Logan is the next chapter in the Wolverine saga, one of two successful spinoff series from the X-Men franchise. The Great Wall is chock full of Kaiju rampaging towards the populous centers of civilization, with only a 5,000 mile long wall and a few thousand heroes standing in their way. Cinematography on that one was amazing, it was worth seeing it in an IMAX theater, and it should translate well to the smaller screen. Anime has Dimension W: The Complete Series, with energy drawn from another dimension fueling a small but intense war, and sometimes other things cross between the dimensions. One Piece: Collection 19 brings episodes 446 through 468 home; to put that in perspective, the current episode is 789.
The franchise finally winds down with Resident Evil: The Final Chapter, one of the best movie franchises based on a game I have ever seen. The Space Between Us is also on the shelves this week, with the first person born on another planet coming back to visit Earth.
In Anime The Seven Deadly Sins: Season 1 Part 1 brings the first dozen episode of this amusing quest tale home, after a long run on Netflix and a shorter one on Funimation. Ajin: Demi-Human puts the entire 13 episode series plus the movie in one box, and Divine Gate likewise gets you the entire show. Both stories are about people who look normal at first glance but contain more-than-human powers, the former leaning more towards horror and the latter comprising a war between universes. Girls & Panzer der Film has the Tankery Team fighting to save their school ship from being sent to the scrapyards.
This time we get King Arthur: Legend of the Sword for those into historic fantasy, with a really different take on the legend and a 40 foot tall elephant. For myself, I will be seeing Absolutely Anything, starring Simon Pegg, Joanna Lumley, Kate Beckinsale, and pretty much all the surviving Monty Python members. It was also Robin Williams final film, doing the voice work for the dog, the ONLY character on Earth who seemed to understand what was going on.
There isn’t any western genre that I could find, but Simon Pegg’s A Fantastic Fear of Everything is finally being released in the US on Disc (previously available as an all-format import or streaming on Netflix). In Anime, Kizumonogatari Part 2 Nekketsu becomes available Tuesday, but at $69 for a 68 minute animation I think I will pass. It should be noted that Momotaro, Sacred Sailors is being released in the US Tuesday, possibly for the first time ever. That was the first feature length animation produced in Japan, and it helped pave the way for Anime. Sharing the blue ray box is Spider & Tulip, another WWII era animation, although I am not clear if both of them were financed by the Navy Ministry of Japan, or only the former, but they are worth seeing for their historical significance.
This weekend is all about Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, and I am guaranteed to be in the IMAX 3D version, probably about 4 rows from the screen.
We get a new animation from Studio Ghibli with The Red Turtle, a brilliant story which needs no dialog to make its meaning known. MindGamers is a story about true possibilities for neural networks to interface to the wetware in our skulls, and not all the potentials are positive things. This one played in theaters across the country on a single night, if you missed it here is your next chance to catch it. A Dog’s Purpose is based on the book of the same name, and is included because reincarnation comes under the heading of fantasy in some cultures, and therefor genre.
Anime has a confusing entry today, with One Piece Movie: Gold and One Piece: Heart of Gold both coming out, two completely different animations. The live action Black Butler: The Movie is coming out this week as well, two hours of demonic butler revenge saga! Grimgar: Ashes & Illusions contains the complete series of amnesiac adventurers lost in a fantastic world. Season 2, part 2 of Garo: Crimson Moon continues the trials of the commoners exposed to the depredation of the demons and monsters that roam the night, while the rich and powerful stay safe inside the shielded part of the city. Only the wearers of the Golden Armor fight to protect them, and they can not be everywhere at once. Nurse Witch Komugi R is the complete collection of Magical Girl/Idol turned Nurse (Magical Nurse turned Idol? Nurse Idol turned Magical Girl? I don’t watch this series, so I am noticeably vague on the details) stories. I also have to mention the re-release of the classic Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team, a classic from the Gundam Universe that was a subplot of the primary story from 1996 to 1999.