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Once Upon a Time in Vietnam is a surprising film, because even though Japan, China, and India all have a long history of making epic fantasy adventures, this is the first such film produced in Vietnam that I am aware of. I look forward to seeing how they did, because new sources of epic fantasy are always appreciated. Vamperifica is the story of the reincarnation of a vampire king in the body of a clueless kid, and it definitely looks like a horror/comedy to me. I have been trying to figure out just how you can reincarnate a soulless creature like a vampire, but I suppose that is what suspension of disbelief is for.

In TV Helix: Season 1 is about a team of CDC doctors who travel to a research facility in the arctic, they think to investigate a disease outbreak. Instead they end up fighting for their lives with the survival of humanity at stake, on a much bigger playing field than they thought they were getting into.

In Anime we have a couple of very strong pieces this time. A Certain Scientific Railgun S: Part One is the first half of the sequel to season 1. Mikoto discovers the stories of powerful talents being cloned are true when she runs into herself, and learns that her clones are being brutally murdered in an effort to steal their power. She vows to save her copies and destroy the project, but she will need to call in help to pull this one off. The new season is every bit as good as the original was, I have been enjoying it on the Funimation channel. Equally well done although in a completely different style, Devil Survivor 2: Complete Collection starts with various protagonists getting Death Videos on their smart phones, and watch news reports of how they died… in the next ten minutes. If they manage to figure out a way to avoid getting killed, they join the ranks of the Devil Summoners and get a demon on their cell to call up when they go under attack. The more times they avoid death, the more demons they get. Some are powerful, some are not; but the world is under attack by some very nasty creatures from another dimension, so they will need every one of them to make it through. The entire story takes place across the span of 8 days, which seems a pretty compressed timeline.

Also this week, Shakugan no Shana: Season Two is being released in a S.A.V.E. edition, which means you can pick up all 24 episodes for around $20 or so.

The band is possibly called Extremity Maiden Guess, and the first track is Killer Ball, an interesting combination of Jazz, Progressive Rock, and Rap, done so the words become another part of the rhythm driving the music. That track was from their second mini-album; the next one is Take Off That Dress from their first EP How To Take Off That Dress, giving you a good grasp on their musical range. The third tune is called Black Parade, and is also from their first EP, which explains why they are using the same outfits, props, and visual themes for the video. This band definitely has an interesting sound and style, I look forward to hearing a lot more from them. One of the many things I like about them is they are not afraid to go somewhere else in mid-song and then pull it back in to the original music, tying it all together nicely.

They pushed the release date for Jupiter Ascending all the way back to 2015, but in compensation they have released a new extended trailer for the film. Apparently most of the reason for the delay is to give the Wachowskis time to tweak the film and process a bunch of special effects, but if they can make it all look as good as these scenes it might be worth the wait.

Outlander is the story of Claire Randall, a girl from 1945 who suddenly jumps to 1743, not exactly what she was expecting. She is forced to marry Jamie, a young Scottish warrior, but she is an already married combat nurse in 1945, which she may or may not be able to go back to. The show is based on Diana Gabaldon’s best-selling books, and put together by Executive Producer Ronald D. Moore. It kicks of on Starz on August 9th. If you’re going to be at the San Diego Comic Con you can enter a drawing at the Starz site to attend the world premiere screening there to take place on July 25th.

The latest live action version of Lupin The 3rd is going to be hitting the big screen in Tokyo on August 30th, and I can’t wait to see it released in the US. The mastermind who created most of the original season was Hayao Miyazaki of Studio Ghibli, and the rest of season 1 was built by Masaaki Ōsumi. But they were building on strong foundations, taking the original 1905 character Arsène Lupin created by the brilliant French author Maurice Leblanc. Maurice’s Lupin was a perfect match for Doyle’s Sherlock, and the two contemporaries shared a rather large audience between them. When the 1971 TV series kicked off it was his grandson Lupin 3rd who incorporated all the James Bond elements and dragged the show into modern times. If you are not already a fan of this program, now is the time to learn all about it.