Captain America: Civil War is pretty much it for western movies and TV this week, but if you can only have one, what an excellent choice! Anime doesn’t do any better, having only two titles, neither of them new. Maken-Ki!: Season One is being re-released in a S.A.V.E. edition, and everything from The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is being released in an Ultimate Collector’s Edition. That means 28 episodes of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (seasons 1 and 2), 25 episodes of The Melancholy of Haruhi-chan Suzumiya (likewise 2 seasons), 13 episodes of Nyoron! Churuya-san, and 16 episodes of The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan, along with some artwork and extras, all in a single boxed set for over $100. The good news is, they are also re-releasing each of those titles individually at reduced rates, so if you already have a lot of them, this is a great time to complete your sets. I will be picking up The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan since that is the title I am missing, as an example.
Both sites have made the announcement front page news: Funimation is teaming up with (or perhaps merging with is more accurate) Crunchyroll. They will be sharing titles, with each side playing to their strengths; Crunchyroll continuing to bring you streamed subtitled shows within an hour of their airing in Japan, Funimation using their in house voice acting team to get them dubbed and available streaming in English in just a few weeks, and available for digital downloading or disc purchasing. I haven’t seen any mention of what happens to those of us who own premium memberships with both companies yet, I am hoping the new operation rewards us for years of loyalty with some kind of discount combo membership.
For the 15 folks on the interwebs who haven’t already seen this, here you go! The Netflix/Marvel production of Luke Cage is going to be a monster when the entire first season hits on September 30th, if the response to AKA Jessica Jones is any indication. And while my work schedule won’t allow me to power through it, I figure I will have seen it all by the time 3 days has gone by.
In movies, Equals is about a society genetically engineered to be emotionless, in order to wipe out war and crime; too bad for the couple falling in love despite their DNA. Tale of Tales is a twisted dark fantasy based in Medieval Europe and filmed by a British/French/Italian team which looks rather interesting. Now You See Me 2 isn’t really genre, but it is quite a good movie. If there was anything new in TV, it slipped right past me.
In Anime Psycho-Pass: Season One is the first time you could get the entire season in a single box set in the US (previous availability was only in a Japanese all-region import disc for noticeably more money). A dystopian police procedural where the weapons decide the punishment for having the wrong attitude and a percentage of the population are imprisoned for crimes they haven’t committed yet, the show explores some uncomfortable possibilities. Rin-Ne 2 brings another Anime season of Rumiko Takahashi‘s beloved Manga home. The broke half-blood sort-of Shinigami continues to help the dead on their path to reincarnation, having a series of hair raising adventures in the process. Fairy Tail: Part 21 brings still more collateral damage and combat comedy from the wizard’s guild that doesn’t know when to stop in episodes 240 through 252. High School DxD BorN is season 3 of this supernatural fan service favorite; the war between Heaven and Hell continues, and they are fighting to protect the underworld from destruction. Gundam Build Fighters Try is more sporting event than life or death combat, growing that universe in a more peaceful direction.
The Stargate Project created a life size replica of a Stargate in the park of Musée royal de Mariemont in Belgium. This is for an exhibit about the roll of Egyptian Gods in Geek Culture that will be running through November 20th, covering everything from the Stargate TV show and Movies to Comic Books. The first video is about the production of the Stargate, using milling, laser cutting, and 3D printing. The second video is of one that is much smaller and easier to 3D print and assemble, using the plans from Thingiverse, if you wanted to make your own.
Bill Nye Saves the World the name of Bill Nye’s new show for Netflix. It is set up as a talk show, where each episode Bill will focus on a topic from a scientific viewpoint, explaining it clearly for the benefit all, and debunking false facts and rumors generated by (and for the benefit of) politicians, religious leaders, and others. The show kicks off in 2017.