“The year was 20XX. The D3 corporation has just completed its human resuscitation project. At the same time, there was an outbreak of mysterious zombies. The zombies ran rampant, and they started hunting humans as well. The humans who were attacked were later turned into zombies. The food, clothes and necessities of life were taken from them, even brothers who share the same blood started killing each other. It was as if the world had been swallowed into chaos.”

It got licensed under the name: Oneechanbara: Bikini Samurai Squad under Tokyo Shock. But still, this is an awesome movie that no one could miss.

The Oneechanbara movie was based off D3 Publisher’s Oneechanbara video game series. It’s an action game in which Aya, the protagonist, fights unknown number of zombies and wide range of monster bosses. Aya wields a katana and dressed up in a bikini with a scarf and a cowboy hat.

In the movie, Aya (played by Eri Otoguro) along with her friend Katsuji (Tomohiro Waki) are both looking for their respective little sisters. The two were later joined by Reiko (Manami Hashimoto), a gunsliger girl who kills zombies with his shotgun that has unlimited bullets. ^_^ She’s looking for Dr. Sugita (Taro Suwa) who experimented and created zombies in search for eternal life, and surpass God himself.

Dr. Sugita needs the Imichi blood along with his formula to bring the dead back to life, as zombies. It’s a blood that’s shared by Aya and Saki who both belong in the Imichi clan. He was the one taking care of Saki (Chise Nakamura), and using her blood in his projects. Saki is Aya’s little sister whom Dr. Sugita orphaned after Aya was chosen as their clan leader. She was urged by him that in order to take revenge, she must kill her father. The murder of her father was seen by Aya. This is the reason why Aya is looking for her.

As the story progresses, they met Maria (Hazuki Ai) in an abandoned warehouse. Maria’s background is not revealed and only have a few to no dialogues at all. Missing her dead daughter, Reiko acts as a mother to her. She was later hostaged by Saki and left wounded. She was taken to an abandoned hospital for treatment but she turned out a zombie aswell. Reiko left behind with Maria while Aya and Katsuji went to confront Dr. Sugita.

The climax of the movie started with the final confrontation of Dr. Sugita and Aya. But Aya was backed out by a horde of zombies while the doctor flees. Reiko arrives to help Aya, revealing that she killed Maria the same way sh killed her daughter. But her unlimited ammo shotgun didn’t help her survive the horde of zombies and later died. This causes Aya to build up her rage and do a special attack known as “Tornado Slash“.

Meanwhile Katsuji ended up in Dr Sugita’s laboratory and later killing him. Saki later comes to Aya and the final battle started.

Sisters battle it out to proove to one another on who is the strongest and who is the real leader of the Imichi clan. On their battle, Aya manages to use her red aura (like Naruto), and stabbed Saki. But to Aya’s surprise, Saki manages to recover and injected Dr. Sugita’s formula on herself which certainly made her stronger. With this, Saki manages to also use her aura, a blue one (like Sasuke). Both women fights in extreme speed. And after a big slash, Saki collapses in the ground. She died in the arms of Aya calling her “oneechan (sister).”

Aya and Katsuji both buried Saki and Reiko’s body. But instead of leaving Saki’s sword behind, like what they have done on Reiko’s shotgun, Aya brings it. In a short epilogue on the movie, Aya is seen slashing zombies using two sword hand style (nitouryu).

The Review

Being a low budget movie doesn’t hinder Oneechanbara on making good quality scenes that could match any game adaptation movies. The acting is pretty cool considering Eri Otoguro a gravure idol. But come to think of it, Aya rarely speaks so her acting is more prominent.

Considering the movie as a gore, there’s little to minimal gore at all in the movie, unlike the Oneechanbara VorteX movie. So you can be safe from having a feeling of your stomach turning upsidedown. LOL. That’s why as much as possible, I don’t want to watch gore movies. XD

Overall, I can rate the move 4 stars over 5. Why? Because there’s some questions left unanswered, like “why is Aya only wearing a bikini and cowboy hat?”, “why is Reiko’s shotgun have unlimited ammunition (did she used a cheat ^^)?”, and Maria’s back story.

Reposted from: JEFusion | Oneechanabra Movie Review

Super Sentai World features five Super Sentai teams, namely Ninja Sentai Kakuranger, Gosei Sentai Dairanger, Kyouryu Sentai Zyuranger, Choujin Sentai Jetman and Chikyuu Sentai Fiveman, that joined forces in defeating the evil Emperor Daidas.

This is the first team-up special made by TOEI after the JAKQ vs Goranger. And one of the starting point for the Sentai VS specials that is continued up to this point.

The movie started with the Kakurangers riding their bikes, Shark Machines. We then see a couple taking pictures of each other. Emperor Daidas then appears to conquer planet Earth. This is where the Kakurangers appear.

The couple were held hostage by Zaigan, Bango and Damaru. With no other choice, Kakurangers begun to surrender but then other four Sentai teams came to save them. This started a not-so-long team roll call. If ever it was an individual one, this could take at least 10 minutes of the movie’s running time.

The villains then summon countless grunts from three different Super Sentai shows, namely Cotpotros (Dairanger), Golem Soldiers (Zyuranger) and Grinam Soldiers (Jetman). Our heroes then teamed up to battle and defeat all of them.

Some of the senshis use their signature attacks, like FiveYellow’s Melody Tact, Pink Swan’s Wing Gauntlet, KirinRanger’s Kirin-ken and much more others. You can also see the Zyuranger utilize the Howling Cannon to easily defeat Zaigan. Dairangers used their DairenRods to send Bango flying in the air. NinjaRed used hi Red Slicer to defeat Damaru. While Red Hawk and FiveRed teamed up to defeat the other two monsters (for me, one of the best scene in this movie since both Red senshis are my favorite).

Once all monsters have been defeated, Emperor Daidas went berserk. This time our heroes sent forth to summon their giant robos namely: Muteki Shogun (Kakuranger), DaiRenOh (Dairanger), DaiZyuJin (Zyuranger), Jet Icarus (Jetman) and FiveRobo (Fiveman).

With Emperor Daidas great power, the robos were nearly defeated until the photographer revealed its weakness, the third eye. This was became their target and with Muteki Shogun’s Blazing Shogun Sword (Kaen Shōgun Ken), the evil Emperor Daidas was defeated.

With the evil monsters defeated, the world is now at peace. But as long as there’s Ninja Sentai Kakuranger, evil doers will definitely be defeated.

My review: although the fight scenes are kinda messy, each Sentai senshi was given an ample screen time to make an appearance and fight with the grunts. But if this was made this year, it will definitely be more awesome.

I kinda felt nostalgic seeing these guys in action again. I remember seeing Fiveman and Jetman back when I was kid, but I haven’t have a chance to complete all of the episodes. It’s nice to see them again after such a long time. And since Fiveman and Jetman is around, I couldn’t wish more unless Turboranger will be included. XD

I’m just a little bit disappointed in this since no actors from these these five Sentai series make any appearances. And especially, no henshin sequence. DX

If you didn’t know, the photographer was Shirou Izumi. The one who played both Yuuma Ozora/Change Pegasus and Burai/DragonRanger. He have a different role here so he didn’t joined the other Sentai Senshis as DragonRanger.

I really do recommend this short movie to any Sentai fans out there especially those who are just new in the fandom. It’s really cool to see how was Sentai before you are even born or just to see how this is different to the Power Rangers you grew up with.

Reposted from: JEFusion | Super Sentai World Review

Everyone else living in the city is merely a child of the whole, a byproduct of the mating of the five major organs that make up the city’s body. If you take into account that those five major organs aren’t ‘organs’ at all but rather Mikuras (or evil yōkais) then I’m sure you understand how a problem starts to crop up.

Karas underwent extensive plot changes from horror, to superhero action flick until it finally settled on dark fantasy. The theme works well the fantastical characters wandering through the modern day streets as well as with the battles that range above, below, beside, and inside the city while still managing to leave the humans who witness the destruction flummoxed as to the cause. The movie starts off with the current Karas of the city being murdered by an ex Karas who has turned evil and named himself Ekou.

To strengthen his following Ekou has the Mikuras who are loyal to him go around the city draining the fluids from the bodies of the humans they kill. He plans on taking over the city and using the residents who had before been under his care as fodder for the other Mikuras, of which there is becoming an alarming amount now that more and more yōkai have turned their backs on humanity. And let’s not forget the humans who have decided to make a deal with devil in exchange for power and safety when the mass feedings start.

But the city takes care of its own and Otoha, a young man who’s soul was chosen to fight for the city’s will even while his physical body lay dormant in a coma, is beginning to wake up.  Once he does he will have a decision to make. Join his willpower with the City’s and become a true Karas in body as well as spirit or go back to the way his life was before he was given such a responsibility. He has to choose quickly because with the old Karas carrying a constant hard-on for possession of the city, he is in no way short of enemies looking to see his head on a platter.

The graphics and art in Karas are some of the best I’ve seen anywhere hands down. The enemies present in this particular anime are weird metal like insects with gleaming teeth and a rumbly belly so obviously there’s never a shortage of bloodshed and carnage to entertain the viewers. I loved the fact that even though Karas stayed pretty loyal to the main character and his struggle it also branched off on several side stories. Usually that sort of thing would be annoying but in this case it isn’t. What are supposed to be side characters becoming as interesting as or more so than the actual main guy. You have the woman who was attacked in her home and from then on spoke of demons to the point where she ended up in a mental hospital since no one believed her but her father (who happens to be a detective specializing in supernatural murders). Then of course there’s the story of the evil Mikuras who turned good to save his brother and not only ends up being an essential part of Otoha’s victory over Ekou but also gains a new yōkai friend in the process. Very lady and the tramp except without the love story or the fact that they’re dogs.

Originally aired as six pay-per view episodes, the Karas story was compiled into two feature length films Karas: The Prophecy and The Revelation which were released in 2006 and 2007 respectively. With its mixture of 2D and 3D art techniques it was no wonder that Karas won the 2006 Tokyo Anime Award competition for best original video. While people were suitable impressed with the look and feel of the movie a lot of people, even the voice cast, had problems shifting through the dialogue and presentation. I see their point. Since there’s very little explanation available in the movie you have to pay extra close attention to the actions and sequences of events going on rather than counting on the characters dialogue to walk you through what’s going on.

The movie is split right down the middle and the confusion generated by the first film frustrated the director. However, even if Karas is hard on the brain cells the simple fact that it’s worth the added concentration counts for a lot in my book.

So my feelings on the films are in no way as mixed as other’s may be. I say watch the movie, bring out your nerd glasses if you have to to make yourself smarter, remember to keep your electrolytes up with some Gatorade, and finally when the credits start rolling pop an aspirin or two to ease the throbbing that thinking too hard usually brings about.

Karas was written by Shin Yoshida and Directed by Keiichi Sato

Tenshi is Japanese for Angel. When it comes to the film, Tenshi seems to be the meaning behind the term Kawai. Tenshi is aone of those warm-hearted films that so often don’t even rate a glance with me. Whatever the reason it appealed to me I have to give it its due. Kyoko Fukada plays an Angel that has been watching over her own little section of the city. One day she descends from the top of her water tower and walks among the people she has been studying for so long. For the most part she stays with Katua, played by Asahi Uchida (The Deep Red), a lonely young man who can’t seem to find love and is too disheartened to try.

When she isn’t handing around Katua, who I believe she wants only for his ability to provide her with a constant flow of gin and lime, she’s visiting the other people who live in the town who can see her. Since only those with lonely or broken hearts can see her it no wonder that she migrates to some of the most unlikely people. A kindergartener, a bully as well as the girl she bullies, an old cat woman, a man who’s forced to raise his daughter on his own after divorcing his wife.

Though she often seems a bit ditzy, following people around and stealing their jewelry, or making two sisters think they’re crazy when she comes up and eats their food and drinks their liquor when they aren’t looking, the Angel actually knows exactly what and how she needs to do to save the man and women whose lives she’s entered. I was pleased with the character portrayal of the angel. Her wings don’t look in any way fake and no matter what she’s doing you can always see that divine something about her.

When she’s floating around Katua and he’s interacting with her, talking, complaining, trying to fly etc., the way that the two play off each other is very sweet. The actress manages to have a bit of that same connection with all of the other characters as well but none to the extent of Katua. It was at the point where I thought the movie was heading in the direction of celestial being x human being = L.O.V.E but that isn’t the case. Katua actually falls for some other girl which is boring but the only disappointment that I had with the film.

Throughout the movie you hear her referred to as behaving like a stray cat, flitting from one person to the next looking for handouts or knickknacks to play with. No matter whether she’s a cat or a savior I freely admit that I wouldn’t mind seeing a second movie created with some, if not all, of the same cast. Based off of Erica Sakurazawa’s manga ‘Angel’, Tenshi was released in Japan in 2006.

Tenshi was written by Erica Sakurazawa and Directed by Mayumi Miyasaka

AMP Movie Rating

I feel oddly unsure of my status as a reasonable adult for having enjoyed this film so much but that’s not going to stop me from giving a review on it. PONYO! The movie was awesome and if I was the only person over 3 feet in the theatre when I went to go see it then fine. I hold my head high in pride. Unlike a lot of English dubbed movies out there Ponyo was actually done very well. At no point did I cringe a little in my soul and wish for the Japanese voice talents along with some good subtitles.

Ponyo on the Cliff is about a fish named Brunhilda who lives in an underwater aquarium in her father’s castle along with hundreds of her little sisters. When her father takes them on a trip to see a bit more of the ocean they live in Brunhilda is driven to see more of the world and basically swims away from home. When she gets stranded on shore she’s saved by five-year-old Sosuke. Sousuke lives with his mother Lisa on a cliff overlooking the sea. His father is a sailor and is often away from home leaving the two by themselves. Sousuke is surprisingly bright and responsible for a kindergartner so when he finds Brunhilda dying on land he saves her from being trapped inside of a bottle and cuts himself in the process. The seemingly dead fish lays still for a while before she licks up the drop of blood nearest her face.

That’s around the time the trouble starts.

Sousuke convinces his mother to let him keep her and from the moment he finds out that his cut has mysteriously healed and that his new goldfish has a liking for ham, he christens her Ponyo and seals his fate. Ponyo and Sousuke are beginning to grow closer they don’t realize that Ponyo’s father has risen from the sea in search of her. At least they don’t until he snatches Ponyo back from Sousuke and leaves the little boy crying as he struggles to swim into the sea to get her back. Thankfully his mother catches him and Sousuke then falls into a little five-year-old depression. He hopes that Ponyo will somehow make it back to him, and she does. After her sisters break her out of prison and dips into a bit of her father’s magic to help turn herself into a human.

People are always going on about how difficult it is raising a little girl. But I bet none of them had to deal with the blowout after their kid rearranges the balance of nature to the point where the moon has moved closer to the earth causing the ocean to swallow all available land along with the people in it. Most parents just worry about puberty but whatever, I’m not knocking it.

The only way to set things right before the world is swallowed up is to either rip Sausuke out of Ponyo’s life forever or turn her into a real girl and not just a fish with some powerful magic. The only way to do that is if Sausuke were to love Ponyo with all his heart no matter whether she happens to be a fish or not. But is he worthy of the Sorcerer and the Sea Goddess’s daughter?

Ponyo was admittedly very cute, but also really cool. There’s one scene where she’s running over these waves that keep forming into giant skyscraper type fish as she follows Sousuke home. Lisa is an awesome character and after witnessing a fish change into a little girl and stalk her son subsequently ending life as she knows it, all she does is make some hot chocolate and put them both to bed. My mom would have been ticked off. I made a fool of myself during the watching of this movie.

So many of the characters are so lovable and real that I couldn’t help myself. When Ponyo is still a fish and she learns how to talk only to say, ‘PONYO! Ponyo love Sausuke!’ I was in the theatres going all ‘OMG I love Sousuke too!’. When Ponyo is beginning to run out of magic and die I was making these weird high pitched animal noises of distress. Then at the end of the movie when Ponyo and Sausuke almost kiss I was bouncing in my seat and clutching my face, squealing in creepy fangirl glee.

I was almost put out but am I sorry for my behavior? No. Am I ashamed? No. Should I be? …Probably.

Voice Actors for Ponyo:

Japanese version
Yuria Nara
Hiroki Doi
Tomoko Yamaguchi
George Tokoro
Kazushige Nagashima

English version
Cate Blanchett
Noah Cyrus
Matt Damon
Frankie Jonas
Tina Fey
Liam Neeson
Cloris Leachman
Betty White
Lily Tomlin

Ponyo was written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki and released in Japan and the U.S in 2009

Kagenuma is ostensibly in the throes of his usual depression when he is approached by Yukie (YUI MIUARA), a young schoolgirl with a puzzling predicament that requires his special talent. After playing a cruel practical joke on an impossibly nervous schoolmate named Yuko (HANAE KAN) with her two friends Mutsumi (WAKO ANDO) and Makiko (HATSUNE MATSUSHIMA), they’ve been plagued by nightmares that have made it impossible for her to sleep. Insisting that their scorned schoolmate is haunting her, Yukie is hoping the Nightmare Detective will intervene on her behalf. At first, Kagenuma is unwilling to help, as he himself is being haunted by persistently occurring nightmares of his troubled childhood and tragic mother. He believes that a simple apology to Yuko would suffice and he advises Yukie to find her schoolmate to do so. She is dismissed by the antisocial dreamweaver and is left to her own devices.

Lucky for her however, Kagenuma uncovers a personal link to her plight. He finds the bullied Yuko suffers from the same ailments, hallucinations, and crippling fear that his mother did. As he digs deeper into the machinations of the schoolgirl with the power to haunt dreams, he finds direct connections to the behavior of his mother. He decides to help Yukie to find out more about his mother (just in time too because both of her friends have met their end) and this sends them barreling down a path that will bring them both closer to the truths inside themselves.

Nightmare Detective 2 is quite different from its predecessor especially in style. The first film had a visceral brutality to it that kept it firmly entrenched in the horror genre. It had a very generous amount of blood, gore and a fantastically diabolical villain that kept the film morally balanced. Tsukamoto took the viewer on a crazy Dali rollercoaster through a grotesque and flashy mindscape complete with strobe lights and rock music.

Nightmare Detective 2, on the other hand, can be described as a slow rickety mine cart ride into a silent looping darkness. The film is a brooding character study set against the gleaming but menacing façade of youth culture. Kagenuma’s ally is not a polished police detective, but a thoughtless child still coming to terms with her own petty insecurities and our villain this time around is a 15 year old schoolgirl tormented by her schoolmates as well as her own psyche, not some lunatic who can cut himself up and enter dreams. It’s as if Tsukamoto wants the viewer to feel with and for the characters, rather than entertain or titillate them with horrible things happening to them. In fact, there is little in the way of abject gore and certainly not what is generally expected of Tsukamoto, but it is full of those creepy and disquieting moments that make you hold your breath. As a result, the film is more introspective than action packed, more vicious than angry (especially with schoolgirl cruelty plotline) and more substantial than the last. Indeed, you come away with heaps more insight into dear Kagenuma.

If you’re looking for the bloody shock factor that has become eponymous with Tsukamoto’s name, Nightmare Detective 2 will not satisfy your bloodlust. It is a bit more coherent (although it still makes use of the confusing, jarring segue bit) and character driven but still worth a watch if you’re a fan of the Nightmare Detective. Of course, some will absolutely hate the film and for that, I suggest a nice dose of Tokyo Fist for nostalgia’s sake.

When he wanders into town looking for a chance to earn money at the upcoming festival, he meets a girl named Misuzu Kamio. What he doesn’t know as the two of grow steadily closer, is that he and Misuzu have played this particular game before, and much like during their past lives, there isn’t much a of a chance for a happy ending for the two lovers.

Air: The Movie is very much like a modern day fairytale and has all the quirky, sweet little additions that appeal to all ages and genders. Thos who are more familiar with the television series will see some marked differences between it and the film, which is to be expected since both were done by two different production teams with two very different views on the story.

I have to say that but for the extra stories and characters that appear in the series, I prefer the movie version both for character development and overall drawing style. I sort of wish that the two could be combined into this epic cesspool of awesomeness, but that would be asking too much.

Click here to view the embedded video.

]]> http://www.asianmoviepulse.com/2010/01/15/air-the-movie/feed/ 0 http://www.asianmoviepulse.com/2010/01/12/lolitas-and-yankis-a-look-into-kamikaze-girls/ http://www.asianmoviepulse.com/2010/01/12/lolitas-and-yankis-a-look-into-kamikaze-girls/#comments Tue, 12 Jan 2010 10:22:43 +0000 Jinx http://www.asianmoviepulse.com/?p=3418 We all remember our first time. For some it was painful, for others it was fun, and for the remainder it was scary enough to leave us whimpering at the thought of having to go back. Mine…well my first time was a gentle introduction.  Like most, it took place in college. I as surrounded by friends and the couch smelled of an intoxicating aroma somewhere between stale popcorn and old feet. The two girls involved were very pretty and managed to appeal to both sides of me.

The biker and the Lolita.

If I had been any older and had lacked the much needed lubricant of year’s worth of manga and anime, the experience would have probably been much more painful and traumatizing for all involved.

Kamikaze Girls was not only my introduction into live action Asian movies but Japanese fashion as well. My eyes had been opened and I found myself slightly horrified and smitten all at once. Kamikaze Girls starts off with a Lolita getting hit by a truck and doesn’t improve from there.

Momoko is the daughter of a former gangster turned clothes designer. When I say ‘clothes designer’ I use the term loosely. So loosely in fact, that the only way that you can understand the quality of these clothes is for me to also explain that the making of them get’s Momoko’s father in trouble with not just the mob, but Universal Studios and Versace as well (both of which are infinitely more dangerous). This prompts the twosomes move to grandma’s house out in the middle of Shimotsuma.

Momoko isn’t upset by all this for the reasons you might think, because against all natural odds Momoko has become the exact opposite of her gangster father and famous gang mother. She wears pink, she prances in lace, and carts around a damn parasol.

Momoko is a Lolita who wishes she had been born in France’s Rococo Era, and not only is she a freakishly long way away from her favorite shops now that her and her father have moved, she is also low on cash. So what’s a fashion conscious young woman to do? Pick up where her errant father left off and sell fake brands of course. What Momoko doesn’t take into account is that biker chicks like clothes too, and just like universal studios, Versace, and the mob, they get pretty ticked off when they find knock-offs rather than the real thing.

The movie centers around how  Momoko (Kyoko Fukada) and Ichigo (Anna Tsuchiya), a member of an all girl’s gang, become best friends. There’s love, gambling, fighting, and chiffon skirts. Everything you could ask for when losing your Asian movie cherry.

Kamikaze girls is the poster child for a fun, random, comedy and still manages to stick to a plausible storyline. Barely.

The point is that you’ll enjoy watching the seemingly tough as nails Ichigo soften to almost non steroid proportions, while Ichigo loosens up enough to get a bit of dirt on her perfectly curled hair and pristine pantaloons. Be aware that some parts of this movie are exaggerations while others are not. After I googled my first Lolita I was pleased to see that it came with subcategories (namely Gothic, Classic, and Punk, whereas Momoko was Sweet). There is one character from the movie that I have never, nor never will, search and I hope to god when I go to Japan that he doesn’t actually exist. Some 30 year old monstrosity with tight jeans, strangle-you-to-death-chest hair, and a 50’s curl that goes beyond human proportions and stretches past the point of no return. Small children, easily digestible animals, and pregnant women beware.

Kamikaze Girls is an adaption from Shimotsuma Monogatari’s novel and manga. Even now, after I have a few more live action anime adaptions under my belt, Kamikaze Girls is still one of my favorites. Whether because it was my first, or because it was just that good, Kamikaze Girls is one of the few upchucked furballs of randomness that get a thumbs up from me. Even if all the ribbons and frills make my eyeballs feel like the silently screaming lobsters inside of the vats of boiling water in the kitchen of Red Lobsters. But yeah, other than that one little thing, totally worth it.

Kamikaze Girls was written by Novala Takemoto and directed by Tetsuya Nakashima

Synopsis (from Wiki):
Two years after the events of Kamen Rider the First, a strange series of bizarre murders occur with the victims mutilated in a most gruesome fashion while pop star Chiharu’s “Platinum Smile” is being played, becoming an urban legend. Meanwhile, Takeshi Hongo has become a high school science teacher with a troublesome class with one catching his attention, a troubled girl named Kotomi Kikuma who was best friends with Chiharu and is worried about her. By the time Hongo and she find a dying “Chiharu”, they learn she’s actually an imposter as the Shocker Inhumanoid Chainsaw Lizard arrives with the six Shocker Riders to carry out the task of executing Hongo, forcing him to reveal himself in as Kamen Rider 1 to Kotomi before escaping his hunters. At around the same time, Hayato Ichimonji is shown still alive but slowly weakening due to his body’s rejection of the cybernetic changes which made him Kamen Rider 2.

Kamen Rider The Next is a sequel to the Kamen Rider The First movie (which I still haven’t seen). It is a loose adaptation to the second Kamen Rider series, Kamen Rider V3. Loose, meaning, there are drastic changes in the storyline including Shirou Kazami‘s (Kamen Rider V3) family and how he became a Kamen Rider. But there are still some aspects that are retained.

Some stars in this movie have already made an appearance on previous Kamen Rider series. Shirou Kazami is played by Keisuke Kato (previously seen as Drake in Kamen Rider Kabuto) and Chiharu is played by Erika Mori (previously seen as Hitomi Mochida in Kamen Rider Hibiki). While Takeshi Hongo is played by Masaya Kikawada and Hayato Ichimonji by Hassei Takano. Both reprised their roles from Kamen Rider The First.

The movie’s main focus is on the pop idol, Chiharu, Shirou Kazami’s sister (this contradicts the original series on having Yukiko as Shirou’s sister). There have been rumors that anyone who listens to the song “Platinum Smile” will die due to unknown reasons. But the reason is later revealed in the movie along with V3′s origin.

Instead of having pure action, like the previous Kamen Rider movies, this movie incorporates a horror theme, similar to The Grudge. From my point of view, this is a experiment if horror can be used properly on a tokusatsu movie, in which I think didn’t really work out. It just became cheesy on those horror moments.

The action scenes on this movie are superb especially the bike chase. Lots of flips, punches and high powered kicks are used. There are also some instances that the scenes were in slow motion. It do seems that they focused on these rather than on CGIs. There are nearly a few CGI throughout the movie and most of them can be seen at the climax.

If you are a typical Kamen Rider fan, you might get disappointed that the word “henshin” was not used in the movie, even the “henshin sequences” like we see in the current series. I too get disappointed on this one. But the bikes of the original are retained here. That includes Cyclone 1 and 2, and Hurricane.

The best part of this movie is when it’s on climax and the three Kamen Rider used the same poses from the original series. And V3 also used the Double Typhoon in this movie which utilizes the skill and strength of Ichigo and Nigo. Don’t forget the Kamen Rider’s signature moves such as Rider Kick and Rider Punch.

Funniest part? Hmm… Let me think… Ah… The one when Hongo visits Kikuma’s house. There’s a lady who spoke Filipino. At first I really didn’t recognize it until the voice is loud enough to be heard. It’s funny since I’m a Filipino and this is the only language I can understand without subs. Plus, the lady must be very lucky to be a extra on a Kamen Rider movie… I wonder where is she now…

Another comment, according to the DVD jacket, this movie is rated PG-12 because of slight nudity and violence. But in my opinion, children who are just 12 years old are not meant to be seeing nudity. They would’ve put it under PG-16. Just my two cents.

Other than that, Kamen Rider The Next is an enjoyable and action packed movie to watch even if you are a Kamen Rider fan or not. If you are not, this might give you an urge to be in the fandom. XD

My rating: 4/5 stars

Reposted from: JEFusiom | Kamen Rider The Next Movie Review

Based on the original semi-autobiographical novel by Akiyuki Nosaka, Hotaru no Haka or Grave of the Fireflies (1988) holds the title of one of the most affecting wartime movies of all time, making the statement that anime is not just entertainment, it’s an art form.

A powerful anti-war movie with a profound sense of humanity that is relevant, even today. And no, it isn’t the talented work of virtuoso Hayao Miyazaki – instead its his long-time colleague and friend, director Isao Takahata who is the mastermind behind this thought invoking allegory of wartime struggle in World War II Japan.

Hence, we follow the devastating journey of inseparable orphans Seita (voiced by Tsutomu Tatsumi “dubbed version Robert Spencer”) and Setsuko (voiced by Ayano Shiraishi “dubbed version Rhoda Chrosite”), who have lost both their parents due to the ongoing war with the allies and become like many of their Japanese countrymen, forced to leave their affluent households and live as paupers. The pair end up living with their malicious aunt, who is not thrilled by their presence, she strives to quell any frisson of happiness they have.  But, Seita’s love for his sister won’t allow his aunt to destroy any moments of happiness they have, where they can forget about the war and just be kids. He assumes the role of otoosan, a father, the sole protector of Setsuko, and in the midst of the volatile air raids the children manage to build a home out of an abandoned bomb shelter they find amongst all the turmoil and death.

It isn’t long into the film when your thoughts turn sober, that life is in the balance for these two children, as Seita struggles to take care of them both amass the river fireflies that personify the fragilities of the children’s life. Even the film’s sub characters reinforce the present ominous situation, with their callous mistreatment towards the desperate brother and sister. Their innocence and will to survive is heart breaking and moving to watch, beautifully portrayed through the joy of animation. Regardless of the fact that they are so young, Isao Takahata illustrates the strength of spirit and adversity in the face of precarious circumstances, albeit the film never over plays its hand by being melodramatic. It is a cathartic wartime movie that’s real purpose is to focus on our human weaknesses pride, love and hope, hope being the most despairing of the three and incidentally all Seita and Setsuko have.

This is the first film Isao Takahata did for Studio Ghibli, surpassing many expectations with its fluid dialogue, haunting instrumental soundtrack and the overall cinematic genius of the film that delivers a down-to-earth approach to animation. Grave of the Fireflies crosses bridges live action film cannot, balancing death and beauty on the tip of an animator’s pencil, in both the Japanese or the dubbed version (which is good too!) its emotive tone crosses over cultural barriers for all audiences to enjoy. You find yourself often forgetting this is an anime with characters, who feel, who’ve lost, who love, a dedication to the true victims lost in the war. To simply recommend Grave of the Fireflies is not enough, it is imperative that this tragic film and all its childlike purity be seen by everyone.