Black Panther 2 Wakanda Forever

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. © 2022 MARVEL.

Black Panther 2 Wakanda Forever was truly an amazing story. I enjoyed seeing the film in its entirety. All of the trailers show you a lot of the big action scenes in the film but it doesn’t matter because this film is amazing. Before seeing the film I knew that this was going to be a film dealing with grief because of the death of Chadwick Boseman. He truly embodied the role and he will forever be missed.

So what are my thoughts, what did I learn, what did I like, and what turned me off from the film? Just like many of the Marvel films, I am a fan of it, but it is complicated. I am very excited about the road that we are going down and the future that is sure to come from all of the changes. But I wish that this film would have been a little slower because it seemed like it was in a rush to get to the big final fight. 

When everything is all done we are left with an overwhelming great film. Which has introduced new characters into the universe and the overall lore has been expanded. Could more time have been spent with these characters? The answer is of course yes but there is only so much time that can be spent on these things. I will wrap this up by saying that if you have not seen this film yet go check it out. And if you have, go see it again so that you can find all of the easter eggs that you missed because there are a lot.

Stines Gate

So I finally watched the Stines Gate series and I think it was good. So it was in 2022 that I finally watched it and the original series first aired in 2011 and it shows. When I first tried to watch Stines Gate I was a little turned off by it because I don’t want to watch an anime with time travel as the main focus. It reminded me of the film The Butterfly Effect. After I made it past my first reservations I discovered something really special.

 The store follows Rintarou Okabe our main protagonist and his crew. In Stines Gate Okabe is an individual who discovers that he can see different timelines. Whenever someone in this world makes a change to the past that causes a massive ripple effect into the present and future he can remember the previous timeline. With this ability, he fights to make a future where his friends and loved ones can have a future together. But as the story goes on we all find out just how difficult this turns out to accomplish.

Stines Gate is not a long watch, it is about 50 episodes and one film. So it will not take you too much time to get through it. I appreciate that because it is just long enough. If you are up for an anime with a lot of heart and an amazing story I think you should jump in and get ready for a great time.

Tekken Bloodline

Tekken Bloodline is a new property for Netflix and I am happy with how it came together. The story focuses on the Mishima family, just like all the Tekken games. When we are thrown into the story we see Jin Kazama as a teenager around the age of fourteen. I am not completely sure of his exact age because the show never mentions it. During this time Jin is living and training with his mom Jun Kazama who is training him to become a martial arts expert. One night after Jin beat up some bullies, Oger showed up and he and his mom were defeated. Jun, while trying to protect Jin from Oger, was killed. This defeat is what sends Jin on a mission to find his grandfather Heihachi Mishima so that he can be trained to defeat Ogre so that he can get his revenge.

If you are a fan of the Tekken video game series all of this craziness should seem familiar because for the most part this was ripped from the game. It is nice to see what part of the story works and looks like and to see the characters interact with each other outside of a cutscene or fights. The series so far is only 6 episodes but it is a good 6 episodes. The series is just a small snippet of the Tekken lore so far which I am excited to see unfold.

After watching this show it leaves me wanting more from this franchise. I want to know what motivation everyone has for taking part in this tournament. With such a wide cast of characters, there is room for a lot of different spin-offs in many different genres. Now I know that everyone wants to know what the negative moments were but I don’t think that there were many. And besides, I don’t want to focus on the negative. Netflix has a new series that can become even better in the future. I just hope that they put the time and love into it that it needs and deserves.

Peacemaker

Peacemaker the tv show was a great experience. Recently I was able to check out the HBO Max spinoff show of The Suicide Squad. This new series starring John Cena is cool, it focuses on the life that Peacacer came from and how it made him into the person that he is today thanks to my mother-in-law and her subscription to the platform I was able to dive into this show. 

The HBO Max show Peacemaker is an interesting look into the DC Universe, before I saw The Seaside Squad I never heard of the character Peacemaker. To be completely honest when I decided to watch the Suicide Squad. I was very excited to see this character Peacemaker because of the performance that John Cena had in the portal of the character in the trailer. I did not expect much out of him because I was unaware of how good Cena would be. I simply thought that he would be a comedy relief in the film. I was pleasantly surprised by how great of an actor he was and how he just embodied the role. After seeing that I had no choice but to watch the spinoff show.

So from start to finish, the show was amazing. It has a lot of charm and character. This show was a journey into the mind and the life of a Peacemaker. We get to see the trauma that shaped him from the abuse from his father and the loneliness and depression that he struggles with. There is a lot of self-reflection and growth in this series. Next to Peacemaker, my favorite character was his partner in crime, Vigilante. He is truly a disturbed human being, but oddly is a character that offers a balance to Peacemaker. Now if I was to meet any of these people in the world I would just avoid them because there are too many crazy people in one place. Also, they seem unlucky and I don’t want to be killed by mistake. 

In closing, I think that if you like the DC Universe watch this show. If you like John Cena watch this show because you will not be disappointed. And don’t worry if you have not watched the previous Seaside Squad films yet because this is a solo adventure. Some references are made back to the film but they are few. Go into this series with an open mind and you will find a lot of what you are looking for.  

Live Action Anime

Why do anime tv shows made into live-action films turn out bad? I just can’t understand why this happens especially when we have the Marvel and DC films. These were just comic books brought to the film screen. For the most part, we don’t have to think if it is going to be good or bad because of the love that was put into it. Just for the anime projects that I have seen adapted it comes down to more than just the amount of love that was put into the production or the budget for the project, it’s something else that is missing. 

So why does this keep happening, I think that there are a lot of reasons for this. Creator’s reaching further than their budget allows or is it bad teams put together to make it happen? As a fan of anime, I am upset with this situation. Now it could be that I am too stuck on the original property because I have decided hours of my time on the property and I want the live-action to live up to this almost unattainable standard. I understand that I am difficult like many other fans who have loved these properties for years so when creative liberties are taken it can leave you disappointed in the final product.

At the end of the day, I want a great film that shows the characters looking amazing brought to life. I want a story that has been adapted so that can reach new heights and bring more people to the fan base. What is the next step that can be done to get the content we want? When will the day come to an end on the adaptation that makes me feel disappointed? When will we get an experience that makes us run out to tell everyone how great it was, I know that I am still waiting for that day. But of course, if you know of a film or two that has not had this happen please let me know.

Dr. Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness

So it has finally happened Disney+ has put the new Dr. Strange in the multiverse of Madness up to the stream, so you know that it had to check it out and tell you about it. So what did I like, what did I love, and what did I just not understand.

From the beginning to the end I was entertained. I love the idea of what this film means for the future of the MCU. But I do have some problems with this film. The first problem with this film is that they bring Wanda “The Scarlet Witch” and no one is interested in the fact that she took over an entire town and held them hostage. Just to build a make-believe family that she conjured up. In my mind, I feel like that goes against the morality of the Avengers and what they stand for.

Just to be clear, I understand that the situation from WandaVison is an isolated situation that is focused on the trauma that Wanda is going through after the loss of Vision that spurs her down the path of darkness. But this is something that deserves more of a film’s possible plot point than being brushed away with some throw-away dialogue. So for the record even with the problems that this film created I still enjoyed watching it. When I watched it I made it a family movie day with my wife and daughter, and they both enjoyed it.

When everything is complete and I look back on the fill I am satisfied with the film. Could it have been better, the answer is yes, but was it fun that the answer is yes as well? I will not spend this entire article just bashing the film because what I was able to see does have me hopeful for the future of the Marvel Universe. And the nostalgia level is high in this film and if they deliver on all the expectations that have been built up we are all in for a cool ride. So let’s see what the future will be for the franchise.

Bleach

Y’all may not know but I am a huge fan of the anime series Bleach. And if you are an anime fan I am shocked if you don’t know that there’s a new chapter that will be animated to continue the story on 10/2022, and I can not wait for it to begin. I have been a long-time fan of the series since it first aired in 2004. If you are a fan of the series like I am you can’t wait either. So what is all the hype about, why is this so anticipated, why is the community still going strong after the anime ended almost 10 years ago.

Well if you are a casual fan you may not know that the way the show wrapped up could have been better according to some in the community. Hopefully, this will do a better job at wrapping things up and giving the community an ending that most will accept. In anticipation of this new season, I have started back at the beginning to watch the anime from start to finish. Since the anime has been completed\hiatus for several years it gives me the ability to dive into the series with no seasonal breaks.

I guess at this point the question that is on my mind is? what can this continuation do for us, and why can’t we just read the manga for the true end of the Bleach story. Will this be able to pull the fan base back in, will Bleach have to find a new audience or will it need a combination of both to make it successful? When Bleach first started I was graduating from High School and I just gravitated toward any anime that I could find especially if it was an action anime. But now that I am older it takes more than that to keep me interested in a project. So what does that mean? I know that I am excited about the upcoming project but will it hold my interest for the entire series? Or will it just fall to the side and get overshadowed by the current anime landscape?

Skate-Leading Stars

Skate-Leading Stars

I don’t know if you have a chance to hear about or are among the few who have seen skate-leading stars. If you can’t guess by the title this is an anime about skating. Because why not there is an anime about many kinds of different sports so why not one for skating. This is a newer anime so if you have not heard about it don’t feel bad because I found it while looking for something else.

In this anime, our main protagonist is Kensei Maeshima. He is a former child ice skating star, as a child, he was seen as the second-best child skater in the county only losing to his self-proclaimed rival Rio Shinozaki. During a competition, Kensei challenges Rio to compete to see who would be number one in the competition and the loser would leave the world of ice skating. Because Kensei is the main character, of course, he does not claim the victory spot. And this is the place where our story starts.

Fast forward a few years in the future we find that Kensei no longer is an ice skater and is now in high school and is trying to find his place in a world where he is no longer competing to be the best. This is a sports anime but this is not a real-life sport, the creator Goro Taniguchi made it up. From watching the show it seems like a mashup of figure skating and synchronized swimming. I watched season 1, it is a short watch because it is only 12 episodes but it has an ongoing manga. I will not say that it is going to take the sports anime world by storm because it started in January 2021 and ended in March 2021 and if I did not stumble over it I would have never watched it.

So far this is not the anime that is a frontrunner in the anime world from what I can see, but it is definitely worth the watch. There is a tone of team growth moments and great player evolution. And the soundtrack is not bad, I don’t know if we will get a season 2 for this show but if we do I will be watching it and I suggest that you do the same.

Log horizon

So I started watching Log Horizon because I heard about it from an Anime Youtube channel called Gigguk. It started around the time of SAO, and in some ways, it is similar to it. This would be much like SAO the main characters are trapped in a video game. The difference between the two comes in how they approach problems in the world and a few other details.

Overall it was a fun watch, the world was interesting and so were the characters. I like what at the time was a new and exciting concept in anime. But at our current position in time, this concept of a character or characters being transported to a new world is very common. If you have been watching anime a lot over the years then you know that the isekai has taken over the world of anime. And honestly, I am not mad at it, as it is cool to look back at some titles that have been around since the early days.

When I watched Log Horizon it felt like I was watching SAO with a Dungeon and Dragons theme to it, mixed up with a little slice of life thrown in. Currently, the series has 3 seasons with a 4th rumored to become. The original light novel does not seem to be concluded but I am not completely sure because I have not read it. I just watched the anime. Maybe one day I will pick it up but for now, I am watching too much to go check it out. Overall give this story some time because I think you will like it.

The Batman

The Batman has been out for a little while now and my first viewing of the film was good. And I will most likely watch it again with my wife. Now, what do I think about this film? I was not ready for it, I was taken by surprise quite a few times in this fill. The cast put in a great performance, I think Rober Patterson was good in the role. Zoi Kravets was an amazing Cat Woman I like that she is kinda an anti-hero. The romance between them was believable and I look forward to what happens next for these characters.

It has been confirmed that there will be a follow-up to this film in the future. If you have not had a chance to see the movie I will not spoil the possible future fill but what I will say is that there is an after-credits teaser. So now that you know it is doing the Marvel thing keep an eye out for it.

Now it is time for the weird stuff, so it seems like Batman is a tank in this universe or something. There is a part in the film where Batman is using a wingsuit and when the time comes to the land he deploys a small parachute and this causes him to hit a bus and a bridge and tumble to the ground which should have killed him but I guess since he is Bruce Wayne he has the connections to get the best armor in the world so he can get up and walk off a ruff landing. Also, the armor he has must make him bulletproof. There is a point in this fill towards the end where Batman gets a shotgun to the chest at point-blank range and he staggered but continues on with the fight. 

Aside from this quark and a few other crazy things in this film it is a great film to watch. But you will have to sit through an almost 3-hour long film to get the full effect. I know that this will be a significant hurdle that some will not get past. But for those of you who can, it is worth the watch.