Academia are good examples of this, and as such it is a concise way to find out if you like a series or not.

In the case of Fate/stay night I have always been curious about the show, so knowing the trilogy of movies was a standalone series I had to check it out.  Fate/stay night: Heaven’s Feel I. Presage Flower threw me in the deep end where it was clear I would get a little more from having seen the series first, I was able to enjoy it for what was in front of me. Now Fate/stay night: Heaven’s Feel II. Lost Butterfly is out, I was keen to see the next stage in the holy war.

If you aren’t aware, Fate/stay night is about a war for the holy grail which has occured throughout  history and Shirou is pulled into the latest one of them.  These wars are fought between mages who command their warriors to fight to the death to grant them wishes upon winning. The warriors are all named after their fighting style such as Berserker who is a massive aggressive brawler, Saber who is a swordswoman and Archer who is…an archer.

Intrigued yet?

The animation in these movies is nothing short of gorgeous. The characters and worlds are extremely detailed, and there is some fantastically designed animation that makes the fights and world a treat to look at.  Animation doesn’t have to be great for an anime to be great, but when it is done to the extent that Fate/stay night: Heaven’s Feel does it it is amazing, especially with a Blu-Ray on a decent TV.  Fate/stay night: Heaven’s Feel I.Presage Flower was gorgeous and Fate/stay night: Heaven’s Feel II. Lost Butterfly keeps that momentum going being another visual masterpiece.

Now if you haven’t seen Presage Flower, go watch that, because I am about to spoil it.

When we left off Saber had disappeared mid-fight leaving Shirou without his champion and for all intents and purposes, done with the war.  Shirou decides with or without Saber he is going to keep going and take part in the war he had been introduced to in the first movie.  I don’t want to spoil the movie so will give some vague comments here.

I assumed going into the movie that it would kick off with Saber joining Shirou somehow, but I couldn’t have been more wrong.  This gives some serious time for the rest of the cast to shine and get some development time.  Especially interesting is Sakura who at times becomes a well rounded character, and other times a classic anime trope.  Their relationship becomes especially good to follow until an uncomfortable sex scene, followed soon after by an even more uncomfortable sex scene.  She keeps dipping in and out of being an awesome underdog with a crappy upbringing, and that uncomfortable trope.

The limited edition comes in a tidy box set with a gorgeous softcover art book and a softcover animation material book. They are the same size as the disc so the box set looks good on the shelf. Given how amazing the movie looks, they are nice little additions to flick through after watching.

Fate/stay night: Heaven’s Feel II. Lost Butterfly is a fantastic middle film for the trilogy.  With the world building completed in the first movie, this one gets to hit the ground running with the action and plot barreling ahead while leaving me itching to see the third.

The post Fate Stay Night – Heaven’s Feel II: Lost Butterfly (Anime) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Attack on Titan is such an excellent anime series. The first season is what got me back into anime in a big way and the seasons have only got more bonkers since then.  Season 3 Part 2 might be one of the best segments of the show since the first season as the Scouts try to reclaim Wall Maria.

For those who haven’t seen Attack on Titan there is so much to love, and none more so than the art style.  Everything from the detailed backdrops, to the fantastically animated people is best in class.  The way titans move is as creepy as it is extraordinary as each titan moves in unique ways depending on their body’s composition, and I find it uncomfortable each time I see a new one.

Anyone reading this who isn’t already watching the series should absolutely stop after this paragraph as even light mentions will spoil the series.  This show is about humanity who has been isolated to a massive city where the walls have been built to protect them from the massive humanoid creatures called the Titans which mindlessly eat humans given the opportunity. As the show went on we have been slowly given more information about the source of these monsters and it keeps digging deeper and becoming more interesting.

The start of Season 3 was my least favourite of the series to date.  They did some interesting things and the universe got more interesting information but so much of it seemed all over the place the through-line wasn’t quite as engaging. Season 3: Part 2 kicks off with an awesome battle. The scouts are sealing up the wall when they find themselves falling into a trap from the titans.  The battle ensues and the Scouts learn a lot about the smart Titans, and well I can’t say much more than this without spoiling it.

Battles within the walls tend to be the better ones as the surroundings are more known and you can focus your attention on what is occurring.  They also do an awesome job of giving more information about how these titans operate and think.  The second half of the series is where there is a lot more talking and less fighting, but thanks to some flashback sequences the mystery of the titans is explored with the story written so well it is as engaging as the show has been yet.

Thanks to it being a short 10 episodes the box set is a lot more concise than some seasons, and they still fill a lot of character development, plot development, and so much of the universe’s history. The flashback moments are especially excellent as the weirdness of the Titans becomes clear it is a historically powerful source, and not a weird mutation like I felt for so long.

The collectors edition comes in a sweet hard covered book style case that has some pages in between the discs as well as a separate art book.  The hardcover case is designed to fit in a box that the first half comes with which is a neat idea, and the art book inside it has some cool art as well as the comic version of Chibi Theatre.

The bluray has the animated version of the same Chibhi Theatre which summarises entire episodes into humourous seconds long moments.  Now I just need the collectors edition of Part 1 to slot this fantastic version into.

The post Attack on Titan Season 3 – Part 2 (Madman) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

NOW CLOSED – Made in New Zealand.

Miles (Daniel Radcliffe) is stuck in a dead-end job, still in love with his ex-girlfriend Nova.

Unbeknownst to him, a gang called Skizm is running a deadly competition within his city in which complete strangers fight to the death for the entertainment of an online audience of millions. Miles soon finds himself caught up in the game and forced to fight in a battle to the death. Initially, Miles’ lifetime of running from his problems pays off as he manages to elude his first opponent but when Nova is kidnapped, he must finally stop running and overcome his fears to fight for the girl he loves.

Guns Akimbo is one hell of an adrenaline fueled action flick from NZ Producers and Director now released on bluray by Madman NZ.

Thanks to our mates at Madman, we have THREE Guns Akimbo blurays up for grabs.

To Enter our Guns Akimbo Bluray giveaway you will need to answer this question correctly:

Daniel Radcliffe stars as Miles in Guns Akimbo – what film was his break out role and he is most known for?

A: Swiss Army Man

B: Horns

C: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

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 retail bluray copy of the film Guns Akimbo. Guns Akimbo is rated R16+ years. You MUST be over the age of 16 years in order to enter this promotion. STG may ask for age verification. Competition ends on the 9th of July 2020. Only New Zealand entries are accepted for this promotion.

Everyone that works on STG is a volunteer. If you like the site and it’s contents please think about donating. Even a small amount helps keep the servers running.

The post Enter to be in to Win Guns Akimbo on Bluray! appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Space Battleship Tiramisu is a weird show.

Its short episodes and trope anime humour means those who are going to appreciate it love it, but those that don’t are going to find it a chore to try and watch. That being said, I regularly found myself chuckling along with the terrible humour so I was excited to check out Season 2.

If you haven’t seen it, the series is set in a futuristic world where a lot of humanity has moved into space, and there are these long standing battles between factions of humans. The show focuses on one character, Subaru, a mech pilot who is in his late teens, meaning he isn’t the most mature individual, who also has a bizarre obsession with his cockpit. This safe space of his is his sanctuary and a hint of mess or anyone messing with it has him completely infuriated.

Every episode tells a small slices of Subaru’s life totaling about 6 to 7 minutes each. There doesn’t tend to be a big narrative arc in each episode, but individually they are unique and self contained enough. For example, one episode has Subaru eating a lot then headed off to battle. Soon after he realises he has to go to the toilet which isn’t an option in his mech, so the bulk of that episode is him trying to decide if he should bail, and if so which ship is closest. Spoiler alert, it ends up with him having to clean his cockpit.

Season 2 on the other hand continues the trend of short episodes but is more about telling the continuing narrative where Subaru and his brother crash on Earth, and after some faff they are reunited with their father. I am struggling to sum up the plot without giving too much away, and as there is so little plot that it’s a bigger effort than expected. The plot itself isn’t too relevant, but it is overarching and does take a little away from what I enjoyed about the first series.

The humour doesn’t quite carry over from the first where it had a mix of childish and mature humour, as this series has less of the adult humour. I laughed, but not as much as I would have liked.

The series continues to have decent voice acting and gorgeous animation. Some of these anime artists are true underappreciated masters of their trade, and the team behind this make the series visually amazing. A wonderful soundtrack also helps the series to be a lot better than it could easily have been with a half hearted effort.

In the end, Space Battleship Tiramisu Zwei Season 2 is still a decent experience for fans. I rate the first season much higher but its short episodes and good enough laughs make it well worth checking out.

The post Space Battleship Tiramisu S2 (Madman – Bluray) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

One of the best things about anime is its ability to tell bizarre and creative stories. Whether it’s a long running series or a one-off film, because they don’t require a billion dollars for some huge effects, they are able to be as chained or unchained as they want with stories that require visual design that matches its bombastic story. Promare is one of these films.

Promare takes place on earth 30 years after the Great World Blaze where half of the world’s population spontaneously combusted, a handful of the survivors mutated, becoming the Burnish, people that can create and control massive amounts of fire. This is where we are introduced to the Galo, member of the fire fighting force Burning Rescue as they respond to a fire attack. Since the fire is controlled by people, Burning Rescue aren’t equipped with the standard firefighting attire, but also with guns and swords that unleash ice attacks.

The film kicks off with this awesomeness as the team tackles an inferno and comes face to face with the terrorist group Mad Burnish. After arresting a few of them they come face to face with Lio, the leader of the terrorist group. Galo and Lio have a pretty awesome fight culminating with Lio’s capture when an elite group Freeze Force steps in stepping all-over Burning Rescues toes as they apprehend the Mad Burnish members.

This is where the plot thickens significantly as they are taken to a massive prison and it is discovered that the Burnish are being treated poorly. Meanwhile Galo and the Burning Rescue are enjoying some pizza when the Freeze Force barges in, capturing a pizza maker who it turns out is a Burnish. This is where Galo does a lot of character growth and discovers something is amiss. I don’t want to touch more of the plot than this because this is where it goes from an average anime film to a good one that uses a lot of anime tropes in a creative way.

The most striking aspect of the film is its visual style. Thanks to its use of thin lines or no lines at all, the whole experience feels familiar yet unique and wonderful. The biggest problem here is that the version I saw wasn’t an English dub, as I found myself dozens of times enjoying the action before snapping to the realisation I was missing a lot of dialogue.

I know a lot of the anime faithful have preferences for English dub anyway, but I was too in love with the animation, so will look forward to checking out the English dub so I can watch it uninterrupted next time.

The other aspect that is on point is the humour. Some anime can be a little silly or over the top, and Promare takes this running in a self-aware way. The cinema I was in burst into laughter regularly with a combination of great punchlines with over the top satirical moments. Think Galo talking about his firefighter’s soul being ablaze regularly, or the terrifying terrorist group being called…Mad Burnish. It’s on the nose, and once you realise they are making the jokes it is consistently entertaining.

Promare is the embodiment of what I love about anime. A bombastic sci-fi storyline, a good story, a whole lot of silliness, and gorgeous art design. It’s easily the most interesting anime flick I have seen in a while and well worth having a look if you are remotely curious.

The post Promare (Madman – 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.

NOW CLOSED – Thirty years has passed since the appearance of the Burnish, a race of flame-wielding mutant beings, who destroyed half of the world with fire. When a new group of aggressive mutants calling themselves Mad Burnish appears, the epic battle between Galo Thymos, a new member of the anti-Burnish rescue team Burning Rescue, and Lio Fotia, the leader of Mad Burnish begins.

Thanks to our good mates at Madman Films NZ STG has THREE Double Passes to see the upcoming Promare Anime film.

Promare begins in cinemas in New Zealand on the 14th of November 2019.

To Enter our Promare Double Pass Ticket Giveaway you will need to answer this Question correctly:

What caused the great calamity on Earth 30 years prior to the film?

A: Aliens

B: Mass Spontaneous Human Combustion

C: Riots

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 Double Pass for the film Promare. Promare has a PG Age rating in New Zealand. Winner(s) must adhere to the conditions on the ticket. Tickets are not transferable and can only be used once while the film is at cinemas. Competition ends on the 14th of November 2019.

The post Enter to Be in to Win a Double Pass to Promare! appeared first on Shane the Gamer.