Manga Review: Puella Magi Madoka Magica

Hey guys. I know I haven’t posted in ages, but here I am again. I won’t explain why I haven’t posted, and unfortunately, I can’t promise how much I’ll post after this. Though it would be nice if I could post every day. Would be really nice if, while I’m in India, I could drag myself to the keyboard every day. Sooo, stay tuned?

Well, lately I’ve been reading a lot of random anime and watching a lot of random manga. Oh wait…. Either way, I suppose all of them are worth writing about, but one of them really caught my interest. As in, after I was done, I was so impressed that I had to go and post about this immediately. Yes indeed, in the wasteland of high-adventure shounen and stupid school-romance shoujo series, one stands out as a gem of otaku culture.

Image

Alright, let’s do this.

    Puella Magi Madoka Magica. After I saw/read this series, my head was spinning, in a whirlpool of grimdark, emotion, awesome, and epic. Thus, I had to go and look this up online, searching for second opinions. A lot of people seem to relate this series to other anime series notable for being dark and deep. Namely, it deconstructs the magical girl genre like Bokurano does for the mecha genre, puts a dark spin on it like Revolutionary Girl Utena and Princess Tutu (the latter of which I am currently halfway through, and may write about later,) and ends like Serial Experiments Lain and Neon Genesis Evangelion (the latter of which I have watched a few episodes of, and thanks to mega online spoilers about the ending, am hesitant about picking up again.)

    But enough about other series, for this thing is in a class of its own. The story features a girl named Kaname Madoka. 14 years old and in the most emotional period of a girl’s life. The perfect time to become a mahou shoujo- a magical girl. These super-powered female beings are first revealed when she and her best friend Sayaka Miki encounter two, Tomoe Mami and Homura Akemi, both of whom risk their lives every day to fight witches- twisted arcane beings born from despair and existing to spread curses and suffering. Soon after they are rescued by Mami from one such witch, which like all of its kind, dwells in a labyrinth made up of surreal papercut images, she and Kyubey, the small, furry creature that gave her her powers, invite the two to form a contract. In this contract, Kyubey will grant each of them one wish. In return, however, they must take the path of the mahou shoujo, and fight evil by moonlight and daylight alike. A small price to pay, right? After all, getting one wish of any kind and becoming a magical girl? What japanese schoolgirl (racist moment) wouldn’t jump on that opportunity? At first glance, Madoka Magica truly seems like the most typical magical girl series out there. After all, a girl and her friends learning about an evil force in the world, meeting a cute furry animal who invites them to become superheroines to fight it… haven’t we seen this before, somewhere….? Yeah, I really hated Sailor Moon. Thankfully, this isn’t it. Not even close.

    As it turns out, there is are some big catches in becoming a mahou shoujo, ones great enough to bring Homura to attempt heavily discourage Madoka and Sayaka from making the contract throughout the series. First off, one must always be careful what one wishes for. In fact, one should probably refrain from messing with reality in the first place, since it may not always bring one happiness, but quite often the exact opposite. And being a mahou shoujo isn’t as glamorous of a job as one might expect. Each mahou shoujo is given a “soul gem,” a faberge egg-like object that represents the contract. As time passes, it constantly grows darker, and mahou shoujo must repeatedly purify it with “grief seeds,” the essences of witches, lest they meet a gruesome fate. This leads to much competition between mahou shoujo as they struggle to “harvest” witches for their seeds, overall living a self-admitted selfish life, rather than being the bringers of justice they appear to be. And are witches really the only sinister force out there?

    Puella Magi Madoka Magica is basically Sailor Moon or Tokyo Mew Mew with a generous touch of Faust. It takes the general tropes of these moe superhero anime and manga series and gives it a sinister edge. Granted, it’s not the first to do something like that, but fortunately, the series itself is pretty good too. The art and aesthetics are superb, using bright, flashy, surreal visuals to put off a tense, dramatic atmosphere, though this is obviously better in the anime, which also includes an excellent soundtrack to seal the deal. And the story… ohh, the story. The number of plot twists and turns, which increases quadratically as the story progresses, is maddening, and the ending was one that, ignoring the plot holes here and there, was very well crafted and encouraged viewers to think hard about it and interpret it themselves, not to mention may have been the epitome of all that is epic. Some, however, may be disappointed that it isn’t character driven enough, instead focusing on universal issues and the backstories of the characters instead of their actions. But what really makes Madoka Magica truly shine is how emotional it is. Feelings themselves are actually a key element of this series, since the level of them felt by teenage girls makes them perfect candidates to becoming these magical beings. But what I felt while viewing this… it started out with plenty of heroically defiant actions and sacrifices, fit for an anime of any demographic. But after episode/chapter 3, it seemed to descend into a vortex of intense despair and anguish, an emotional turn that also proves to be a key story element eventually. By the time I was done, I was completely shaken. Few animes are able to do this. Naruto most certainly failed repeatedly.

    Don’t let the cover fool you. You will almost never see Madoka in the displayed costume in the entire series. But more importantly, THIS IS NOT A SERIES FOR CHILDREN! Sailor Moon definitely had its dark, atmospheric moments, but at its heart, it was a children’s show/comic, with bad guys appearing one by one, and one by one getting vaporized by the good guys, with no room for thinking or interpretation. This one, however, should be avoided by children who are easily scared, and don’t have the mental capability to process the concepts. Nevertheless, Madoka Magica is a superb series that I would reccomend to any older anime or manga enthusiast, especially those who are already familiar with the magical girl genre. Of course, some may not enjoy the dark aspects of this series, and may instead prefer more upbeat Shonen Jump or Shojo Beat kinds of comics. Nevertheless, why not give it a try? And as I may have said before, watch the anime if you can, instead of reading the manga.

 

There you have it. My first post in countless months. Like I said, I can’t promise anything, but I’ll see what I can do tomorrow. The next anime I might seriously watch might be Clannad After Story. It’s a nice slice-of-life drama with plenty of emotional and surreal content. I’ve already watched several episodes, but thanks to the web have gotten access to a couple of major spoilers. Still, I think it’s worth watching just for the atmosphere. Then again, maybe I should try something a bit lighter, after this little emotional bombshell of a series. Either way, stay tuned!

2013
07/01
CATEGORY
Uncategorized
TAGS








2 comments

Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer

While I can appreciate a horror film that gives out good sudden scares, such flicks sadly can never compare to the ones that create an air of disturbance rather than employing the element of surprise. For such films, I’d typically turn to cinemas of the east, meaning K-horror and J-horror. But as I have recently found, such hidden gems can be found in the homeland as well.
Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer is an American horror film, one that actually displayed little shock value during my viewing, yet still manages to make me shudder whenever I fish it out of my sea of memories, an effect that, in my opinion, is as successful as an intended in-cinema effect would be. Based on the true story of a convicted killer, Henry lives a simple life with his best friend, Otis, an old prison mate of his. In the daylight, the two support themselves through odd jobs for meager wages. But in the shadows, Henry is a violent psychopath, having gone on a rampage of bloody death and destruction in his town and beyond for an untold time. He has no fancy method of body disposal or assassination, simply picking his victims randomly, butchering them as he sees fit, and leaving the bodies to be found when fate decides. Yet he remains uncaught, never giving sign of a modus operandi and always keeping the authorities guessing the identity of the perpetrators of each victim individually, let alone in general. He believes the reason he hasn’t been caught is because he doesn’t have a specific modus operandi. It isn’t long before Otis is brought into the picture, proving to be as mentally unstable and murderous as he becomes Henry’s “apprentice” of sorts, learning the delicate skill of murdering without a trace. The partnership goes well at first, until Becky, Otis’ sister, begins to flirt with Henry, much to Otis’ displeasure.
One way this slasher story sets itself apart from others by describing not just the actions of a killer, but his mind- his heart of stone, too cold to be penetrated by any form of reason or tender affection, a twisted and lost soul that can only be sated by the taking of life. Henry’s friend is used by the film as a character foil for him. Otis is sadistic on many levels, taking intense pleasure from his boundless cruelty, while Henry holds a heart of cold sorrow, perhaps coming from a traumatic childhood, some of which may be mentally fabricated, and instead kills almost purely out of compulsion, his only reason being that in this world, “it’s either them or you.” As for the element of fear itself, this particular film disturbs people not through the sudden cheap scares most horror movies employ today, but instead making use of creative, lesser-known, atmospheric methods. For example, the film begins with Henry as he glances at a woman getting in her car nearby before starting up his own and following after. As he drives, the film cuts off to several scenes of mutilated, lifeless bodies, accompanied by ominous music mixed in with the dying screams of the victims. Indeed, the film instills fear not through scenes of the killings themselves, but by using the aftermath and the sounds of the events to encourage the viewers to imagine the horrifying deaths themselves, then tremble as Henry looks for another one with the same intentions.
In the end, Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer is one of those rare gems of America horror cinema that displays a complete mastery over atmospheric disturbance, as well as one of the rare serial killer films that portrays the killer as a human being, not just a monster, akin to movies such as “I Saw the Devil,’ and “The Devil’s Rejects,” both aspects that make up an excellent fright-flick. I would expect this film to appeal both horror enthusiasts and those new to the genre, but in the end would passionately recommend it to anyone looking for a fear-flick that can worm into his mind and stay with him indefinitely. 10/10.

2012
09/08
CATEGORY
Reviews
TAGS

1 comment

Hazard!!

Well then, this is awkward. Once again, I promised another movie review in my last post to be posted the day after, and failed to keep that promise, just as usual. Even funnier, this isn’t it! I still haven’t gotten the file for the review- which, for that matter, is on a brilliant film I watched earlier called Tucker and Dale vs Evil, which all horror fans should watch for some good lulz- so i’ll be posting it later, when I can actually get my hands on it. Until then, here’s another Sion Sono film. This will be the third I have seen so far, the last two being Cold Fish and Noriko’s Dinner Table.

 

           We Americans these days have many stereotypes of other cultures. We can often get the wrong idea of what Japanese people are like from anime and crazy films like Suicide Circle. Now its time to see a look at what the Japanese think of us. The film Hazard takes place in New York City, a city of racist cops, merciless black thugs, and women waiting to run off and make out with the first gangsta that they come across. I’m not exactly sure how much of this image is true. Sono-san himself did not get his ideas from direct experience- meaning I doubt he spent any time living in New York- but this does take place in the 1990s, and I have heard about a high crime rate and a number of outlaws in cities such as this. Either way, I doubt the setting is the main point, or at least it is not the main theme that I saw. Rather, what I saw in this film is an exploration of a hidden desire that all humans have, one that is often suppressed, but sometimes is so great that it cannot be, and often should not be, contained.

Hazard features Shinichi, a Japanese student who from a very young age has gotten tired of the “sleepy yet restless” lifestyle of his country. It is clear that the life of quiet lectures and bookshelves and eventually sitting in an office all day is not the life for him. As soon as he runs across the campus, screaming incoherently, it is clear that he has an insatiable appetite for life. When he reads about the many dangers and high crime rate of New York City, he immediately boards a plane for America, not at all looking for opportunity, or the stereotypical American dream, but instead searching for a vague concept known as “hazard.”  Ironically, as soon as he arrives, he is robbed of everything he has by two black miscreants as all the pedestrians around him only cheer, everyone laughing at the clueless Jap that has just entered their helltown. This act of racist cruelty is one of the first steps in Shinichi’s search for “hazard.” Before long, the newly destitute youth is taken in by two young Japanese-Americans, Lee and Takeda, who teach Shinichi the language and ways of their country and indoctrinate him into their simple, exciting, and most importantly dangerous life of drugs, crime, and hooliganism.

            After finishing the film, having had my fill of wild laughing, swearing, debauchery, and crime, I spent some time wondering and debate what exactly this “hazard” Shinichi is looking for is. It’s obvious that it isn’t money or revenge, displayed perfectly with the metaphor of an “invisible coin worth more than all the money in the world. At first I thought it was simple excitement- a way to blow off excess energy and escape the monotonous repetition that is modern life. But my grandmother, who is dead against even thinking about crime, alcohol, sex, drugs, rock and roll, and everything else that seems to dominate youth culture and art, insists that you can simply do that by saving up and traveling abroad to faraway places or simply visiting old friends. I supposed that was true, so I continued to think. Exactly what does Shinichi want that he can’t find in civilized Japan?Then I realized, the thing that Shinichi is desperately searching for is the same thing that a large part of the male youth has a desire for deep within: anarchy! This is an idea that I have had for the longest of times, that everyone has a dark side to them, a combination of all the primal instincts that defined humanity before it became civilized. This dark side strives for danger, action, domination, frenzy, and everything that a civilized man would shun, but an animal would embrace. In other words, anarchy. Social doctrine and mores insist of ridding oneself of this part of him, calling it sin, or one’s inner demons, saying it has no place in society. And yes, it is true that one must not let it go out of control for the sake of individual safety as well as social stability. However, one must not deny oneself of it all together, lest he miss out on a wonderful, enriching social experience. A similar concept was developed by Sigmund Freud, who called this dark side the id, though, of course, I’m only trying to make some sort of an association here, not actually being well versed in psychology. How much it needs to be stimulated is different from person to person, and it can be suppressed to a degree by upbringing. For most people who need to feed it more, simple, legal outlets such as violent video games and films, rigorous martial arts, and heavy metal music will suffice. It is clear that Shinichi either has developed this part of him so that it cannot be satisfied by these legal means or has had none of them to begin with, leading to embark on a journey to look for something that can fill his need, which only turns out to be a life of crime with Lee and Takeda by pure luck. I do wish that the beginning of the film could have explained his starting predicament a bit further, but the lovely, childlike voice that narrates the film and the lead’s marvelous acting as a hapless Japanese tourist unsure of exactly what he is looking for almost makes up for it.

Speaking of acting, every character in the Hazard was played with the utmost emotion and depth, yelling angrily and rapidly spitting threats like ruthless thugs when holding up a store or confronting an enemy, bro-hugging and high-fiving their friends like the American hooligans they are, and playing countless other parts when needed with the skill and sense of feeling needed to tell the story of a changing young man. The cinematography should be noted as well, the entire film being shot with a shaky home video camera to contribute to the urban, austere, simple atmosphere, all without forcing the film to seem like a low-budget trash movie. But in the end, what really touched my heart was the design of the characters, those Japanese-American boys not looking for money, infamy, even material pleasure, but only the excitement, danger, and insanity that humanity craves deep at the back of their minds: “hazard.” A 9 out of 10.

2012
08/19
CATEGORY
Uncategorized
Leave a comment

The More Intelligent Film: Noriko’s Dinner Table

Evening everyone! I’m in India now, and since I’ve got plenty of time on my hands at my grandparents’ house, I’ve decided to bring you that review I promised you earlier. Without further ado, here’s an excellent film from my current favourite film-maker: Sion Sono!

 https://i1.wp.com/upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/b6/NorikosTable.jpg/200px-NorikosTable.jpg

Noriko’s Dinner Table is said to be a prequel to Sono’s cult hit Suicide Circle, but although I haven’t seen the latter, I could find little connection between the events in the prequel and the shadowy cult in the original. Right now, I simply see Suicide Circle as a backdrop for Noriko’s Dinner Table, though if I do end up seeing it, perhaps I will find out exactly what questions are said to be answered in the prequel. However, this art film does much more than stand on its own two feet, having a wide array of themes to illustrate through some of the most intense drama the film has to offer. It features the titular character, Noriko, as a rebellious, independence-craving teen, largely alienated from her parents. She leaves her tiny, peaceful town and her father, who has a disdain for anything outside their little paradise, to go to Tokyo and be with a friend she met on the mysterious website Haikyo.com, the website of the suicide club. In the city, she is enlisted by her friend named Kumiko in her “family rental” business, where they earn a living by pretending to be members of customers’ families, often to experience certain situations, such as the death of an elder, the coming together of a family rocked by abuse, and even the murder of a cheating wife, all of which are as realistic as they can be, even the last of them. In her new life Noriko takes on the name Mitsuko, her username on the website, and casts away her past, forgetting that she ever was Noriko. Eventually, her sister Yuka follows in her footsteps, joining the same business with her sister and taking up her own username, Yoko, as her real one. This leads to their parents finally breaking and the father embarking on a quest to be reunited with his daughters.

According to what reviewers and Wikipedia have told me, there are many ways to interpret the film and many themes to dig out. When I watched it, I found four. First, there is the concept of identity, that no matter how much you wish to change and run away from your life, you can never change who you are. Next, there is the human being’s innate longing for a sense of family. Then, possibly the most prominent of them all, is the strength of familial bonds, a concept that is harshly tested just by the idea of the family rental business, in which these ties are instantly created for a fee. But the theme that dazzled me the most was the question of people’s roles in the world, whether human beings have the right to pursue happiness as they see fit rather than play the roles they are assigned in society. All of these are deep concepts and questions that force viewers to think about family and life itself, enhanced by fantastic cinematography, heartfelt narration, and highly emotional drama, which, being orchestrated by Sion Sono, almost certainly means lots of crying and screaming. Although the film is long, encompassing a whopping 2.5 hours, every minute is worth it, and those willing to watch till the end will finish up moved, thrilled, and overall satisfied. That is, of course, if they understand that Noriko’s Dinner Table is not a hardcore horror film like most people think, although it does contain a decent amount of gruesome gore, and instead come for a groundbreaking art-film looking into the mysteries of the human family. I give it a well-deserved 10/10.

 

Thanks for reading! My next review is already finished, and hopefully I’ll be able to upload it tomorrow. I hope to soon get ahold of Suicide Circle itself, which I hope has not been too spoiled by my watching of the prequel and skimming through its (the prequel) Wikipedia entry, as well as Strange Circus, one of Sono’s more controversial and disturbing films.

2012
07/18
CATEGORY
Reviews
Leave a comment

Carved: The Slit Mouthed Woman: The Supernatural Slasher

Hey guys! I apologize for my long disappearance before, but I’m back, since I need something productive to do this summer, as many of my friends are in summer school. Now, in addition to whatever else pops into my head, I’ll be writing reviews for horror and thriller movies I’ve watched recently every day. The first one was Let the Right One In, which I sincerely believe every member of “Teams Edward and Jacob” should watch, for it’s the very story that Twilight should have been.

Anyways, this will be my second summer horror review. Today, I turned to one of my favorite countries to look for stories of all genres, especially horror: Japan. I picked a film that I had heard was quite popular among J-horror fans, though not as a perfect film of the genre: Carved: The Slit Mouthed Woman. When I began the film, I expected a typical Japanese ghost horror film, one that wouldn’t keep me up nights after like Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni or School Days (the latter is not a horror story, but still had a highly disturbing ending.) Aaaaand… it was. Still, it was fun.

Carved features the titular disfigured woman as an evil spirit that has been the subject of urban legend for years. As people believe (and find out,) she grabs and drags children away to her lair, where she cuts slits in their mouths just like hers with scissors, after which she… figures out something to do with them.

 

 

 

Spoiler Alert!

Actually, the fact that she actually does not kill some of her victims for a long time if at all detracts from the overall fear factor considerably.

 

 

 

 

 Nevertheless, the film has some very good scares, some coming out of unexpected places, others being quite obvious, which often is a bonus in horror, for it adds to the atmosphere. The overall atmosphere is nothing special for a horror film, however. For the most part, Carved is not more of a supernatural, psychological horror film like other famous Asian creepshows such as Ju-on, Ringu, A Tale of Two Sisters, or Shutter, than it is a gory slasher where the killer happens to be a supernatural force, grabbing small children when they’re alone in the neighborhood and absconding with them just like any other ordinary demented psychopath. That can be disturbing, of course, as it is in the many other slashers, but it wasn’t really what I came for, was it? As for the acting, I’d say it was quite realistic, even if the main character and the other woman in the story are weak willed, not being able to save any form of reason at all in a time of crisis. Speaking of the main character, I also wish that her backstory had played  a much larger part in her adventure to add some of that gothic despair that I love to go with the adrenaline rushes, just like in films such Shutter, Let the Right One In, and John Carpenter’s Cigarette Burns.

Overall, Carved: The Slit Mouthed Woman is an average supernatural slasher film. I will admit, it will scare the wits out of those new to the horror genre, for I myself am relatively new myself. However, when I look at it from an objective point of view, one that a horror pundit might have, I find it to be not very good- not bad, but not excellent. Once again, I recommend it to those new to horror and leave it with a 7 out of 10

Thanks for reading! Tomorrow I’ll bring you my thoughts on a more intelligent Japanese film, or so I hear.

2012
06/27
CATEGORY
Reviews
2 comments

Let the Right One in: Unfrightening, But Touching

I picked a Swedish movie to watch today. I’m a big fan of horror movies, and this is one I’ve wanted to see for a while, after I heard on bloodydisgusting.com I read that it was the best horror film of the last decade.

Based on a bestselling novel by John Ajvide Lindqvis, the story features a boy of twelve years named Oscar, who is a victim of bullying. Eventually he befriends a girl named Eli. Eli, as he later finds out, is a vampire. The movie focuses the relationship between the two. In addition, it also deals with the transformation of Oskar, as Eli teaches him to stand up for himself and fight back against the bullies, even if that leads to some violent events.

What’s the difference between this movie and that vampire film scorned by boys and men everywhere, Twilight? Eli is a standard vampire who is nocturnal. She cannot enter a person’s house without being invited in, which is where the title comes from. And most importantly, she is a murderer who brutally murders people to get their blood.

Did I enjoy the movie? I’m still processing it. Critics have been giving this film relatively high ratings, but in my opinion, the characters seemed a bit emotionless. For instance, Oskar asks Eli if she is a vampire to which she replies, “Yes I am,” a fact he seems to accept with quite a bit of equanimity.  In addition, for a horror film it was quite predictable, having no interesting twists and turns and easily predicted outcomes, such as at the ending scene. But nevertheless, the atmosphere is perfect, the music, and dark, cold and snowy scenes seeming very appropriate to the subject, making sure viewers do not forget that although there are not as many scares as expected, at its heart, it is a horror film.

There is a fair amount of gore, but nothing gratuitous. Throats get ripped, body parts get dismembered (the latter being slightly unnecessary.) It is the grim feeling and the expressions in the characters’ faces that give it a gothic sensibility you wouldn’t see in a standard American horror film.

I suppose I would have to say I liked this film. For one thing, I very much enjoyed the bittersweet relationship between the two desperate 12 year olds and the friendship that can’t be broken even by murder. I would say that fans of dark, sad, but strangely assuring romances may find this to their liking. However, this movie is not for hardcore horror fans. If you are looking for a scare or something that will give you nightmares, don’t let this one in. My score: 8/10

2012
06/26
CATEGORY
Reviews
Leave a comment

Movie Review: Tekken: Blood Vengeance

As we you all know, I am an enthusiast of modern Japanese pop culture, or in short, an otaku. Ask me anything about this field, and I’ll answer you with a 15 minute long monologue astounding you for the first few seconds and boring you to ashes after that.  This means anime, manga, horror movies, and video games, even those I haven’t played (god bless Wikipedia.) And when I say video games, I mean fighters. I love them all to bits- Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter, Dead or Alive, and Tekken. So I was thrilled when I found out Tekken: Blood Vengeance, a 3D animated film based on the series, was coming to theaters. I was dazzled by the teaser trailer, so I immediately bought tickets and rushed over. And contrary to others’ views of the film, what I saw did not disappoint.

This picture has been severely panned by several reviewers, saying that it was barely any better than the crappy 2010 live action film that this series spawned, but in my arrogant opinion, I beg to differ. Of course, this may be only because I am a die-hard Tekken fan and lover of anime, which nobody can say this film is not based on. But is there anything wrong with that? The creator of Tekken, who unlike the 2010 film oversaw this project, and the screenwriter, who also worked on the space noir anime Cowbow Bebop, wanted to make this a film appealing to an audience outside the following of the series, and in that they badly failed. However, that doesn’t matter, because just about everyone who came to see it was probably somewhat of a Tekken fan, and they loved it. I know because I was laughing and clapping alongside dozens of viewers.

The fight scenes and animation were amazing, and the story and artwork did well in staying true to the original game. And that’s all the fans really need. I’ll admit, there were plenty of flaws, but they were not large enough to kill our enjoyment. Sure, the dialogue was cheesy, but that’s what anime is like. Get over it. Some may have thought the story was not so good, but it succeeded on putting a spin on the original story that we would love. There were some shoujo anime elements despite the game being a fighter, but for us otakus, this simply means putting two good things together to make something even better. Sadly, there were some unforgiveable elements as well. For one thing, the voice acting was not in sync with the movement of the characters’ lips. Also, I disliked how the story was hard to follow for non-Tekken fans. The fact is, nobody else knows what the devil gene is or who Heihachi Mishima is, and when they are explained, it seems quite abrupt. Sure, fans liked it, but this is going too far. It’s as if the creators are begging for critical panning. But none of that matters, for overall Tekken: Blood Vengeance was successful in making us all burst with geeky happiness. Also, one critic said that although Western viewers cannot help but see it as cheesy, audiences in the east, where the game was created, may say something different. With this I completely agree. The Japanese are probably used to this kind of material, finding it very pleasant, so all American haters can eat their words once the film is released in Nipponese theaters this September.  Overall, as a movie, it failed somewhat, but as a member of the Tekken franchise, it rocked the house. On a scale of 10, I give it a 7.

After I saw this film, I was immediately reminded of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. It was a CG animated movie based on a multi-million dollar franchise that overall got poor critical reception, just like this one. However, it still managed to spawn a TV series on Cartoon Network that got significantly higher ratings. Now, a Tekken TV series. Wouldn’t that be interesting? The overseer of the film said on Eurogamer he may consider a TV series if the film was successful enough. It would be a great idea, as long as they managed to right all of the wrongs in the picture, meaning making it more understandable for non-Tekken fans in the west, putting in some more fight scenes, possibly making it a little bit more Shounen action oriented and not a Shoujo Drama, and maybe even adding some more characters in and giving them notable roles and action scenes. The clip at the end of the credits, when the two heroines were signing up for the next tournament, suggested a possible sequel, and if the creators do this, they’ve got it made. I know I for one would watch it. I have great expectations of this film in the future, and I hope that they once again do not disappoint.

2011
07/29
CATEGORY
Reviews
TAGS





















1 comment
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.