A Crow Is White just released their third mini-album in January, called Himitsu, and the first video here is the title track. The next one is their 2013 song Sunny Side Up, and the third one is Hi-speed Muteppou. They are an Art-Rock band from Japan, and they have put together quite a number of quality songs, of which these are only a few.
There are a lot of good choices this week, starting with The Imitation Game, the story of how Alan Turing was at the heart of defeating the Nazis during WWII by figuring out how to build a machine that could imitate the German Enigma Engine. Turing also invented the Turing Test which would help you recognize when a computing system became self aware, and the Universal Turing Machine which could simulate the computer a given program was to run on based on the program input. That last little 1936 invention was because of a function that became digital computer storage when they built it in the 1940s.
Also out in Films this week is Interstellar, part 1 of the movie version of the story of humanities escape to a new world, and I really hope they go ahead and build part 2. Outcast is the story of an Imperial fight for the throne in China and the part a couple of European Crusaders take in it, and why would I be surprised if Nick Cage goes a little over the top in a movie? Not to be confused with the Game of the Same Name.
In TV, we might get Silicon Valley: The Complete First Season, which I would find exciting. This series is funny and brutal and real, at least from my perspective.
In Anime, Gingitsune Complete Collection tells of Makoto, who sees and speaks with spirits and gods that others can not perceive. It is when they speak back that things often become interesting. Harlock: Space Pirate is the 2013 CGI animated feature film based on the multiple TV series the name of Space Pirate Captain Harlock. Sankarea: Undying Love comes out as an uncut complete series. This Zombie Romantic Comedy is a bit unusual, and quite entertaining. One Piece: Collection Treasure Chest Box Three brings episodes 206 (or possibly 209) through 299 or so in a single box set. Finally Magi: The Kingdom of Magic follows the continuing adventures of Aladdin, Alibaba, Morgiana, Scheherazade, and other Magi as they collect their power and prepare to protect their kingdoms. This contains the first 13 episodes of the new series.
Crunchyroll has added some tasty new live action videos to its streaming service. One of them is 009-1: The End Of The Beginning, which brings the sexy cyborg spy of dystopian Manga and Anime fame to life. Another is Onna Nobunaga, the epic fantasy about the famous Samurai lord who was (in this story) a woman trying to hide her secret while uniting Japan. They have also added Flesh for the Beast: Tsukiko’s Curse, about a trio of paranormal investigators and all the really strange things they run into. Mind, they already had a ton of great live action stuff streaming, like Time Taxi, which is not only a great time travel what-if series, but has one of the funniest subplots I have ever seen in the form of the Criminal Detective. Another great one is Time Traveller, based on the anime series The Girl Who Leaped Through Time. Just thought I should mention they are doing a bit more than just anime, although their anime is amazing.
This is the NSFW trailer for the 2015 Anime version of the latest Ghost In The Shell story, and it takes a bit of a look back at its predecessors. Along with Akira, this franchise changed the face of Anime in the west, and it was one of the best Cyberpunk stories I have ever read or watched. It will be in theaters in Japan in June, I am hoping it makes it to some in the US shortly after that.
In movies this week we get The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, which you can pick up as a stand alone or as the full trilogy, all three Hobbit movies in a single box set. The other fantasy worth watching again is Disney’s Into The Woods, the musical made into a wonderful movie.
If you need a dose of silly, there is also Mystery Science Theater 3000: XXXII, which I can never decide if I should be classifying it as a TV show or a collection of movies. If that is not silly enough for you, they are re-releasing Rowan Atkinson’s Mr Bean: The Whole Bean, which is definitely a TV show and completely silly.
There are a few new anime releases this week, but the only Genre titles coming out are re-releases. I count School Rumble – Season 1 + OVA and Season 2, both in S.A.V.E. editions among them, since it has flying saucers and wild dream sequences. But mostly it is just funny, and is never about anything that rumbles.
In movies this week we have Vice (maybe), the Bruce Willis re-imagining of a Westworld-like place. I say maybe because it was originally set for release this week, but when I look up my pre-order it says both that it will be delivered on Tuesday and that it is not available. The critical response and box office were both so bad on this film that they may have decided to give the disc a pass after all. The beautifully animated Academy Award nominated Song of the Sea looks to be the winner among this weeks films, with the rather silly Penguins Of Madagascar also coming out.
In TV we have WKRP in Cincinnati: The Complete Second Season, a show I couldn’t watch when it first came out because I was always asleep. I had to be awake and alert when I got to the radio station at 11PM to go on air at midnight in those days. A whole lot of folks told me about the show, and asked if I had gotten paid to let them model the character Doctor Johnny Fever on my life. Sadly enough I didn’t see a penny from the show, but they nailed what being on an AOR radio station was like in the late 70s, and it is a favorite of mine. I am looking forward to seeing this new group of episodes.
In Anime we have Devils and Realist Complete Collection, all 12 episodes about the guy who broke into his family vaults to steal his tuition money, only to discover he had to choose the new ruler of Hell. That link will let you stream it at Crunchyroll. Tokyo Ravens: Season 1 Part 1 brings the first 12 episodes of the magic battlefield that is school (OK, that description sucks, watch the show and come up with your own; it is streaming at Funimation). Finally Bleach: Season 24 Uncut Box Set brings episodes 330 through 342 of the Soul Reapers adventures home. We can expect the Disc releases to slow down now, since they have just about caught up with real-time; episode 366 is streaming live this week from Japan on the Viz web site.