Note to Cosplay Girls from Fanboys...

ANI-MOVIES, *Batman: Under The Red Hood

Being the first full-length Batman animated movie in a long time that had one consistant story to it(Gotham Knight not withstanding), the latest movie, Under The Red Hood is a retelling of the Under The Hood story arc from the Batman comics. This is a bold new direction for DC Universe by taking a character they’ve tried selling as being more family-oriented in productions like Batman: Brave And The Bold, and bringing the one that most die-hard comic readers can identify with on the level of The Dark Knight.

The story begins in the past with Joker under the payroll of Ra’s Al Ghul keeping Batman and Robin #2(Jason Todd)busy while he tries yet again to take over the world. However, the Joker “shockingly” goes way overboard, and kills Robin. Fast forward to five years later where a new masked man called the Red Hood is shaking up things in Gotham City by slowly taking over territory of local crime lord, Black Mask. Batman busts up a delivery of an Amazo robot with the help of Nightwing, but the goons smuggling it are taken out by the Red Hood. Originally, the Red Hood was the alias that the Joker used before he was given his permanent skin bleach. Bats and Nightwing check with Joker in locked in Arkham to see if he’s got any connection to this new Red Hood, but even your novice Bat-Fan could tell you the real Joker would’ve let you know if it was him. The Dynamic-former-Duo track down Hoodie robbing some pushers, but Nightwing hoits his widdle toe, and spends the rest of the movie on the bench. Black Mask sends out the Fearsome Hand Of Four after Red Mask, who are a team of cyber-ninjas original to the movie, but Batman shows up and they fold that deck together. Batman then deduces that R.H. is really Jason Todd, and takes the Batwing over to the other side of the world to have a chat with Ra’s Al Ghul. Ra’s revealed that he tried making amends for causing Jason to die by dipping him in his time-honored plot device, the Lazarus Pit. Jason came back, but pissed off as Hell, and escaped from Ra’s. After hearing this, Batman zooms back to Gotham, to find that Black Mask sprung Joker out of Arkham to kill Red Hood, but Joker doublecrossed him(suprise!), and uses him as bait to lure out his current successor. Red Hood makes off with Joker, and gets Batman to meet him in Crime Alley. Red Hood unmasks to show is indeed Jason Todd. Jason then corners Batman into either choosing between shooting him or Joker, which he stops Jason, and the building they’re in blows up. Batman and Joker survive, but Jason’s fate remains unknown. The movie ends with Batman reflecting on when Jason first became Robin.

First, I’d like to say how this movie differs from the comics. In the original context, Jason Todd was brought back to life mainly because the evil Superboy-Prime “punched reality”, and made it so Jason came back to life, although recent retellings of Red Hood’s origin also include him backstoking in a Lazarus Pit. There’s ben alot of retconning involving Jason’s resurrection, but the movie managed to pull it all together well. A few other things like the Black Mask hiring some C-List supervillains from the Secret Society instead of the “Hand Of Four” from the original story, although it makes more sense for them to have Batman taking on Mortal Kombat wannabes instead of Captain Nazi, even though they could’ve had them be the Royal Flush Gang or some other recognizable DC villains. There was also the rewrite of the Death In The Family story where Joker blows up Robin in the middle east, instead of Europe. Plus, no supervillain would ever be stupid or desperate enough to hire the Joker to do anything, and certainly not a criminal mastermind like Ra’s Al Ghul! Nightwing was also a little to flippant in this, like freaking out over the Amazo shooting lasers at him, which he should be used to after being with the Titans. Another character who was out of place was Black Mask, who is usually alot more cool and calculating, where here he was way more hotheaded.

As for the movie itself, I think this one has the best animation out of any of the other DC Universe movies, including some of the shorts from Gotham Knight. The city backgrounds look like it might be taking place in the actual downtown New York instead of fictional Gotham City, despite the fact that there are still police blimps in it. The character designs are awesome too, and Joker really looks menacing for once. Speaking of Mr. J, John DiMaggio(aka: “Bender”)does a bang-up job as Joker by bringing in influences of both Mark Hamill and Heath Ledger. Bruce Greenwood is fair as Bats, but he’s no Kevin Conroy. Jason Ackles is good as Jason Todd, and Neil Patrick Harris makes for a decent Nightwing. My only real low grade on the movie is that it should’ve ended on a more realistic note instead of just some happy flashback with young Jason Todd. The special edition DVD and Blu-Ray versions also feature a killer DC Showcase animated short of Jonah Hex starring Thomas Jane which is waaaay better than that crappy live-action movie, plus a decent documentary on Dick Grayson as Robin. So, in closing, I’d wholeheartedly demand that any Bat-Fan should store this in their cave between the giant penny and robot dinosaur

MISC. MANGA, *Vampire Game

If Garfield were a reincarnated vampire lord leaving in a midevil castle, I think it might go something like this. From shounen-ai expert Judal comes this tale of fun, intrigue, and fantasy with sparks of Samurai Deeper Kyo and Bastard.

Set in an alternate past, the Vampire King Duzell waged a war against the human kingdom of the great saint Phelios. Duzell was defeated by means of a spell that would kill the caster as well as the person it was used on, but he swore to be reborn a century later, and kill the reincarnation of Phelios. A hundred years later, the great grandaughter of Phelios, Princess Ishtar, is now the regining head of the kingdom. She is constantly being lectured by her bodyguard and captain of the guard, Darres, as well as the court wizard, Keld. After hearing reports of a mad creature in a neighboring village, Ishtar heads out to confront it. Darres follows her and kills the beast which is a tiger-like animal called a kyawl, but not before it gives birth to its son. Ishtar takes the cub home with her as her pet cat and jokingly names it Duzell after her family's long dead enemy, What she or no one else knows, is that the cat houses the spirit of the actual Duzell, who has also used some of the blood he tasted from Ishtar in their first meeting to be able to take on a human form, looking like a male version of Ishtar. Ishtar discovers her pets weird ability to assume her shape after he is confused with being an assassin, but she keeps it a secret, still unaware that it is still the reborn vampire king. Duzell continues to play the part of Ishtar's cat while he searches for King Phelio's reincarnation within the extended members of Ishtar's family.

Vampire Game is a visually fine manga. The character designs rival those of Clamp, and has very interesting sequential movement. Better make room on your bookshelf!

MISC. MANGA, *Van Von Hunter

Another "lucky winner" of Tokyo Pop's Rising Stars Of Manga contest, the boys from Pseudom Studios took their entry and turned it into this ongoing series. Apparently a followup to their original story(featured in R.S.O.M., Volume #1), and their webcomic, this new one picks up after the whole original cast suffers from some weirdo amnesia spell.

Taking place years after the brave warrior, Van Von Hunter, defeated the "Flaming Prince" of the underworld land of Dikay, he has reappeared to seek out his sexy sidekick(whose name we never really find out!). Van finds her working as a barmaid and totally not remembering her previous encounters with him. He takes her to his old mansion run by an eccentric butler and psychotic maid. Afterwards, they are approached by a young woman who wants to hire Van for a sacred quest. They head to remote village where Van's old enemy, the "Flaming Prince", is planning on stealing an enchanted artifact called the Ebon Eye which is supposed to give its holder necromatic powers. The Prince himself has allied with a very hungry minotaur called The Beast, and a doublecrossing jester goblin, plus some out of work distgruntled farmers who're rebelling against the current king. Van and his crew eventual clash with the prince and an undead monster he creates with the Ebon Eye. Everything wraps up in a weird comic fantasy-type way, but still leaves room for more chapters to come.

This is a pretty well written American manga. It doesn't have the pure zany madcap humor like alot of role-playing game spoof titles like Slayers or Sorcerer Hunters, but it does have great timing and development, almost like a Monty Python sketch. Be sure to thumb through this number.

ANI-MOVIES, *Paprika

Based on the story by Yasutaka Tsutsui(which weirdly enough was first printed in a French women’s magazine), was turned into the late Satoshi Kon’s most celebrated production. Even though it was done in 2006, this was the last full-length animated movie he completed before he passed away, but its influence has been far reaching, including allegedly Christopher Nolan’s thriller, Inception.

Set in the not too distant future, therapists are using a new invention called the DC Mini to monitor patients’ dreams, and sometimes actually enter their subconscious. Atsuko is an all-business psychiatrist on this project, and goes into people’s dreams in her secret identity, the energetic Paprika. Paprika is currently helping out the troubled police detective Toshimi with his anxiety complex, either through his dreams or a website which can somehow link patients to Paprika even without being hooked up to the DC Mini. However, some of the DC Minis are now missing and is apparent that those working on it have become susceptible to it as they are now having their own dreams taken over causing them to go temporarily insane, and in some cases suicidal. The creator of the DC Mini is Tokita, an obscenely obese fanboy who you can’t believe actually made it into some of the places the movie shows him in, like an elevator or compact car. He has a serious chubby for Atsuko though. It’s revealed that the corrupt Chairman of the hospital is behind the whole scheme, along with his perverse partner Osanai. The major downside is that for some reason dreams and reality have now been put into a big margarita mix, and Paprika pulls a deus ex machina by completely sucking up the Chairman. The event really did happen as the city is damaged from the events filled with giant robots and people turning into walking appliances. The most reality-bending aspect of the whole movie is at the end when Atsuko plans to marry Tokita, even though how the hell they could possibly have sex on their honeymoon defies all anime physics.

This is one of the most mind-warping anime films ever made, it pulls some convincing fusion of the real world and dreams in ways Satoshi Kon did in Paranoia Agent, but Paprika takes it to levels only seen in productions like Spirited Away and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. There’s some great use of both generic and computer animation, although its got some serious mature elements to it which is definately not for kids. Its one of the few anime movies to be released in the States under an R rating. If you have no problem with its more adult nature, then its definotely one of the few anime acid trips that ultimately pays off.

JESI THE GENIE, *Part 4: Page 12

Story by Jer Alford, art by E. Aedo.

MISC. MANGA, *Tsukuyomi: Moon Phase

Another vampire manga? Well...this ones a little more for the shojo and gothic lolita crowd.

Kouhei is a photographer working for a spiritual investigation magazine. The problem for him is everytime he takes a picture a ghost appears somewhere in it. He is part of a long line of spiriualists and psychics, although his only real ability is spectral photography. He and his crew are at an old castle in Europe which is rumored to be haunted. While taking pictures from far outside the castle, Kouhei notices a young girl on one of the towers.Later that night, Kouhei goes in to investigate. He finds the girl inside. Her name is Hazuki, and she sweet-talks him into kissing him. It turns out that Hazuki is really a vampire, and the kiss is supposed to make Kouhei her servent. However, Kouhei is psychically immune to all forms of possession, and he's also very thickheaded. Then, Hazuki's guardian comes after the both of them, but Kouhei escapes the castle. Unbeknownst to him, Hazuki also is now free of the bonds placed on her within the castle, and she follows him back to Japan. Once she catches up to him, Hazuki convinces Kouhei to help her find her mother. Hazuki's mother was seduced by a powerful vampire lord, and he placed Hazuki in the castle to keep her to himself. Since her father was now gone away, Hazuki could search for her mother, but she needed the help of her "servant" to do that.

This is a pretty good and intriguing manga. It's funny and well drawn, with an engaging storyline. Hazuki's habit of wearing different outfits(primarily ones with cat ears)make it a good selection for cosplay fans.