I present to you, ladies and gentlemen, on the pedestal of my past the movie that got me into something called anime. Beyond that, it introduced me to a new world that even to this day is an exciting twist on the rather dull and expected Vampire genre that feels as though it just carries on through a checklist of things it has to have. It got me back into reading after I had stopped for a while as well, after I found out that the novels from which this was based on were getting an english translation and release, and I got deep enough into it that I own not only those novels, a few of the manga renditions of them, and the two movies (the second will come later, don't you worry), but also a rather mediocre game that came on in the vein of Resident Evil. This, you stunning people, is Vampire Hunter D, and I am quite excited to share my thoughts on my gateway into so many things.
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I'm not going to lie, the main reason I wanted to watch this movie was due to it's connection to Dragon Age. You see, I've been playing myself quite a bit of Dragon Age: Origins (about 80 game-hours worth), and enjoying the return to classic Dungeons and Dragons style fantasy - complete with monsters and wizards and full plate. This movie is more tied to DA 2 from what I'm told (which I haven't played or know much about), but thankfully for all of you suffering through this paragraph, you don't need to know much at all about the games to enjoy this movie - it tells you the specific tidbits you need right at the start. So grab your steel and prep that fireball, lets get this show on the road!
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Nevermind the fact that you can find Kaiser spelled with a S or Z depending on where you come from. Never mind that Netflix only had the subtitled version as opposed to the one with the English VA's I've read exists. Forget everything you know about Mazinkaiser, if you knew anything at all. This movie brings the metal back into the giant robot anime.
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Oh the nostalgia that comes out of this one. My roots back into Japanese animation actually reaches all the way back to this very movie, shown once on a Saturday morning before the Sci Fi channel became SyFy. This was the first of the batch I saw, and admittedly I cam in mid way through the adventure and was so lost I didn't finish watching it, but the seeds were planted and I tuned in for many other shows in that timeline, some of which would go on to become my favorite movies, hands down. Years later, I came back to this rather violent and strange tale - smartly watching it from the beginning to the end that time. Tell you what, the only way to watch Akira is from start to finish - otherwise be prepared to not get the most out of it.
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Insert some Black Sabbath and say "I am Iron Man." I mean, really, that's the first thing to come to mind when anyone thinks of Iron Man, right? Well, he's back in animated form (the character, not the actor) with a small scale assortment of known heroes and some distinctly Japanese-flavored new ones in this animated adventure. If you're a bit pressed for time, let me assure you that if you enjoyed his live-action romps, then you should find yourself a happy place for this one.
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It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words. On the same page, if a person were to look at that same picture with some form of music playing in the background, they might find that not only are those words changing more freely, but also that the picture is starting to generate feelings within the viewer that might not be found otherwise. It is in this vein that the band Daft Punk decides to experiment, generating what some might consider a waste of time, and yet others will appreciate for long to come as a new spin on story telling, where the imaginative visuals combine with the music to form a whole new beast
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Batman is one of those characters that despite what medium he happens to be appearing in, it's gonna be a blast. Comics, novels, live action movies, animations, and even games, the Bats has a way of making people want more and enjoy getting it. This movie is actually the second part (as the title would apply) in a pair, the earlier of which I had watched some time ago before I started doing these little reviews, so I feel at least a little bit awkward when it comes to doing this one. In that respect, I'm grateful that they both feel a bit functional as stand alone things - that is to say I enjoyed this one even forgetting most of the last movie (as I have a terrible memory span). Enough about me though, you came here to learn about the movie didn't you?
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