A have an extensive collection of video games, but nowhere near the amount of 7,000 nor is it worth what a French video game collector has sold his 7,000 game collection for on eBay. Are your ready for this? Someone purchased the collection for 1.23 million! The collection consists of every game for every Sega […]
Bioware is at it again. All of you SWTOR lovers, look forward to another update, bringing more game enhancements! Update 1.3 is on the way and with it comes a feature I’ve been hoping for since I’ve began higher level raiding, which is the group finder. I think it was a welcomed addition in […]
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April 14, 2012 Comments Off on Resurrected and Risen From the DeadThat’s right ladies and gentle-geeks. It’s been a few months since you’ve heard or read the mad words of a fellow geek sworn to report on some of the tech and gaming news that tends to slip through the cracks of the interwebs. With the passing of my grandfather then his son (my father) shortly […]
You really need to check this out. Your favorite voices from the Land of ESH (GeekAggro, B3 and of course ESH) have teamed up with a few friends you may or may not know to bring you the new ElectricSistaHood Magazine!
Each issue of the magazine will touch on various pieces of nerd culture: video games, tech gadgets, anime, movies, music, art, design, style, fan-fiction, short-stories and did we mention the video games? (more…)
Time again for a new episode of the ESH podcast, and this week the ladies talk tech, anime, and video games… just not all at the same time. For those wondering where it was, the Anime comes back in this episode strongly.
In this episode NinJa shares her experience on iPhone 4 launch day, thoughts on the anime series Hell Girl and her on-again off-again relationship with Bleach. Then Pandalicious chimes in with her view of Disney/Pixar’s latest release Toy Story 3 as well as her outlook for upcoming movie releases The Last Airbender and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
Need more reasons to grab this episode of the podcast, check out some of the titles we came up with but didn’t use:
Grab a cup of your favorite beverage and enjoy ESH Podcast Episode 203: Every Nerd Understands “The Line”
When a series features the biggest asshole of a Santa Claus in the first episode, viewers will know that they are in for a big treat. Such is the case of Hayate the Combat Butler, a real comedy pearl if there ever was one.
Based on the manga by Kenjiro Hata the series stars Hayate Ayasaki (Ryoko Shiraishi), a boy whose parents decided to borrow money from the yakuza, and leave the 157 million yen debt on Hayate. Panicking he runs away, and in the cold, snowy weather Hayate runs into a rich girl named Nagi Sanzen’in (Rie Kugimiya). After hearing from both sides of his conscience, Hayate decides to listen to his good side and kidnap the girl. (There’s no misprint there: the angel tells Hayate to do the evil deed while the demon tries to talk him out of it.) However when he tells the girl what he wants to do to her, Nagi mistakens his kidnapping ploy for a love confession. As Hayate is about to call Nagi’s parents, two men come around and abduct Nagi. Panicking Hayate borrows a passing girl’s bicycle and pedals to Nagi’s rescue. The passing girl is revealed to be Maria (Rie Tanaka), the Sanzen’in family maid.
After he saves her Nagi hires Hayate as her new butler, and the real adventures begin. Viewers are introduced to Tama (Jurota Kosugi), the white tiger that only talks to Hayate and has a license in real estate and building management (though he doesn’t really use these talents at all); Hinagiku (Shizuka Ito), the student council president who is a mean fighter but afraid of heights; Sakuya (Kana Ueda) the failed comedienne; and Isumi (Miyu Matsuki) the stubborn young girl who always loses her way, no matter how many times she’s been on the same path. There are also various other characters, as well, but no one shines as bright as the Narrator (sometimes referred to as “The Voice in the Heavens”), played by Norio Wakamoto. In Hayate he gets himself into various verbal fights with the on-screen characters, and mocks them heavily throughout the series. (It’s very similar to the narrator from the 1997 George of the Jungle movie; that is if anyone else remembers that film.) Throughout the show Hayate must battle with robots, strange creatures, schoolwork and friends who want to dress him in women’s clothing (don’t ask!); and at the same time make sure the house is tidy for Nagi to live and be happy in.
The humor in this show is perhaps some of the best-written work in anime history. The one-liners and punchlines — along with the physical humor — will have audience members rolling on the floor laughing their heads off. It also takes the fourth wall and drops an atom bomb on top of it. (i.e.: In Episode 8, Hayate beats Maria in a game of pool, and now must do whatever he asks. “Okay, I’ll ask for something on the borderline, considering the kids in the audience,” Hayate replies.) Hayate and the rest of the gang know they’re on a TV show, and that’s what makes the series fun. On top of that it has enough sweetness to leave viewers with a relaxed smile, instead of one that hurts from all the hilarity. Its non-sequitur style and off-the-wall zaniness puts it high above any other anime comedy of recent memory, and can easily sit beside some of the best British sitcoms of all-time. That’s right: Hayate the Combat Butler is Japan’s most successful attempt at making a British comedy.
Unfortunately Bandai Entertainment is not releasing it in the way a comedy like this deserves. Each one of the volumes only features seven episodes and both Japanese censored and uncensored tracks, all for the “low” price of $40 each. It’s a release like this that greatly dishonors a fantastic series such as Hayate the Combat Butler. (Granted, there is the argument that in Japan DVDs with only two episodes each cost a whopping $70, but even still this and that are both forms of highway robbery.) There isn’t even the Animax English dub included, and from press and reviews it is said to be very decent.
If one were the wisest they should wait for a lower-priced DVD box set of the series, but if one can’t wait to own such a great anime then buying it won’t bring any sort of disappointment episode-wise. Still more should’ve been added to give Hayate the Combat Butler its proper dues.
***** (out of five) [actual series], * ½ (out of five) [DVD extras]
The trailer for the upcoming RPG game Ni no Kuni: Shiroki Seihai no Joou has just been released, and man does it look gorgeous.
Developed by Level 5 and Studio Ghibli the game will feature vivid worlds, exciting gameplay and an experience that only the folks that brought us Proco Rosso and Princess Mononoke can fathom up. Ni no Kuni: Shiroki Seihai no Joou is set for release on the PS3 in Japan on March 2011, with a possible release in the US later that year. (The DS version, titled Ni no Kuni: Shikkoku no Madoushi, will be released in Japan on December 9.) Cross your fingers that John Lasseter will have a hand in the dubbing of the video game.
It’s wet. Dark and wet. The kind of weather that penetrates. Makes your skin feel itchy and oily. Dirty kinda, but real, too. That’s good. It’s time for Cheers. Sam and Diane. Norm Peterson and the Coach. And then after he died, Woody. I don’t have a TV now, but that’s okay. The shows in my mind are almost always better.
These were the first words spoken by our hero in the MTV series The Maxx, based on the comic book by renowned artist Sam Kieth. After fifteen years MTV has yet to produce a show quite like it since, and stands the tests of time as one of the greatest animated series ever made. What made The Maxx so fascinating was that our hero was not some loser kid who gained superpowers, or an alien sent to save the universe. No, Maxx was but a homeless man with a lot of psychological issues out to rescue the world around him from being destroyed; a world created by a Miss Julie Winters.
The Maxx shifts between two worlds: the real world in a Brooklyn-like setting, and a prehistoric place called Pangaea. In Pangaea the world is run by the Leopard Queen, a woman who bears a striking resemblance to Julie. This is because Julie created Pangaea when she was a child, but gradually made it her escape after being raped and left for dead when a college student. Because of her dwelling in the Outback both the real and fantasy worlds slowly began to collide, creating an unstable balance. Why Maxx can shift between these worlds is slowly revealed by the villain of the story: Mr. Gone.
Mr. Gone will probably go down as one of the greatest villains (or semi-villains, depending on how far you’ve read into the original comics) to ever grace both a comic panel and a TV screen. While a self-proclaimed “student of the mystic arts” he is not a powerful villain, but rather a serial rapist and murderer with the ability to mindfuck the hell out of even the most philosophical being. Gone receives assistance from the Isz, a creature from the outback. In Pangaea the Isz are white and look kind of harmless, but in the real world the Isz are black with sharp teeth and a nasty attitude. The only people that can stop Gone are Maxx and Julie, with the latter even going as so far as to cutting his head off. Strangely Mr. Gone serves as the character that ties all the loose ends together, revealing all that was locked away within Julie’s subconscious.
It’s been a decade and-a-half since The Maxx graced MTV with his all-powerful presence, and to this very day the series still gives me the chills; sometimes it even leaves me awestruck. I was but a ten-year old when I was introduced to this series, but even back then I fully understood what was going on in the show. Gone represented the true evils in the world; the real world of murderers, rapists, thugs and drug dealers, and not the ones with evil superpowers and billions to spend. The characters of Maxx and Julie also represented the delusional mind-scape that our generation seems to have in regards to one’s personal balance of reality and fantasy. We may want to roam the jungles of ancient times, but we have issue realizing that that’s not gonna happen anytime soon.
Since The Maxx first aired there has yet to be another animated series anywhere (not even Japan, shockingly!) that has ever matched its visual style. Ranging from fluid animation to still paintings The Maxx was a show whose style left viewers with gaping jaws and wide eyes. Most importantly the storyline was original and astonishing, even if you needed to major in Psychology to understand the full aspect of the show. From spirit animals and Julie’s friend Sarah to Julie saying farewell to Maxx (which has been the only time a cartoon has ever made me cry) the series did a standout job with revealing (almost) all the truths to these characters. It’s but a shame that they didn’t continue animated the series, as a few things were left out of the show. Viewers never got to see how Julie and Maxx first met, or Julie’s friend Sarah’s battle with the giant yellow banana slug Iago, or the story of Julie’s son Mark. Oh well, that’s what reading the comic’s for.
Credit also must be given to the voice actors, as well. Michael Haley’s portrayal of our title character was memorable in that he gave the big purple lug with claws for middle fingers a heart and soul unlike any other actor could. Julie’s voice actress Glynnis Talken managed to add realism to this damaged woman’s psyche, as well as bring forth a sort of women’s empowerment over one girl’s tragic events. Finally we have Mr. Gone, played by the late-great Barry Stigler (best known to Transformers fans as Scourge). Stigler not only captured the voice of Gone, but his personality and mindset, as well. Even to this day reading the original comics these characters’ voices play vividly and strongly inside my head.
The Maxx is now available on DVD exclusively on Amazon, and it is worth every penny (especially to hear the audio commentary from the creators and the retrospect). However if you are still not convinced of how amazing this series is, you can watch the entire show here on its MTV page. And one more thing: as I write this I keep looking up to my Maxx action figure I bought fifteen years ago from a K.B. Toy Store. It’s beaten, some of the paint is chipped away and the top and bottom of the figure is taped together after an unfortunate accident that left the purple superhero split in half. But it’s still my most prized figure, and wouldn’t part with it for anything; for it helps bring back some of my most favorite childhood memories, back in the days when MTV meant something to my generation.
***** (out of five)
All the show that make up the land of ESH can be found here: BostonBastardBrigade, GeekAggro and of course ESH. Check out the voices that rule the land and stop by our respective sites to chat with us. Don’t forget to subscribe to our podcasts in iTunes.
It’s no secret that GameStop and I have had our fair share of issues over the years, but if they’re handing out beta keys, then I have no problem calling a temporary truce. If you’re eager to get your hands on a Starcraft 2 beta key, then head over to your local GameStop and drop […]
