It’s been three years since the first-ever Star Wars live-action series, The Mandalorian — as well as the platform it lives on, Disney+ — debuted. In celebration, viewers received a little treat, by way of a collaboration between two beloved studios.
Continue reading “NOC Review: When Grogu Met the Soot Sprites”
Toho and Comix Wave have finally released the reveal trailer for Makoto Shinkai’s upcoming film, Suzume. The anticipation of the next film from the acclaimed Your Name and Weathering With You director has been building since the first key visual was released back in April.
Continue reading “A Door to a New Adventure Opens in the trailer for Makoto Shinkai’s ‘Suzume’”
It’s happening!
The anticipated live action series, based on the beloved manga and anime, One Piece is a step closer to premiering on Netflix.
Continue reading “Behind the Scenes Look at Live Action ‘One Piece’”
Happy Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month everyone! Last year, to acknowledge both this annual commemoration of contributions from the AAPI community and the ever-present following of the ’90s Disney Channel original series, So Weird, I compiled together a list of supernatural recommendations, created by and about people of the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities.
Continue reading “More AAPI Supernatural Recommendations for Fans of Disney’s ‘So Weird’”
Atlus has released new story and character information about their upcoming RPG, Soul Hackers 2, a sequel to the twenty-five year old game, Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers. Following its cult-celebrated predecessor’s meshing of sci-fi aesthetic with the Shin Megami Tensei, Soul Hackers 2 aims to upgrade the concept by coding a new tale about humanity and its relationship with technology.
Continue reading “‘Soul Hackers 2’ Overrides Predecessor’s Past with New Digital Identity”
Creating an influential and resonating documentary that digs into the heart of cosplay and Geekdom from a Black perspective as her first film wasn’t exactly Cheyenne Ewulu’s plan to begin with. What was supposed to be more of an artistic catharsis to express the frustration with racism and lack of awareness she noticed in the community she called home, became a beacon for Black cosplayers to find hope and admiration in their work.
Continue reading “Cheyenne Ewulu on ‘Shades of Cosplay’ and Artistic Expression”
Domee Shi’s Bao was praised for its poignancy and beautiful portrayal of the Asian immigrant experience. While the story captured the hearts of many, production designer Rona Liu was responsible for the finished look of the entire short. And we know the end result. Now Liu reunites with Shi for Turning Red. As one could imagine, the responsibilities increase ten-fold now that the two are working on a feature-length film.
Continue reading “‘Turning Red’ Animators Talk Overcoming Production Challenges and Delicious Food”
On the latest episode of Shelf Conscious, Keith is once again joined by multi-hyphenate extraordinaire (activist, restaurateur, podcaster, celebrity chef, and candidate for Lexington, KY council at large), Dan Wu!
Cosplay is an enigma to me. The act of dressing up as one’s favorite character to an almost identical degree shows a mastery of craft-making, make-up, and acting that is rarely discussed in other mediums. Being a fan of a show or a character is no longer a passive experience when you cosplay, it becomes an active response to the work that inspires you.
Continue reading “‘Shades of Cosplay’ Makes Me Want to Cosplay”
Film director Cheyenne Ewulu directed the 2015 documentary Shades of Cosplay about four Black cosplayers and their experiences during the 2015 Anime-Matusuri convention. Using her background as a cosplayer, Ewulu weaves a story that interacts with the world of cosplay and its issues of racism and inclusiveness in the space. Now in the year 2022, the film is being released online for the first time on February 4, 2022 — to celebrate Black History Month.
Continue reading “‘Shades of Cosplay’ Brings the Black Cosplay Experience Front and Center”
Celebrate the Holidays with Shelf Conscious! In this brand new episode, Keith is joined by YouTuber and diorama artist, Art G!
With The Matrix Resurrections now less than a month away from release, it was time to make one more dive into the world of the Wachowskis’ creation, but through multiple different lenses. In 2003, the same year the second and third films came out, an animated anthology film called The Animatrix was also released. In collaboration with several Japanese animation studios, side stories, origin stories, and stories of random characters within the Matrix are explored through these nine different shorts.
Continue reading “Thoughts (and Just Thoughts) from Watching ‘The Animatrix’ for the First Time”
It’s time to jam Bebop fans! Netflix’s Cowboy Bebop debuts today! And while it isn’t perfect, it’s still pretty fun in a pretty campy way. However, the one thing the show gets right is the music! And heavily inspired by the terrific music of the original anime, the music in the new adaptation pays homage, while managing to carve out its own identity for itself (much like the show as a whole). And someone who knows all about that is iconic DJ Steve Aoki!
Continue reading “Putting the ‘Bebop’ in ‘Cowboy Bebop’ with Steve Aoki and John Cho”
The worldwide, cultural impact of anime has come a long way, hasn’t it? From dragon balls to giant space robots, the icons of the past have fought valiantly for anime’s future. And some of those shonen warriors are still fighting the good fight; like One Piece.
Continue reading “Funimation and Crunchyroll Invite Fans to Special ‘One Piece’ Episode 1,000 Event”
We’re excited to have Meg Humphrey of Rogue Podron on to discuss Star Wars: Visions, the new anime anthology on Disney+ that breathes fresh life into this franchise with Japanese creators, crafting stories in a universe that was *heavily* inspired by their own culture.
Continue reading “The Middle Geeks Episode 32: The Promise of ‘Star Wars: Visions’”
So much like my review for Snake Eyes, I will set a disclaimer about the fact that I’m by no means a hardcore Cowboy Bebop fan. I’ve seen the full series once through in my life, and I do like it. And I’ve rewatched some of my favorite episodes numerous times, particularly in preparation for the release of this series. But I’m not as emotionally attached or invested in the series as many out there are.
Continue reading “NOC Review: ‘Cowboy Bebop’ is a Mixed Bag That Will Test the Purists”
We are almost to November 19 everyone! Which means we’re that much closer to the premiere of Netflix’s Cowboy Bebop!
Continue reading “‘Cowboy Bebop’ Official Trailer and New Poster Drop”
I have spent most of my life playing Japanese role playing games. From the Final Fantasy series to the Shin Megami Tensei series, I have enjoyed several different JRPG titles from Japan. But one in particular was always hit or miss for me, and that was the Tales series. I bounced off of Abyss and Beseria, never owned a Gamecube to play Symphonia, finished Vesperia and liked it, but never felt the pull of replaying it. So to say that Tales of Arise is one of the best JRPGs to date is an understatement. Tales of Arise captures what makes JRPGs timeless while evolving and creating a new vocabulary of play through its storytelling and combat that I hope other studios take note of.
Continue reading “‘Tales of Arise’ Review: Rising to the Occasion Never Felt So Good”
Emma Mieko Candon likes to write stories that pull from her love for ‘90’s action movies. Being a fan of film franchises like The Mummy and Star Wars, she likes stories that can be quippy and fun, but she also cleaves on philosophical angst. As a new author on the scene, she wants to write action adventures, filled with a lot of queer people of color and an underlying current of a fraught metaphor.
Continue reading “Emma Mieko Candon on Continuing ‘Star Wars: Visions’ in New ‘Ronin’ Novel”
On a new episode of Hard NOC Life, Keith, Britney, and Dominic welcome action designers Chris Cowan and Yung Lee to talk about their work on Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings! The crew also break down the latest What If and the anime-inspired Star Wars: Visions!
Our first footage of Netflix’s Cowboy Bebop is finally here! As predicted, right on the heels of the poster drop yesterday, the streaming service teamed up with the show’s cast during today’s TUDUM event to unveil the first look to all the rabid fans who have been patiently waiting to see it! And it didn’t disappoint! It’s an almost perfect recreation of the classic anime’s intro!
Continue reading “Netflix Unleashes ‘Cowboy Bebop’ Opening Credits”
This morning Netflix dropped a sweet poster ahead of Netflix’s #TUDUM event tomorrow. Check it out here!
Continue reading “New Poster Revealed for Netflix’s ’Cowboy Bebop’”
Masi Oka’s life in the Star Wars Universe has come full circle. When he was fresh out of college, he took a job with Industrial Light & Magic as a digital and visual effects artist working on the Star Wars prequels. Now, the actor is voicing a Jedi in the new anime-inspired Star Wars series, Visions.
Continue reading “Masi Oka on ‘Star Wars: Visions’ and How His Career Came Full Circle”