Monday, January 16, 2012

Puella Magi Madoka Magica Proves That Magical Girls Still Rock

Anime series with magical girls theme surely has been around for as long as we could remember. Sailor Moon, Cardcaptor Sakura, Akazukin Chacha, Fancy Lala, Kore wa Zombie Desu ka?, Magic Knight Rayearth and My-HiME are just some of the infamous series belonging to the magical girl genre animes. For the new generation anime fans, well, guess what? Some of these anime series have been watched by the anime public for more than a decade ago but is still known today. Let us give Sailor Moon as an undeniable example. If you have been born in the early 90s, I'm sure you are familiar with the Sailor Moon series. It has been on television from 1991 to 1997. Imagine how long that is. You're right!!! The series was running for 6 years or approximately 6 years.

And now, an addition to the popular genre of magical girls has been created. Have you heard of Puella Magi Madoka Magica? Well, I guess you do people. If you have finished watching the series then I should say you're lucky. And if you just heard about it but still haven't watched it, pity you. You just missed the biggest part of your life. LOL, I was just kidding. But seriously, you should be watching the series or if not, try putting it in your list of anime series to watch out for.

Kyoko Sakura, Sayaka Miki, Madoka Kaname, Mami Tomoe and Akemi Homura (The Characters)

Forgive me but I don't mean to exaggerate my fondness to the series. It's just that I want to share the Madoka Magica experience by letting you know how good the series is. If you are still not interested, then at least let me give a synopsis. You don't have to continue reading but it won't hurt to give it a try, right?
The story of Puella Magi Madoka Magica revolves around the world of magical girls(also called puella magis). Creatures called Familiars who have the power to grant one girl's wish, have come to Earth from outer space. Kyubey, a familiar, have one day approached school girls Madoka Kaname and Sayaka Miki and told them about it's ability to grant their respective wishes. On the other hand, another magical girl mysteriously transferred to Madoka's school and started persuading her that she shouldn't be doing any deal with Kyubey. Kyubey was doing his share of persuading Madoka by saying that she would become the most powerful puella magi. Little did Madoka know that in contrary to what Kyubey was saying about how amazing a puella magi's life, there are still a lot of things she doesn't know about puella magis and Kyubey's real intention for persuading her. Puella magis are faced with a life smelling of death, misfortune and grief while fulfilling their mission in killing witches.
Probably, you're already considering getting interested in the series. If still not, just hear these comments I have regarding Puella Magi Madoka Magica.
Plot:
Plot-wise, I think this series has really made a great job in making a unique story. Most anime series with magical girls genre seem to be easily stereotyped by the audience. Most plots would include a magical girl being the chosen one and is bound to fulfill a mission or in special cases, her destiny. However, Madoka Magica have invested in a unique storyline wherein the magical girls have a common goal (which is to defeat witches) but each has distinct purposes. In addition to that, I believe that the series' storyline doesn't revolve mainly on Madoka's fulfillment of her destiny but rather on the friendship that she has with other puella magis. If you already watched the series, then you know what I mean considering Akemi Homura's real wish when she became a puella magi.
 Also, the problem with anime series with only 12 episodes is that they tend to leave the audience hanging. Such problem usually come when there are a lot of things going on in the series but are sometimes delimited by the number of episodes that it will be shown. In exception to that, Madoka Magica has made a good run on that category. Amazingly, each episode would satisfy you with a mix of good humor and distinct fight scenes and apparently leaving you so excited for the next episodes to come. I believe that the story is fast enough to let you absorb everything that is happening. But is slow enough to let you enjoy each scene. Thus, Madoka Magica absolutely nailed this category again.
Who says the series is all to melodramatic? Well, at some scenes, it has that tendency. But generally, it's what the story is all about. Definitely, you don't have to wonder. You wonder if it's not even related to the story. Actually, I find the series even more appealing since it has created a good mix of contrasting melodrama and intense scenes.</span>
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Friday, January 13, 2012

Blade Anime Series Airs in the US

Fans in the US would surely find this interesting. The Blade anime series from Japan is finally going to air on US television. It can be noted that the said anime series was based from a famous Hollywood movie franchise of the same title. The Blade movie was, of course, starred by the well-known actor Wesley Snipes. Marvel announcement says that actor Harold Perrineau's voice will be starred in the anime series. It will be televised on G4TV at 11pm US time.

Here is a synopsis of the series' storyline:
"Born from a human mother who was vampire-bitten while pregnant, Blade lives a life with a mix of human and vampire bloods giving him both a vampire's remarkable strength and a human's sunlight invulnerability. Along with vampire hunter Makoto, he was bound to avenge his mother's death and was on his way to track and take down the main antagonist, Deacon Frost. While on his search all over Asia, he was also bound to destroy Frost's modified vampire organization called Existence."
The Blade anime series aired in Japan was a 12-episode stint. It was aired from July to September of last year and was directed by Mitsuyuki Masuhara (also the director of anime series Kobato). The series starred the voices of Akio Ohtsuka as Blade, Maaya Sakamoto as Makoto, Tsutomu Isobe as Deacon Frost and Osamu Saka as Noah Van Hellsing.


Click on the link to watch Blade anime's trailer. www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfCYcQBpnms
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Thursday, January 12, 2012

Turning Anime Series to Hollywood Movies

Anime, in general, is surely making its presence felt all over the globe. What was once only an Asian craze is now a very much talked about hit even in the Americas and Europe. With a massive number of supporters and addicts worldwide, you can't possibly doubt how much potential the anime market has.

Naruto, Bleach and One Piece - who could possibly not be watching or even know about these viral hits? Well, there could be a few 'cause there are always an exception to the rule, right? Anyways, the 3 previously mentioned anime series are called the Big 3 by supporters. They are known for having literally long storyline but are still being followed by an overwhelming number of die-hard fans. But why not? Anime has this interesting and eye-catching elements to it that you can't find in the conventional cartoons.

Anime series, on its own, are already sensational. But how about if some Hollywood producers turn it into a Hollywood movie? Wouldn't you call it cool? Why? Because it could make anime even more known to the world.

It can be remembered that 2 remarkably known anime series, Astroboy and Dragonball, have both been turned into Hollywood movies. On the case of Dragonball, the movie's storyline was sadly quite far from that of the anime series where it was based. For Dragonball anime series fans, it was a major disappointment. How could producers possibly change a already very known plot? Well, the movie may have been remarkable visual effect-wise but since the movie was based from something already known to people, I think it's a taboo to have it modified. Anime fans would say it's a big no-no. It's maybe just a general problem because that's also the case when famous novels are made into movies. True? Absolutely yes!!!

And now, rumors have it that well-loved anime series Cowboy Bebop would be made into a Hollywood movie stint. Excited? Personally, it's a big yes because I am a big fan of the said anime series. Keanu Reeves is gossiped to play the lead role named Spike. If the rumors are true about this anticipated movie project, it could be a major hit in the movie scene. Why? Because with a good known storyline plus amazing actors, its potential is sky-rocketing.

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