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Something to Watch: Online

The streaming schedules for various Anime programs from Japan have been broken up by the disaster continuing to happen there, in no small part because all the TV channels have been doing emergency response information and disaster news coverage. Since all the contractual agreements with places like Crunchyroll stipulate that the programs air in Japan before streaming anywhere else, this is understandable. Even though the emergency is still ongoing some of the regular programing is returning to the airwaves, so new episodes of some of the programs are once more becoming available. NHK World is still doing full time disaster coverage, which you can watch online at that link. It is also available on Ustream for those in the Americas, over at Nico Nico Live across Asia, and on their own iPhone/iPad App. Once the emergency is over and they return to regular programing, I have 3 shows to recommend:

1) Imagine-Nation, a weekly edutainment program covering the Manga, Anime, and Gaming news out of Japan.

2) Digista which is running this season as Digista Teens, the high school version. This is all about learning how to create your own media to express yourself, with guidance from industry professionals, and most of the media being created is one flavor or another of animation. This one gives you insights and useful tips for building your own, so it is worth your time if you are considering creating something. Digista was a Japanese program for adults, but Digista Teens has expanded to become part of the Asia-Pacific Broadcast Union helping kids from multiple countries grow their skill sets. If this sounds kind of familiar, perhaps you read my Build Your Own blog entry a few days ago, when I gave the link to download some of the free animation software they are using for this project.

3) J-Melo, the weekly music program covering J-Rock, J-Pop, and all other music formats. They play both video tracks and run their own live concerts from the studio/club, this is a great place to learn about new bands and see some old favorites.

Something to Watch: DVD’s

Hereafter is a story of three people touched by Death in different ways. Matt Damon is the Psychic who doesn’t want to speak with those who have passed over any more, while others need his gift to understand what has happened to them. Strangely enough, this movie was directed by Clint Eastwood. Interplanetary is a low budget independent film in which everyone on Mars dies. You have to be a B movie horror fan for this one, I am afraid, as well as Sharktopus, which at least had a few names I have heard of involved.

I consider it a bit strange that I didn’t find any live action genre TV series coming out this week, but it had to happen sooner or later.

In Anime, D. Gray-Man: Season Two is the story of young exorcist Allen Walker, and the ghosts and demons he must battle to save humanity. Weighing in at 103 episodes (so far), if you like this one you can be comforted knowing there is more to come. Also, Gunslinger Girl: Complete Collection is hitting the shelves in a single box set, all 13 episodes plus the OVA’s, for less than $50. You should shop around for something noticeably less than $50, because you can pick up the 13 episode series for $29, and the OVAs for $9, or a combined price of $38.

Something to Watch: Online

Most everything being mentioned here today is from Japan, so I must start by telling you you can watch NHK live online, in English, to keep up to the minute on developments in what is the worst earthquake to ever strike that country. My heart goes out to everyone hurt or with with family killed in this disaster.

Today is the leading edge of Global Shinkai Day, the Fan-invented celebration of Anime creator Makoto Shinkai. In honor of this Crunchyroll is streaming three of his best works online: 5 Centimeters Per Second, Voices of a Distant Star, and The Place Promised in Our Early Days. These are amazing movies (one feature length, and two shorter pieces) that are quite different than you would be expecting if you haven’t seen one of his masterpieces before. His stories only ever have one subject; the human heart. The day itself is tomorrow, the 12th, but the viewing runs throughout the weekend. Trust me when I say you want to catch them before they evaporate off the server.

Also the Anime Network has added a lot of new content to their portal on Hulu. Some of the new titles include Hell Girl (Seasons 2 and 3), High School of the Dead, and Tayutama: Kiss on My Deity, to name but a few. On their primary site they just launched Akane Iro ni Somaru Saka, an Anime rendition of a VN Game (Visual Novel Game, think interactive semi-animated comic book game). The subject matter of the series is not what I usually track, but because of the source media type this one is developing in directions I had never expected, and so promises to be worth checking out.

Somthing to Watch: DVD’s

The best live action film this time around is not genre, but I will be looking for it: The Man from Nowhere, a Korean crime thriller. The one movie collection that looks like fun this week is Mystery Science Theater 3000 Collection: XX. The original movies may suck, but when the MST3K team is done with them they are a joy to watch. There are a few live action movie choices which I have never heard of and have no ideas about. Matty Hanson and the Invisibility Ray looks to be a family oriented direct to DVD selection, while The Sinister Eyes of Dr. Orloff is a 1973 Spanish movie apparently of a more adult nature.

The clear winner for TV shows this week is The Walking Dead: The Complete First Season. Most people had a hard time believing this was a TV show, which is kind of silly. It isn’t on broadcast TV after all, so its creators had the full range of non-regulated choices available to any film maker or premium cable channel producer. I missed it when it originally aired, so I look forward to catching up with it now.

There are a few quality documentary TV shows this week, with the must-have option being Through The Wormhole with Morgan Freeman. This is another one of those true science programs that explores the limits of scientific knowledge, and speculates its way past the borders those limits put up. Since that definition is at the heart of science fiction, you can understand why I love this program. The fact that it is done better than most documentaries, and explains the science it is extrapolating from in an easily understandable way is just bonus points in my book; I already loved this show! Some of the lesser known documentaries coming out now include Moon Race: Volumes 1 & 2 and Space Race: Volumes 1 & 2, I suspect from the same production company.

Tales from Earthsea is a bit of a mixed bag. Yes, it is from Studio Ghibli, put together in 2006 from the wonderful story written by Ursula K LeGuin. But this one was the first venture by the son, Goro Miyazaki, and not the father, Hayao Miyazaki, and the lack of experience shows. Still, while not up to the masterworks dad cranks out, this version shows some promise, and I enjoyed it. I think that the review that spoke to the heart of the problem came from J-Film Powwow if you want to look into it deeper before making your decision. There are a few other projects by Ursula coming to the big screen soon, including Field of Vision, which looks absolutely amazing. And for true Ghibli fans, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind is being released on Blue Ray on the same day.

There are a few re-releases worth noting this week, including the El Cazador de la Bruja – Complete Series, previously only available by season. Another Girls with Guns buddy series in the tradition of Noir (complete with the younger girl with a hole in her memory), this one takes place in the wild west. If you are not sure if this program is for you, you can watch it online before making your decision. Also, one of my favorite Anime’s of 2005, Speed Grapher, is coming out as a complete series SAVE edition, which means you can pick up the entire thing for $20 or so. The various home pages for the series seem to be gone, but if you are over 17 you can still watch it online. The story line is twisty and brutal, with many wealthy people paying for the chance to mutate into monsters with super powers, under the control of an evil mastermind. the animation is world class, the music bed and voice work is quite well done, and there are only two normal people in the entire cast (the protagonist and the victimized young girl he attempts to save). This one is a keeper.

Doilaks, P.K. Dick, and a non-special DVD rant

The image of the Doilak just cracked me up, so I had to share it here. Charlie Jane over at io9 has put together a great list of Philip K. Dick Stories that Hollywood Hasn’t Filmed Yet but really, really should. Finally, there were a few unscheduled DVD releases this week… or rather, scheduled in an unusual way. Previously special editions of them had been released, complete with some collector item, such as a figurine or pencil board. Once the special editions were sold out, they then released the regular versions. I suppose they were hoping that people who could not wait to see it would be willing to pay the inflated prices that collector items bring to the table, thereby increasing their up-front profit. I consider this a bit cheesy; I have to see a series before I know if I like it enough to pay an extra $10 to $25 to get the version with $1.29 worth of paint and extruded plastic to proudly mount on my shelf. The bit I find embarrassing is I had not noticed they were doing this until they released the regular ones; I just assumed the initial releases were over priced and didn’t bother. The titles being released this way this way this week include Chrome Shelled Regios and The Sacred Blacksmith. They are referring to it as a First Press Edition, much like the First Edition books have had for centuries, but with tangible value added items.