DISCLAIMER : This review is solely based on my personal opinion on an anime as an anime fan myself..It’s totally based on my own amateur knowledge which I’ve accumulated by watching most of the anime that I owned, check out my collection HERE..
Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann (often only known as Gurren Lagann) as it is known in Japan, is a Japanese mecha-anime television series animated by Gainax who is also responsible for Gunbuster, Neon Genesis Evangelion, and FLCL, and co-produced by Aniplex and Konami..
I think Gurren Lagann is one of the few original screenplays that is not adapted from a manga or video game because the anime was on air (1st April 2007) earlier than the so-called manga-adapted serialization on 27th April 2007..Correct me if I’m wrong..
Eden of The East is one of the examples of original screenplays that has a good plot..
Gurren Lagann is written by Kazuki Nakashima and directed by Hiroyuki Imaishi..With Gurren Lagann being his series director debut, Hiroyuki Imaishi won an individual award in Animation Kobe Awards in 2007..
Gurren Lagann is about the human kind living underground where the surface world is ruled by beastmen under the ruling of Spiral King (Rasen Oh), Lordgenome..
The 27-episodes anime starts with protagonists Simon (pronounced as Shi-mon), and another guy whom he treated as elder brother, Kamina..
Both of them tried to break into the surface to gain freedom and along the way, they’ve met beastmen in their mecha called Ganmen (or Gunmen)..
Their hot-bloodedness brotherly bond (or burning manly passion) gained them the Spiral Power and influenced people around them to join their force, called the Team Dai-Gurren..
Team Dai-Gurren went on to change the world by challenging Lordgenome..
In the first three episodes, I had a hard time trying to comprehend the logic of the anime because it’s not quite logical at all..
I can brain Gundam’s Newtype abilities, I can brain Macross’ singing to defeat the enemies, I can brain The Brave Fighter of Legend of Da-Garn’s combination of few robots to become super robot, but it was difficult in this case..
Although I can’t brain it, but the closer they get to the Spiral King Lordgenome, I can feel their hot-bloodedness and that’s what make this anime interesting..
Their hot-bloodedness or the burning manly passion to achieve their goal is the key-point and strength of Gurren Lagann..
*From L>R – Leeron, Yoko, Kamina, Simon*
The seiyuu for Kamina is Katsuyuki Konishi, who also voiced for Volfogg (GaoGaiGar series), America (Hetalia – Axis Power), Ozma Lee (Macross Frontier), Johann Trinity (Gundam 00), Shori Shibuya (Kyo Kara Maoh series), Phoenix Ikki (Saint Seiya: Hades Chapter), and Amidamaru (Shaman King)..
Simon is voiced by Tetsuya Kakihara, who is also the seiyuu for Natsu Dragneel (Fairy Tail), Fujioka (Minami-ke series), and Pegasus Tenma (Saint Seiya: Lost Canvas)..
Yoko is voiced by Marina Inoue, who also voiced for Shigeru Kanmuri (Yakitate! Japan), Kana Minami (Minami-ke series), and Chiri Kitsu (Sayonara, Zetsubou-sensei series)..
Viral, being the supporting role in the anime, is voiced by veteran seiyuu Nobuyuki Hiyama, who has been a seiyuu for numerous characters including Teppei (B’tX series), Madarame Ikkaku (Bleach series), Koujiro Hyuga (Captain Tsubasa J), Joe Higashi (Fatal Fury series), Gai Shishio (GaoGaiGar series), Balmung (.hack series), Takeshi Nakazato (Initial D series), Mr. 3 (One Piece), Harry Mckenzie (School Rumble series), and Hiei (Yu Yu Hakusho series) among many others..
Their opening song (OP) is “Sorairo Days” by Shoko Nakagawa, a very inspiring song that is very suitable for their burning manly passion..
Three ending songs (ED) with “Underground” by High Voltage (Ep 1-15), “Happily Ever After” by Shoko Nakagawa (Ep 16), and “Minna no Peace” by Afromania (Ep 17-27)..
According to ANN, 2350 of 5345 votes were rated as Masterpiece, with a median rating of Excellent..
Although at some time you can roughly predict what’s happening next, I would rate it at 8.5/10 for its burning manly passion..
The third instalment of the Tranformers franchise is here and as most interviews reportedly saying it’s the last Transformers movie that Michael Bay is directing..
Transformers 3 : Dark Of The Moon (DOTM) has been a long wait since the disappointment of Transformers 2 : Revenge Of The Fallen (ROTF) back in 2009..
*Taken from Google Images*
I don’t know what’s your view bout ROTF but I didn’t think it leaves a good trail for Michael Bay..
Transformers 3 : DOTM was showing in Malaysian cinemas on 28th of June 2011 and I managed to watch it on 29th June thanks to Jason..
Been reading tweets and FB status from those who have watched it on 28th was pretty exciting, and annoying of course because some of them kindly gave the public some spoilers..
I watched DOTM 3D at GSCMAXX, formerly IMAX in Berjaya Times Square on the 10th Floor..
I watched the first Transformers there back in 2007 and it was pretty awesome, what’s more it has 3D now..
Jason bought a total of 19 tickets, each ticket costs RM20 and we took over half of Row D..Yes, each rows in GSCMAXX has about 40 seats..
We were seated on Row D, 4th row from the top..Our view?
I was sitting in the middle and my vision scope was pretty much just nicely covered the whole screen, from end to end, like how your scope is if you are seated about 6th row from the front in a normal cinema hall, minus the neck pain..
Although I watched this in 3D but it didn’t felt much of the so-called ’3D effects’ such as shattered glasses or explosions are just right in front of your eyes kinda thing..
However, I felt very worthwhile with the 3D (yes you heard me) choice..
The DOTM is filmed using Avatar’s 3D camera-technology instead of the usual 3D-post conversion after the movie is filmed..
For sure, it felt worthwhile is because of the BIG screen from IMAX..The transforming scenes of the Transformers were really amazing on the BIG screen and I guess the 3D effect further enhanced the details of the mechanical parts and the transforming effect..
I guessed it’s one of the very rare movie outing that I didn’t go to the washroom halfway through the movie..
My eyes were glued to the BIG screen trying not to miss out any scenes and tried my best to focus on the details as well as the dialogues..
Overall, the storyline was pretty awesome with a bit of twist here and there and of course some of the main elements in DOTM are betrayal and faith..
This movie introduced the old Sentinel Prime, the first Prime and also the one in charge before Optimus..
*Taken from Google Images*
It also introduced Shockwave, one of the most loyal Decepticons ever, said to be one of the greatest Decepticons warriors and also a guardian of Cybertron in the absence of Megatron when Megatron and others are out for war..
*Taken from Google Images*
One more thing, it’s about Sam Witwicky (Shia LeBeouf)..Not that his acting is very poor and all, no! His acting is very good and I would say standout!
BUT, I’m quite annoyed with his character that he’s the hero, he wanted to boss around even to the chief operation of the CIA..
*Taken from Google Images*
Never mind bout the disappearance of Megan Fox because a true Transformers fan only cares about robot and more robots (read : Dinobots, Constructicons, Insecticons, SixShot, etc)..
The essence of the classic Transformers G1 animation is not in the franchise, or perhaps Michael Bay is going about a different approach..
In the animation, Sam Witwicky is a very down-to-earth-and-quite-timid-yet-sometimes-arrogant kind of person..That kind of attitude is not seen in the movie..
Also, since the first movie, the evil Megatron in the movie is not up to par to the one in the animation which is meant for kids!
In the animation, Megatron is very strict and brutal and show no mercy even to his fellow Decepticons but in the movie, the Megatron is tamed, in a large-scale..
Not to mention the only Transformers that looked like their animation image were Optimus Prime, Sentinel Prime, Shockwave, and Laserbeak..I was hoping for more familiar faces..
In DOTM, I must warn you that the ending is utterly disappointing, but it also leaves some space for a 4th movie, with a different director (read : Steven Spielberg), or could just end it right there and then..
I’m giving it a 9/10 rating but I MUST let you know that it’s just me..
I have friends who are hardcore Transformers fans where some told me they liked the movie and some didn’t like the movie, so it depends..
Best is watch it yourself and judge it yourself, and I totally recommend GSCMAXX for the experience beyond the normal experience..Remember to look out for the top 5 rows instead of the lower ones..
PJ Live Arts (PJLA) in Jaya One is bringing back the second annual PJ Laugh Fest with a roar..
PJ Laugh Fest will open with 2009 Tony Awards winning play, “God of Carnage” which premiered in New York in 2009 with Hollywood bigwigs Jeff Daniels, Hope Davis, James Gandolfini, and award winner for Best Actress In A Play, Marcia Gay Harden..
The Malaysian version will boast our own star casts of Will Quah, Maya Tan, Megat Shahrizal, and Lina Teoh..
For those who don’t know, “God of Carnage” is about two pairs of parents, one of whose child has hurt the other at a public park, who meet to discuss the matter in a civilized manner..
However, as the evening goes on, the parents become increasingly childish, resulting in the evening devolving into chaos..
Boys will be boys, but can the grownups be grown up enough to resolve their differences without losing sight of right and wrong? The facade of civility shatters as the God of Carnage wreaks havoc in the living room and all hell breaks loose in the most hilarious manner!
The PJ Laugh Fest kickstart with “God of Carnage” and its first show is on 28th April (Thursday) 2011 at 8.30pm, with subsequent shows on 29th-30th April and 3rd-7th May for 8.30pm slot..
There are also 5pm shows on 30th April, 1st May, and 7th-8th May..
Priced at RM60 for a 90-minutes show without intermission! I would say it’s quite a deal for an established play with a strong local casts..
If you are paying attention to this blog post, I would love to offer you something great, that is A PAIR of FREE TICKETS to the “God of Carnage” sneak preview!
Sneak preview : 25th April 2011, Monday
Venue : PJ Live Arts Theatre (Level 2)
You will be among the first group of people to watch the play 3 days before its first official show!
By using the power of Google or you can click on www.pjla.com.my, tell me the titles of the 3 shows that fit the following descriptions or info :
Show 1 – The Godfathers of Comedy
Show 2 – A solo show with opening act by David Lai
Show 3 – Casts featuring Douglas Lim, Harith Iskandar, Afdlin Shauki, Kuah Jenhan, and many more
Leave you answers in the comment section with names of you and your partner (who you are going with), a valid e-mail address (I don’t accept 1Malaysia e-mail address ) in the empty boxes, and then your answers..
And also tell me why do you like stage comedy (aka stand-up comedy, stage play, sketch, etc) in a slogan-thing of “I like stage comedy because…..”
Examples as below :
Name :John and Jenny
Email : john@email.com
Comments :
Show 1 – [answer]
Show 2 – [answer]
Show 3 – [answer]
I like stage comedy because…..[your comment]….
Then click “Submit Comment”..
Contest close on 24th April 2011 (Sunday) at 6pm..Do check the blog post again or your e-mail from 7pm onwards if you are a winner!
P/S – If you are UNABLE to reply my e-mail with the details I need within 90-minutes from the time I’ve sent out the e-mail, then your ticket(s) will be forfeited and will be given to the next winner in-line..
That’s why do check your e-mail from 7pm ONWARDS to know if you still manage to catch the sneak preview!
So make sure you give me a valid e-mail address and make sure your e-mail don’t cause any trouble such as receiving it late or things like that..
An advice, use Gmail if possible, the sending and receiving is almost at real-time..
The pair of free tix is courtesy of PJLA and also thanks to Salina & Associates PR..
For further info on “God of Carnage” and other upcoming shows during the PJ Laugh Fest, do visit www.pjla.com.my..
It’s weird that the few people I’ve talked to before the movie, they have no idea what movie is this, despite the numerous times of the trailer being shown in cinema..
When I tell them it’s the trailer of Matt Damon holding a girl’s hand (Emily Blunt) running around trying to escape from pursuers..
Then they go “Ooooohhh”..
That’s right, Adjustment Bureau is some kinda romance-thriller starring Matt Damon and Emily Blunt, is loosely based on Phillip K. Dick’s short story of “Adjustment Team”..
I saw the newspaper ads for this movie, it says, ‘Bourne Meets Inception’..I thought this movie should be a mind-blowing one..
Thanks to UIP for the pair of tickets again, and of course thanks to Kel Li for giving he tickets to Daphne and I
So the tagline ‘Bourne Meets Inception’ did give me a little bit of idea what to expect of the movie..
David Norris (Matt Damon), a young candidate running for the US Senate, meets highs and lows during the election and eventually loses out to the other candidate..
During his low time, he met Elise (Emily Blunt) and eventually they fell in love at first sight of some sort..
At this point of time, a group of people called the Adjustment Bureau appeared and they don’t seemed to belong to this world..
As the name of the organization suggests, it’s a bureau in-charge of adjusting people’s life to make them run as according to the bureau’s chairman’s plan..
The reason David Norris is in their plan because he could turned out to be someone very influential and powerful in the future and meeting up with Elise could ruined the plan..
So the bureau is trying their best to stop David and Elise meeting each other..
The plot continues from there and that how you got the movie trailer where David and Elise holding hands running around the city trying to escape from the bureau..
I would say the story is pretty interesting and yes, there is a slight similarity to Inception but of course not as mind-blowing as it is..
Given the plan from the bureau and also ‘chances’, it definitely shows that one has a lot to consider for the best of the future and at the same time, it may be something that you can consider much because everything is already planned by the ‘authorities’..
All in all, I would rate it at 8/10 for its great concept of the ‘adjustment bureau’..I could have given higher rating if not due to its sloppy ending..
As much as some people wants to be involved in a no-commitment relationship, it’s not as easy as you think..
No Strings Attached is quite the “slice of life” kinda movie that reflects some people around you, even in Malaysia! Well I speak from experience
Thanks to UIP, Daphne and I had heaps of good laughs watching this movie..
*Taken from Wikipedia*
Anyway, Ashton Kutcher is no stranger to movie-goers in the romance-comedy genre and this time he’s teamed up with Natalie Portman, his love interest in the movie..
The movie tells a story about long-time friends Adam (Ashton Kutcher) and Emma (Natalie Portman) bumping into each other few times on the street..
The story starts to kick in when Adam tries to find any random girl just to sleep with, and it happened to be Emma..
As suggested by the movie title, they want to keep it as no stings attached, casual sex with falling in love into each other..
*Taken from Google Images*
“Drama” goes on and on and it got me thinking how many casual sex would last long without love feeling involved..
The movie also starring Kevin Kline as Ashton Kutcher’s dad and Ludacris as one of Ashton’s buddies..
Overall, I like the movie very much..Maybe I’m the type of person who likes chick flick as much as I like action and drama movies..
Watch it with your loved one or your love interest, which I hope it would turned out to be good after you watch this movie with him/her
I’m rating it 8/10 for the good laughs that I had..I think it’s been some time since I last watched romance-comedy in cinema..
Here’s the trailer..“I’m warning you, if you take one step closer, I’ll never let you go..”..
It’s the time of the year again and lots of Chinese New Year (CNY) themed movies are showing on screen now and/or soon..
If you are a close friend of mine, you would know that I don’t usually watch Chinese movie in the cinema, what’s more a Singapore or local production..
But this time, many thanks to UIP for the pair of tix to Homecoming‘gala premiere’ whereDaphne, Joshua, Nigel, Kel Li, Bryan, and I watched together with the casts, namely Jack Neo, Mark Lee, Ah Niu, Afdlin Shauki, Rebecca Lim, Jacelyn Tay, Huang Wenhong, and Koe Yeet..
*Taken from Google Images*
The movie plot sets on 1-2 days before CNY where all of the characters try to rush home for reunion dinner in the spirit of balik kampung..Hence the title Homecoming..
Mark Lee plays a famous chef and his dialogues are all very punny and funny when he mixes Cantonese and Mandarin..Koe Yeet plays as Mark Lee’s daughter..
Jack Neo is cross-dressing as a housewife, Karen Neo, and Ah Niu plays as her son..
The story focuses on Mark Lee who can’t have reunion dinner with his daughter, Jack Neo and the son Ah Niu rushing to KL to have a reunion party with the family, and newly-wed couple Huang Wenhong and Rebecca Lim realize the importance of reunion dinner with the family..
The angle changes from time to time among the 3 events but overall it’s actually inter-connected in a way or another..
All I can say is that if you know me well you would know I can hardly speak Mandarin and sometimes understanding it..
This movie primarily conversed in Mandarin with a little of Cantonese, English and also Malay..With my little understanding of Mandarin and with the help of subtitles, I actually laughed throughout the movie, no kidding!
The jokes are mostly from Mark Lee’s puns, Ah Niu’s character as a rebellious son, Jack Neo’s character of a typical Chinese mother/housewife, and a some very subtle jokes about current events about the actors/actresses..
*L>R – Huang Wenhong, Ah Niu, Jack Neo, Mark Lee..Image taken from Google Images*
If you know local news very well then you would most likely be able to catch the jokes..
Afdlin Shauki actually played quite a role in this movie as a taxi driver and at some point I think his acting is much natural for his character as compared to other local productions..
IMHO, the movie have a very obvious message to the viewers regarding the importance of reunion dinner and family ties..
I actually teared at some scenes, which I think I could somewhat relate myself in that situation..
As compared to lots of modern Hong Kong CNY movies which are quite silly, I think this movie fared pretty well and we could relate ourselves in the balik kampung spirit..
I would give the movie a FANTABULOUS 8/10 for its jokes and puns, and some touching moments..
P/S – Don’t ask me if Homecoming is better than the other local CNY movie or the other way round..I’ve mentioned, I don’t usually watch Singapore or local productions so I can honestly tell you this is the first Chinese movie of Singapore or local production that I’ve watched, and I love it!
Here’s the trailer for the movie Homecoming, directed by Lee Thean-jeen..
Happy Rabbit Year to everyone who is celebrating CNY directly or indirectly due to the public holidays..Hehehe..
) in the empty boxes, and then your answers..
