So, I’m randomly home on a Sunday, and I see a marathon of some show on ABC Family: The Secret Life Of The American Teenager. Set at Ulysses S. Grant High School, some chick got knocked up, and Molly Ringwold is her mom.
What the hell does this have to do with Tokusatsu? No actors, no plots, probably no crew. BUT… it was the same school that the Rangers went to from Mighty Morphin’ to In Space, except it was decked out as Angel Grove High School. Watch the promo, and it’s almost the same shot that you saw every episode back 16 years ago.
Welcome back to gaijINdebt, where we try to keep you out of debt with awesome deals. Comic book fans will get a kick out of this week’s sales, with Midtown and RightStuf having some decent deals, and some cheap games are still available out there.
There are two unavoidable topics when talking about sports-themed Japanese cartoons: baseball and Adachi Mitsuru. Baseball is America’s past time, but baseball here is nowhere the ’serious business’ it is in Japan. Oh sure, we have famous Hatfield-McCoy feud between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox or even the inter-league rivalries like Chicago’s White Sox and Cubs, but how many Cubs fans would jump into Lake Michigan if the team superstition meant it would help their chances in the play-offs and win a World Series? Cheering in an American stadium is nothing like the large flags, towels and team fight songs which are waved and bellowed more and more drunkenly as the game goes on. Every baseball game in Japan is played and cheered there like it’s October here. Yes, baseball in Japan is different than it is here; it was an import in the late Taisho period (late 1910s - early 1920s) but has distinctively grown into its own very Japanese phenomenon.
Adachi Mitsuru, likewise, is a name that is dropped in nearly every conversation when talking about sports anime. He’d been doing manga art since the early 1970s and by the close of the decade was writing his own narrative, usually about sports, youth and romance all wrapped up together. Today’s article isn’t about his first or last work but one that is typically lauded as his best. The story of twins, their neighbor, and a childhood dream simply called Touch.
As Sasami Magical Girls Club returns for its second season, Sasami and her friends have returned from the world of the witches. They’re still in the same grade, still using their magic powers for good (and a certain amount of mischief), and still have their nurse Washu along to teach them how to use their powers. When one of the group members strays off the beaten path, the Magical Girls Club has to remind her that you can’t be a unique individual: stay with the clique or be an outcast! Gotta love elementary school drama.
Sure, we’ll skip the completely nonsensical name, as the game has nothing to do with space, death, or beef. To the best of our knowledge, the game’s set in the stratosphere with unmanned fighter crafts, no beef inherent. As it stands, the title stands out, the gameplay doesn’t, but as a free shoot-em-up available on the AppStore for iPhone and iPod Touch, you can’t go too wrong.
New Years day is one of the biggest days in Japan. Its more than just a countdown to a ball dropping, Japanese citizens will wear their nicest kimonos, go to temple, and have a big family feast which includes the ozoni soup, fish cakes, and other traditional holiday foods. Also, the kids will play lots of games on New Years. The kids will also watch the yearly Super Sentai New Years episodes, which are probably the worst episodes of the series. Here are the plots of past New Years episodes and all of its silliness. Read…
(Holy crap, a Previews Predictions article. Been forever.)
Turns out those rumors that She-Hulk might be cancelled could be right. With She-Hulk #38 (the last released issue) being the last solicited issue, Marvel’s sent out their New Years card (as seen at the right).
The solicit for #38 reads as follows:
SHE-HULK R.I.P.!
She’s been savage. She’s been sensational. She’s been an avenger. She’s been a lawyer. She’s been a bounty-hunter. But there’s one thing She-Hulk has always been, in all of her many series… cancelled. But it hasn’t stopped her yet! In this oversized final issue, Peter David brings his run on the Jade Giantess to a close… but can Jen use her last remaining pages to save her friends from a truly mammoth threat? Catch her now, before someone turns her red!
Seriously? I love Jen Walters She-Hulk. With the Hulk books now consisting of Hulk, Skaar, and Mighty Avengers, I guess they figured they could revamp the last little hang-on. Still, I hope Jen goes somewhere.
But Thundra’s daughter? I guess I’ll have to pick up those specials with her to judge.
If you’re a regular reader of this fine website, you already know about Kamen Rider Dragon Knight. This adaptation of the Japanese tokusatsu show Kamen Rider Ryuki premieres on January 3rd on CW4Kids. As someone who has not seen an Americanized tokusatsu show since the original Power Rangers aired, and as someone who lived through the abortion that was Saban’s Masked Rider, I was curious to see how Kamen Rider Dragon Knight would turn out. I was also curious to see if I can get through an article without making continuous common/kamen puns(the title doesn’t count).
Welcome to the introductory segment of gaijINdebt. Scouring the Interwebs (What? Spider-Man said it) for the best deals, hoping to save you cash. I won’t point out any good deals if I wouldn’t buy them myself, so the sites are reputable at least. Show me a respectable nerd who doesn’t have crippling amounts of debt.
EDITED- Updated to add The Simpsons and It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia.
Welcome back to gaijINdebt, where we try to keep you out of debt with awesome deals. Comic book fans will get a kick out of this week’s sales, with Midtown and RightStuf having some decent deals, and some cheap games are still available out there.
As Sasami Magical Girls Club returns for its second season, Sasami and her friends have returned from the world of the witches. They’re still in the same grade, still using their magic powers for good (and a certain amount of mischief), and still have their nurse Washu along to teach them how to use their powers. When one of the group members strays off the beaten path, the Magical Girls Club has to remind her that you can’t be a unique individual: stay with the clique or be an outcast! Gotta love elementary school drama.
Sure, we’ll skip the completely nonsensical name, as the game has nothing to do with space, death, or beef. To the best of our knowledge, the game’s set in the stratosphere with unmanned fighter crafts, no beef inherent. As it stands, the title stands out, the gameplay doesn’t, but as a free shoot-em-up available on the AppStore for iPhone and iPod Touch, you can’t go too wrong.
New Years day is one of the biggest days in Japan. Its more than just a countdown to a ball dropping, Japanese citizens will wear their nicest kimonos, go to temple, and have a big family feast which includes the ozoni soup, fish cakes, and other traditional holiday foods. Also, the kids will play lots of games on New Years. The kids will also watch the yearly Super Sentai New Years episodes, which are probably the worst episodes of the series. Here are the plots of past New Years episodes and all of its silliness.
(Holy crap, a Previews Predictions article. Been forever.)
Welcome to the introductory segment of gaijINdebt. Scouring the Interwebs (What? Spider-Man said it) for the best deals, hoping to save you cash. I won’t point out any good deals if I wouldn’t buy them myself, so the sites are reputable at least. Show me a respectable nerd who doesn’t have crippling amounts of debt.