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Something to Watch: Discs

There is one actual disc in the Movie category that I saw, Walter, an Indi film that blends ghosts, religion, and mental illness to create a story in which a ticket taker at the local Cineplex is responsible for determining whether the people he meets go to heaven or hell. This one looks pretty quirky, and if it came to a movie theater near me I missed it. Also, Jupiter Ascending is out on streaming and digital download; if you want the Disc version, that will be available on June 2nd. In TV we have The Musketeers: Season 2, buckling yet another swash as the adventure continues.

There are an assortment of Anime this time around, led by Space Brothers: Collection 2, where things are heating up in the competition to become astronauts. This set brings the count up to episodes 14 through 26, be aware that the series itself is currently up to episode 99 and counting. We also get Freezing: Vibration, in which a new generation of women are going through genetic engineering modifications to enable them to battle the alien invaders. Something is going wrong, and it is up to Satellizer el Bridget and her crew to get to the bottom of it before it is too late. Devil Survivor 2: The Animation, Complete Collection is about a group of people who’s cell phones acquire an app which shows their own death a minute or two before it happens. The deaths are caused by powerful beings from other universes/levels of existence, and to avoid dying they have to defeat the invaders. No one can fight these creatures alone, so they evolve into groups and teams, but even so death takes its toll. Unlimited Psychic Squad is a spin off of Psychic Squad, and is focused on Kyōsuke Hyōbu’s organization P.A.N.D.R.A. as it tries to oversee three of the most powerful psychics in the country.

Continuing a couple of old favorites, Naruto Shippūden DVD box22 contains episodes 271 through 283, while Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin, Blue-Eyed Casval is only 63 minutes long and is available only as an import. Considering it costs close to $100 for an hour of animation, I will watch it streaming on Daisuki, although it is also available from Amazon Instant Video and the Google Play Store. Speaking of expensive, The Garden of Sinners: recalled out summer has two movies about a precognitive woman who avoids death by seeing what is about to happen, but for $70 for 120 minutes I will pass. Considering the original price was $189, later reduced to $149, they are at least heading in the right direction with this, but I wish I knew of a legal streaming service carrying it so I could watch it there. Finally, Hanamonogatari: Suruga Devil is five episodes for $50, which isn’t as badly priced as the others but still seems steep. It is the Sixth arc to the Monogatari series’ second season, which I will continue to watch on streaming services.

Passepied; Tokinowa, from Rin-ne

This is the latest track from Passepied entitled Tokinowa. Normally you would get a bit more animation with a Passepied song, but you are seeing it out of context here; check this page to get the full effect. Tokinowa is the ending theme of the new animation of Rumiko Takahashi’s original Manga Rinne of the Boundary, officially subtitled as Circle of Reincarnation. The song becomes available on April 29th, in about a week and a half, although the Anime started airing in Japan on April 4th. Viz licensed both the Manga and the Anime for hard copy release, and you can watch it stream on Crunchyroll, where it is currently on the second episode.

Live Action Attack On Titan trailer

They have been talking about the live action Attack On Titan Movie and/or Miniseries for a while now, but up until recently we only had the shortest of teases, and that one car commercial. We finally had the first movie trailer come out last month, and I forgot to post it, so here it is. The movies break the story into two parts, the first hitting the big screen on August 1st, and the second one a month latter on September 19th. The miniseries is three episode long, features the same actors as the movies in the same roles, and is airing this August on Japanese streaming service DTV between the two film release dates. It will focus on the service and support staff, the development of the 3D maneuver gear, Titan research, and other story elements that don’t involve breaking the budget with constant FX heavy Titan attacks. The one issue I still have to solve is figuring out how to apply for the English language version of the DTV programming, which I have yet to locate. Thanks to the folks at Rocket News 24 for the heads up on this one.

Something to Watch: Discs

In Movies this week we get The Man with the Iron Fists 2, which is a kung-fu epic fantasy that takes place in a 19th century Chinese village. The villagers and mine workers are the oppressed, while the mine owners and their enforcers are the evil overlords. The stranger in town teaches the villagers how to protect themselves and fight back. We also get the animated Batman vs. Robin, the latest entry in the DC Universe Animated Movies catalog. I didn’t find any North American genre TV shows this time around.

In Anime a single title of note: The Pet Girl of Sakurasou puts all 24 episodes in a single box set. Banished from regular housing for adopting stray cats, Kanda finds himself in Sakura Hall, along with every other weirdo and genus from the campus. There he is assigned to keeping a completely dysfunctional but acclaimed artist from forgetting to eat, clothe, or groom herself, on the assumption that he is used to taking care of the easily confused and distracted animals he has taken in. The fun in this series is in the various characters, who include a manga artist, an animator, a script writer, and a voice actress, otaku all.

Something to Watch: Discs

There doesn’t seem to be any science fiction or fantasy this week in either TV or Movies, but there is a show based on a science project; Manhattan: Season One. It uses the Manhattan Project as its backdrop, but doesn’t really use any of the historical figures, most of the characters in the show are fictional.

In Anime, .hack//Legend Of The Twilight: Complete Series brings another dozen episodes and a new story line from inside The World, the massive gaming system. Getting this weeks Longest Title award is Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie: Rebellion, continuing the battle of the magical girls to escape their fate. Durarara!! Complete Series puts all 26 stories about the headless motor cycle vigilante into a single box set for the first time in North America, but it is a bit pricey. I tend to recommend waiting until you can catch it on sale. One Piece: Season 6 Part 4 contains the final 11 episodes of the sixth year of the show, as Luffy continues his fight to become King of the Pirates.