Vampire Hunter D – A Review!

Originally released, in Japan, in 1985, this feature was directed by the popular Toyoo Ashida. It came to America  under theatrical release in August of 1992 as an OVA (Original Video Animation) and was given the talents of such great voice actors as Barbara Goodson (Doris) and Michael McConnohie (Vampire Hunter D). Its targeted demographic were teenage and adult males and capitalized on the emerging OVA media storm because of its reliance on graphic violence and intense action; as well as relying on the European mythology of vampires and subservient mutants.

Doris encounters ‘D’

As the story goes, young Doris and her younger brother Dan have been keeping close security on their land, fighting off dangerous mutants that tend to feed on their livestock. The year is 12,090 AD and mankind is, on the whole, ruled by vampires. During a nightly routine patrol with her beloved horse, Doris encounters a menacing mutant and manages to scare it off after shooting it. But she is forced to destroy it after it near-fatally wounds her horse.

“So, what’s your name?”

Upon destroying it, she find her poor horse in the deadly clutches of a werewolf, who manages to remove her holy crucifix, then disappearing into the night with its meal: Doris’ poor horse.

Before she can do anything else, Doris is ‘ambushed’ by Count Magnus Lee, an ancient vampire who manages to put her under his spell with a ‘Vampire’s Kiss’ – biting her.

Before long, she manages to meet “D”, who easily convinces her that he is a formidable and brave vampire hunter. Upon securing his services, she runs into trouble in town when the mayor’s obnoxious son, Greco, reveals her to be contaminated and that “D” is a vampire hunter.

The Count’s daughter, Lamika. Just as pretty as she is dangerous!

Although “D” manages to convince the town he is more than capable of helping, everyone shuns poor Doris and her brother….almost making them outcasts.

Rei Ginsei – the time-twisting mutant….nearly as skilled in fighting as ‘D’.

Through different battles with Rei (a time-shifting mutant) and Lamika (the Count’s daughter), “D” somehow manages to confront Lee, but will he be triumphant in his fight and save Doris’ life? What is the secret behind D’s power? D’s father is WHO?!

D’s first fight with Rei.

Magnus Lee gets the shock of his undead life!

Almost ‘tsundere’…..tough on the outside, soft-hearted inside.

As much as I thoroughly enjoy this Anime, this ‘re-release’ is slightly disappointing in the newer English casting. Not as convincing as the originals from the early 1990’s. Nothing against them; I suppose I am just used to the originals. However, the Japanese cast is as impressive as ever! I watch almost all my Anime in Japanese, anyway, with the English subtitles.

The only other complaint I had for this feature is that there was no wide-screen format available as it expressed on the website from which I purchased it. The animation/graphics were as great as before! The music…..splendidly done and worthy of praise. As moody and creepy as before!

My final 1 to 10 rating on this Anime:  9 – as the newer English cast just does not have the same effect(s) as the originals. Again, nothing against them; I am just used to the originals. But everything else is great!

Although the targeted demographic, in Japan, is teenage males, I do not recommend this for youth viewing (17 & under)…….not without adults, anyway.

All images retrieved from the DVD and are © MOVIC – Aniplex. All Rights Reserved. Released through Sentai Filmworks. ‘Re-release’ English language © 2015 Toho Co., Ltd.

超人ロック – A Review!

Locke the Superman

Being a ‘Comic Book Geek’ as well as fan of Japanese Animation (Anime to the initiated), I am always on the look-out for something different and interesting. However, my interest was awakened, initially, when I was living in northern New England back in the mid-to-late 1980’s and into the early 1990’s.

Locke fighting with some kind of energy sword/spear.

Before my family left Maine in 1992, I recall visiting a family-owned video store across town & had found a very intriguing VHS video titled “Locke the Superpower”. Little did I know that, later on, this title would prove to be slightly embarrassing to many an Anime fan. The true title, if one does not understand the Japanese language, would be quite complicated and leave you wondering what you just read.

 

超人ロック – Locke the Superman is the true title of this classic feature. Now I did research, over the last 15 years, what this characters true identity was/is. Imaginatively conceived in the mind of veteran manga artist Yuki Hijiri, Locke the Superman arrived to American media in the late 1980’s. Hjiri was unaware of this, but he did not seem upset about it when interviewed by Tim Eldred (of Cosmo DNA – ourstarblazers.com) & ‘Sword Takeda’.

“This room will turn into a furnace if I use my Ultra-Power!”

At the time of Locke’s conception, Hijiri was working as an artist for the Sakuga Group (and, apparently, they’re still around today) and he was wanting to draw his own comic strip. His first long-form one was, as it appeared in the comic strip, ‘Superman Locke’. And it went on from there.

 

Locke’s true age is virtually unknown, as is his full name, though some high-ranking professionals and military officers who have tried accessing his records claim he is more than 100 years old…..perhaps twice that. What it seems to be is that Locke’s ability to use psychokinetic energy – some call it ultra power or ultra ability – is what helps Locke retain the look of an adolescent boy who hates war. The results from this affect is that he’s been able to travel the universe, trying to find some sense of peace, and live out his days without any conflict…..at least, no more than he’d face from his day-to-day routines. However, after only so long, this tends to end when ‘Federal Agents’ somehow find him and ‘convince’ him to help out in some galactic struggle against a new menace.

Col. Ryu Yamaki of Federal Army Intelligence having a meeting with Locke.

Well, I did find a digitally-remastered DVD copy of 超人ロック – ‘Choujin Locke’ or ‘Chojin Locke’. As it was offered, on special pricing, from Amazon online, under license to EASTERN STAR INC., I purchased a copy and wanted to see what changes had been made. Apparently, a whole bunch of great footage had been edited out for the ‘family friendly’ version of this historical piece of animation. The original animated video is much more dramatic, more mature, and a bit more violent than the VHS copy I purchased back in the early 1990’s.

 

The English dubbing was pretty much as I remembered it, though it had a few more curse words and foul language than before. But I greatly appreciate this version more than the ‘Celebrity Home Entertainment’ version. This is supposed to be true to Hijiri’s good-hearted, peace-loving protagonist. Locke even shows some smooth skill in martial arts and self-defense, besides being a weapons expert and near-omnipotent ESPer.

Between the English dubbing and the original Japanese V.O……well I have to admit I like the original Japanese more. More heart/soul in the Japanese V.O. and it just has that authentic feel I always look for in a good Anime.

 

I could see some slight errors in the special effects parts. The glowing eyes effects seemed to be backwards in some areas, but I can understand why, as this was originally done back in the early 1980’s and they were still perfecting these effects.

Locke sensing the whereabouts of Lady Khan.

This, however, did not deter me from enjoying this Anime. Although this was not my first taste of Anime, I did not realize what it was, completely, back when I first had seen this style of animation. It was around 1983 or 1984 when I first had seen Anime, on television, with Voltron: Defender of the Universe. Oh, great……as I typed that, I could hear Peter Cullens V.O. narrating the opening sequence of that cartoon! Now I’ve got it playing in my head! Ha ha ha..!

 

Anyway, I really, REALLY enjoyed this classic piece of Anime and will give it a 9 out of 10 – seeing as the Special FX were slightly off here and there. BUT I’d recommend this one to anyone wanting to check it out if/when they hear the title of Locke the Superman.

I would not recommend this for youth viewing without adults present.

*Images retrieved from DVD and are © 1984 Shochiku Co., Ltd. / Nippon Animation Co., Ltd.

RESIDENT EVIL 5: GOLD EDITION – A Review

The Resident Evil (BioHazard in Japan) franchise series has been around since the 1990’s. But survival horror video games have been around since the early 1980’s, 1982 to be precise. My first taste of survival horror was an old Atari 2600 game titled Haunted House (pictured below). Although it was a 2-bit game, if memory serves (and not meant to be an old insult), it did sort of mess with my imagination as you had a ghost following you around this dark place as well as a bat following you; I think there’s even a spider that stalks you. All you had was a candle that did not give off much light. I don’t recall if I beat the game or not…if there was an end to the game.

It was not until the late 1990’s when I had gotten back into survival horror gaming when my older brother, who loved playing my game systems, had rented Resident Evil 3: Nemesis and played it for a while. When he had his fill of playing the game, he suggested I try it. I was almost instantly hooked! From there, it took off…my liking survival-horror video games!

Other survival horror games came along, after that, and it seemed to be an addiction to many.

Here, we have Resident Evil 5: Gold Edition. This brings back some veteran characters of the series, as well as introducing a new one (or two – haven’t played this title in a little while).  Here’s where things take a global turn, as this mission starts out in Africa.

The story starts where veteran RE warrior, Chris Redfield, is sent to Africa on a mission. He is met by the beautiful and formidable Sheva Alomar, one of the natives of the country and a BSAA agent. She may not be as big and imposing as Chris, but she can certainly hold her own in combat!

Throughout the game, you meet a variety of interesting characters and encounter new, menacing enemies, as well as imposing, gargantuan mutants, thanks to the virus. As with many a survival horror game, you have numerous chances to purchase stronger weapons, ammo for them, and collect valuable gems and money to purchase with. There are just as many puzzling scenarios to figure out as there are just plain immense combat sequences. Additionally there are also ‘chase’ scenes in the game.

Further into the game, you encounter two other veteran characters of the RE series! For all the guy gamers out there, Jill Valentine returns, along with the ever-irritating Albert Wesker, who has her under his will, somehow. So, one of the tasks that comes up is you have to save Jill from Wesker’s control. After that, the mission continues to figure out what is going on with the virus.

I’ve included a copy of this part of the instructions manual, for those who find it easier to read from the computer screen rather than messing with the manual….or if you got a used copy of the game and it did not have a manual. As any gamer would know, if you purchase a used copy of a game or rented one, sometimes they don’t have the manual. That is one of the things that irritates me about used games, or renting games…the manual can sometimes be missing.

There are plenty of other goodies programmed into the game, like once you’ve won the entire game or completed selected action during gameplay, you open bonus games such as “Lost in Nightmares” where you get to play as Jill Valentine, once again. There are other games, as well, such as “Desperate Escape” and “The Mercenaries Reunion.”

In certain areas of the game, you’ll also encounter scenarios where “Co-Op” actions will be necessary, such as Chris having to catapult Sheva to scale a large gaping bust in a walk-way, or something to that nature. Be prepared for that. You also have options to trade items with your partner, such as weapons, ammo, and health aids.As you can see from the above picture, the story of Resident Evil’s RCPD S.T.A.R.S. team goes back to 1996. Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine had become partners while serving with RCPD. Of course, when the game first was released, co-op had not been a giant option for this. You could only pick Chris or Jill.

Controls in the game are pretty well done, here, although rather linear. If an enemy were behind you, you really wouldn’t know it until they’ve struck you or grabbed you. Aside from that, the control, as I said before, were pretty good. Plenty of options to choose from for an enjoyable gaming experience.

 For those who do actually write in the notes section of your manual, here is an extra blank page for you. I am sure it’ll come in handy.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this game a 9, since the linear control process can be slightly annoying….though that may all be just a matter of opinion. To each their own. But I do say this is an awesome addition to the Resident Evil series!

Resident Evil / Biohazard, all names, pictures, etc. are property and Copyright © CAPCOM CO., LTD. 2005, 2014 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Sid Meier’s Civilization V: The Complete Edition (DVD-ROM) | Buy Sid Meier’s Civilization V: The Complete Edition (DVD-ROM) (US Version) for PC CD-ROM & PC & Mac

BioHazard 4 Kaitaishinsho – Revised Edition | Buy BioHazard 4 Kaitaishinsho – Revised Edition (Japan Version)

DEAD ISLAND: RIPTIDE – a Review

Mutants, zombies, viral outbreaks….what else makes for a thrilling 1st-Person Perspective Survival Horror game? Dead Island was a monstrous hit when it was first released in September of 2011. With various characters to choose from with different special abilities and strengthened attack variations, you knew, as soon as you put the disk in your home gaming console, that you were in for a wild ride! Here, we have Dead Island: Riptide, the 2013 release from Techland / Deep Silver. This sequel adds a new member to your ‘hero’ roster: ADF Sergeant John Morgan. This character, who teams up with the veterans Sam B, Purna, Xian Mei, and Logan Carter, claims he was supposed to be part of a humanitarian effort on some nearby island, until Serpo appeared and ruined everything.

When they finally escape the ship they were on, they end up meeting a highly attractive survivor named Harlow Jordan, who ends up being more than she appears. Surviving surging horde after horde of the volatile zombies and mutants, you find temporary safe haven at different locations around Palanai. Although Harlow appears to be the genuine altruist, initially, you find out more about her than you cared to know. But I won’t spoil the game for you.

 Harlow helps you through a few missions with information and she does lead you right to a scientist you helps you with extra important information. You begin in the Paradise Survival camp, then you move on to the Halai Village where you find out about the scientist who more enlightening news, as well as disturbing information about your ‘immunity’. This leads to more startling revelations. But that’s all I am going to reveal as I don’t want to spoil the game for fans.

Not being a fan of 1st-Person Perspective games, I was skeptical about these titles, at first, but it was addicting and I was easily sucked into it after about ½ an hour of playing. Although you get a variety of new weapons and health aids, as well as meeting up with new enemies to challenge you, you do lose some classic favorites like the Tesla Sledge Hammer that Sam B utilized.

 Each character has a special skill where weapons are concerned. Sam B, a rap/hip-hop musician making a comeback, is an expert at utilizing blunt objects as sledgehammers and baseball bats. Logan Carter, a former professional football player, specializes in throwing weapons such as knives and small bladed weapons. Purna, a former Australian policewoman, specializes in firearms, but is also keen with knives. Xian Mei, a former Banoi Island waitress and hotel desk clerk, is excellent with larger bladed weapons like swords and machetes. An added bonus is that, throughout gameplay, as you gain more experience and money, you can modify weapons to make more devastatingly powerful weapons, as the Tesla Hammer (above) is a prime example. I’ve been able to send the Thug Zombies flying with this interesting weapon when my strikes were timed properly. But this weapon was in the first Dead Island game. I’ve not come across it, yet, in RIPTIDE.

Some returning enemies are still as dangerous as they were in the first game, such as the Ram, an escaped mental patient, still wrapped in its straight-jacket, that has two very powerful attacks: his running ram, and his kick. Attacking from the front does very little damage, if any at all. If you have a gun, shooting him in the head does some damage, but not a whole lot. The best method of dealing with the Ram is to leap out of the way as he charges you, then quickly turn and attack him from behind with a powerful weapon! This does the greatest amount of damage. A modified weapon such as a barbed flanged mace does plenty of damage.

A new enemy is the Drowner. It is known for being highly sensitive to activity in the water around them. When in a boat, they sense the motor’s running and they’ll awaken. They do run fast for being in the water, so be careful, as they can quickly climb in the boat and knock you out of it. Then, there’s the Screamer, who is slender, wiry, and fast! His/her smacks can drain you, fast, of your health. What makes the Screamer more dangerous is that its screams are highly ear-piercing and can temporarily incapacitate you…..long enough for it to smack you down and out-for-the-count! So, my best maneuver to avoid this was to keep jumping backwards away from it. You may briefly collapse from its screams, but this will not hurt you. While you’re down, nothing attacks you, surprisingly. You will know the Screamer by its brains popping out the top of its head, with their eyes being pried open by some maniacal-looking device. There are other new enemies, but I won’t spoil it all for you. So, as you progress through the game, you’ll find more weapons, better weapons, and gain more experience through modifying those important finds, as well as finding new weapon diagrams. Many of these diagrams and plans are obtained by way of completing important tasks and missions you encounter throughout the game.

There is another useful weapon that I found on top of a billboard-style sign when approaching the Panai Ferry that will take you to Henderson. You’ll notice a few hungry zombies at a billboard sign with a truck embedded on it. You dispose of the zombies and climb the ladder that’s behind the pillars. Once up top, you’ll see an already dormant zombie lying there in the back of the truck. By it is a sniper-style rifle! And there’s ammo with it, along with extra goodies like Molotov cocktails and some baggage with money or additional goodies for weapons modifications. Just be on the look-out for this useful gun.

I did enjoy this game, thoroughly. But my ONLY complaint is that it did not seem as long as the first one. But that was over-shadowed by the awesome gameplay and the new character, John Morgan, that is a soldier as well as a martial arts expert. You’ll, additionally, enjoy the storyline and the surprise ending, too. How enjoyable the game is, truthfully, is strictly relative and subject to one’s own opinions. If you love survival horror, this is a game to try! On a scale of 1 to 10, I give it a 9.5 as I noticed some slight errors within the programming. A male zombie screaming like a female zombie is one error I noticed. If it is not like that in other copies of this game, then good. But my copy has that error in it. I have the SPECIAL EDITION, for my PlayStation 3. Otherwise, this is a great game for the Survival Horror genre. Plenty of splatters, gore, and shocking surprises for any fan of this genre!

RATED “M” for Mature – not recommended for those under 17!

Dead Island: Riptide (Special Edition) | Buy Dead Island: Riptide (Special Edition) (US Version) for PlayStation 3 (PS3)

 

Dead Island, Riptide, Xian Mei, Sam B, Logan Carter, all other names, likenesses, pictures, music, etc. are property, license, and © Copyright 2012 and Published by Deep Silver Inc.

My Review of “Furry Vengeance”

Tuesday night, Aug. 24, my wife & I watched the Blu-Ray movie Furry Vengeance with Brendan Fraser and Brooke Shields. The movie is, in a nutshell, about a busy man (Brendan Fraser) who seems to be promoting new housing developments for his greedy boss (Ken Jeong) while trying to balance the business and his family life. His slightly exasperated wife (Brooke Shields) and his unhappy son (Matt Prokop) have to deal with their new surroundings while daddy tries to finalize the deals so he can return his family to their old home.

But things don’t quite go as expected when the vengeful forest animals do their best to ruin the development plans and make Dan (Fraser) look like he’s going completely insane. Will things fall into place, or fall apart?

Although cute and light-heartedly funny, it was not nearly the laugh-riot my wife and I had expected and I have seen Brendan Fraser in funnier movies, and Brooke Shields in better scenes. I will say it is well-acted, though. But the humor bracket left something to be desired.

Out of 5 stars, I give it 2½ stars. The movie is Rated PG – rude humor, mild language, and brief smoking.