Click here to view the embedded video.

Gak is the one responsible (and getting the bejeesus beat out of him) for this video. I highly suggest checking out his other videos for some more of his great editing and his willingness to figure out new SFX to keep us entertained. One of which is a Death Eater vs an Auror in case any of you need something to get you even more excited for the last Harry Potter movie.

Up until fairly recent I was only vaguely familiar with Ito’s work, mostly from the live action adaptation of Uzumaki and seeing his name on various books in the store.  That is until I picked up Gyo. Immediately blown away by every aspect of it I’ve been rabidly devouring any of his stuff that I can find. The setup is simple yet so original and unforgettable… Fish grow legs, come out of the water and start taking over the land.  Now I’m not talking about smart talking fish people devising a world conquering plan. I’m talking about a massive amount of stupid fish, all types of fish, small fish, big fish, red fish… you get it…fish with legs that simply force the humans out due to strength in numbers and stench for that matter.

After getting about half way through the first volume I began to wonder why this was never adapted into a live action film like some of Ito’s other work like Uzumaki and the Tomie series.  I’ll settle for an animated version, but hopefully it generates enough interest for a live action Gyo.

Seriously though who wouldn’t want to see a real land shark!

Viz Media’s Detroit Metal City is like nothing you’ve seen before.  I remember when the first volume came out.  I knew nothing of the book, but as a Heavy Metal fan myself, I was instantly attracted to it. Now Volume 8 is hitting the shelves this Tuesday, and I’m salivating for it because I’ve become a totally obsessed follower of the cult of Krauser!  I’ve throughly enjoyed every single volume, the cartoon series, and the live action DMC movie adaptation of this… manga.  There, I said it. I like manga, but you won’t see me cosplaying anytime soon. Hmmm… although a Krauser halloween costume could be pretty cool.

By all appearances, Soichi Negishi is a sweet, well-mannered boy who loves Swedish pop music, trendy boutiques, and all things fashionable. But at the same time he’s also Krauser II, front man for Detroit Metal City, an indie death metal band whose popularity increases by the day. Once the DMC makeup goes on and Soichi takes the stage, his natural talent as a death metal god can’t help but flourish. Is this the band he’s truly destined to be in?

How did this happen? When and where did I go wrong? This is not the kind of band I wanted to be in!

It’s like Metalocalypse meets Mrs. Doubtfire on acid.

The live action movie stars Kenichi Matsuyama, a pretty high-profile star in the manga adaptation genre, having starred in the Death Note series as L, and in the Nana movie.  It also features a guest appearance by one of my favorite people in the world… None other than the Devil Bat himself, Gene Simmons! You might know him from such films as Never Too Young To Die, Trick Or Treat, and a band you might of heard of called KISS! Unfortunately, the music in the live-action film does not evoke the true evil spirit of the manga, going for a nu-metal sound, unlike the anime, which used more traditional death-metal music.  I still wholeheartedly recommend the film, for the characters are spot-on and hilarious.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Now can someone please tell me where I can find a DMC shirt?

Click here to view the embedded video.

Okay, all of you who keep up with me and my rants and reviews, remember the other week when I was going on about how 20th Century Boys has been falling behind and why Volume 3 wasn’t out already? Well, almost as if someone at Viz actually reads these articles, here it is! That’s right this week 20th Century Boys Volume 3 By Naoki Urasawa shows up this week. But don’t blow all your energy just yet, it’s an exciting week.

20th Century Boys Vol. 3

It’s also a Viz Big editions week. Fushigi Yugi 2, Dragon Ball Z 4, and Rurouni Kenshin 6 Viz Bigs are all coming in. Oh, and so is the new Shojo Beat Magazine for July. And TokyoPop thinks they can play the game too putting out the first Gravitation Collection. Though if we’ve learned anything from them, it’s that they only ever do first volumes of these things. At least we can trust Viz to finish out the series.

Gestalt Vol. 1

There are also 2 premier series that have got my antennae twitching. The first of which is the Lucky Star manga by Kagami Yoshimizu. A lot of the girls out there went mad for the anime, and the mechandise we have been able to get in, and how could you not? It’s so cute. And now’s your chance to read the cuteness. Okay, and the second book coming in is the third series to release in America by Yun Kouga (creator of Earthian and Loveless), called Gestalt. The premise? Ages ago the gods were at war. One god was cast out and found refuge on an island known only as G. I shouldn’t have to tell you the artwork is pretty, but it is, and definitely worth checking out.

Samurai Champloo Box Set

Finally, got some DVD news for you all. A new Samurai Champloo thin pack box set came in and it’s only $69.99 (compared to the original box set that was closer to $180). There’s also the latest volume of Darker Than Black, and D. Gray-Man. There will also be much more showing up that I can’t even conceive of while I write this on Monday afternoon. Anyways, thats all this time.

Ja Ne!