Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Heroes: No Punching Disney Princess in The Avengers, But D...

Heroes: No Punching Disney Princess in The Avengers, But D...


By now you’ve probably heard all the official denials that manufactured Disney princess Demi Lovato will not be in “The Avengers” as rumored, which apparently made a lot of nerds really happy. I don’t know, I think she would have made a fine addition; she’s not a really bad actress, per se. Or at least, it would have been funny watching her punch people in the movie, being that she got in trouble for that in real life. You know, as an inside joke kinda thing?

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Full Metal Panic! (フルメタル·パニック!)

Full Metal Panic! (フルメタル·パニック!)





Plot

The series follows Sousuke Sagara, a member of a covert anti-terrorist private military organization known as Mithril, tasked with protecting Kaname Chidori, a spirited Japanese high school girl. He moves to Japan to study at Chidori's school, Jindai High School, with assistance from his comrades Kurz Weber and Melissa Mao. Having never experienced social interactions, Sousuke is found as a military maniac by his schoolmates as he interprets everyday situations from a combat perspective. He comes to relate with Chidori who realizes that Sousuke is protecting her, but he does not reveal the reasons due to orders as well as the fact he does not know why Chidori is being targeted by different organizations.

Setting

The series is set in a parallel world, based upon actual world events around the late 20th century to the early 21st century. The story begins in Heisei 10 (1998 AD), where the Cold War has yet to end. China has split into a north and south, with Hong Kong being split much like Berlin. The major differences between real life Earth and the Full Metal Panic! universe are:

China has split into the People's Liberation Committee (North China) and the Democratic Chinese Alliance (South China) along the Yangtze River. Kowloon is a North Chinese territory, while Hong Kong Island is held by South Chinese forces. Combat in Hong Kong is prohibited by terms of a recent peace treaty.

A nuclear warhead was used in the 1991 Gulf War. This triggered the Fifth Middle East War.

Following the beginning of the fifth Middle East war, the Soviet Union successfully reinvaded Afghanistan, which is called Helmajistan in the series.

Mikhail Gorbachev was assassinated and Perestroika was halted.

Distinct military technology such as Arm Slaves and Black Technology were developed.

A number of other details differentiates the fictional world. Common changes occur in the Japanese names, as they use homonyms to the names of real life locations. The fictional Jindai (陣代) High School is based on the real life Jindai (神代) High School[10] in Chōfu, Tokyo. The closest station to the real life Jindai High School is the Senkawa station, changed from 仙川 to 泉川. The Japanese calendar of Heisei is altered from 平成 to 平政.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Full_Metal_Panic!

1. Full Metal Panic! http://films4ever00.blogspot.com/2010/11/full-metal-panic.html
2. Plot http://films4ever00.blogspot.com/2010/11/full-metal-panic_16.html

Monday, November 15, 2010

Full Metal Panic! (フルメタル·パニック!)


Genre: Action, Mecha, Romantic comedy



Full Metal Panic! (フルメタル·パニック! Furumetaru Panikku!, often abbreviated to FMP!) is an ongoing series of light novels written by Shoji Gatoh and illustrated by Shiki Douji. The series follows Sousuke Sagara, a member of the covert anti-terrorist private military organization known as Mithril, tasked with protecting Kaname Chidori, a spirited Japanese high school girl.

Individual chapters are published on Monthly Dragon Magazine, followed by a paperback compilation released by Fujimi Shobo's Fujimi Fantasia Bunko. The novels are split between stories focusing on Sousuke's mission as a soldier of Mithril and comedic side stories centered on his life at Jindai High School.

The series has been adapted into different media; including three animated television series: Full Metal Panic! by Gonzo in 2002, Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu and Full Metal Panic! The Second Raid by Kyoto Animation in 2003 and 2005 respectively. An OVA was also released in 2006; and five different manga series.

Tokyopop licensed the novels for English-language publication in North America and released parts of the series, while ADV Films licensed and dubbed the first season and the spinoff, and released them in North America and the United Kingdom. The second season was licensed by Kadokawa Pictures USA and Funimation Entertainment with ADV Films producing the dub yet again. Mandalay Pictures acquired the film rights to the series in 2009. At Anime USA 2009, Funimation announced that it had acquired the rights to the first and second series of Full Metal Panic! and both would be re-released remastered on DVD and Blu-ray in 2010. The series began airing in North American on November 22, 2010, on the FUNimation Channel. The Fumoffu series made its North American television debut on the FUNimation Channel on November 15, 2010.

A sequel to the series, called Full Metal Panic! Another, has been launched with the story set years after the defeat of Amalgam and the rescue of Kaname from the influence of the Whispered Sophia with her return to Tokyo alongside Sousuke.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Full_Metal_Panic!

1. Full Metal Panic! http://films4ever00.blogspot.com/2010/11/full-metal-panic.html
2. Plot http://films4ever00.blogspot.com/2010/11/full-metal-panic_16.html

Friday, September 24, 2010

Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps

Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps

Directed byOliver Stone
Produced byOliver Stone, Edward R. Pressman, Michael Douglas, Eric Kopeloff', Alessandro Camon (exec.), Celia D. Costas (exec.)
Written byBryan Burrough (story), Allan Loeb (screenplay), Stephen Schiff (writer)
StarringMichael Douglas, Shia LaBeouf, Josh Brolin, Carey Mulligan, Frank Langella, Charlie Sheen
Music byCraig Armstrong
CinematographyRodrigo Prieto
StudioEdward R. Pressman Film
Distributed by20th Century Fox
Release date(s)September 24, 2010
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$70 million
Preceded byWall Street


Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps is an American drama film directed by Oliver Stone. It is a sequel to the 1987 film Wall Street, and the first sequel Stone has directed. Michael Douglas reprises his role as Gordon Gekko in the film. The film stars Shia LaBeouf, Josh Brolin, Carey Mulligan, and Frank Langella in supporting roles.

Set in New York City, the film takes place 23 years after the original, revolving around the 2008 financial crisis. The film's plot mainly centers around the reformed Gekko acting as more of an antihero rather than a villain and follows his attempts to help Wall Street before its soon-to-be stock market crash as well as trying to repair his relationship with his daughter Winnie with the help of Jacob, Winnie's fiance. In return, Gekko helps Jacob get revenge on the man he blames for his mentor's death.

The film's story and screenplay are written by Bryan Burrough, Allan Loeb and Stephen Schiff, respectively. The film will be produced by Stone, Douglas, Edward R. Pressman, co-produced by Eric Kopeloff and executive produced by Alessandro Camen and Celia D. Costas. In September 2009, the film began principal photography in New York and finished filming in November. Despite originally having a tentative February 2010 release date, and a release date of April 21, the film is set to be released theatrically on September 24, 2010.


Plot

The film is set 23 years after the first film, in June 2008, and Gordon Gekko has just been released from prison. Despite his initial attempts to warn Wall Street of the forthcoming economic downturn and stock market crash, no one in the financial world believes him due to his conviction for financial crimes. Gekko decides to re-focus his attention on rebuilding his relationship with his estranged daughter, Winnie. Due to their time apart, and the fact that Winnie blames Gekko for her brother Rudy's suicide, she avoids any contact with him. At the same time, the mentor of young Wall Street trader Jacob unexpectedly dies, and Jacob suspects his hedge fund manager of being involved in the death. Jacob, who is Winnie's fiancé, seeks revenge and agrees to Gekko's offer of help, in return for which Jacob agrees to help Gekko with Winnie.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wall_Street:_Money_Never_Sleeps


English-language films | American films | 20th Century Fox films | American business films | American drama films | American thriller films | Films directed by Oliver Stone | Films set in New York City | Sequel films | Trading films

Friday, September 17, 2010

Alpha and Omega (2010)

Alpha and Omega (2010)

Directed byBen Gluck, Anthony Bell
Produced byRichard Rich, Ken Katsumoto
Written byChris Denk, Steve Moore
StarringJustin Long, Hayden Panettiere, Dennis Hopper, Danny Glover, Christina Ricci
Music byChris P. Bacon
Editing byScott Anderson
StudioCrest Animation Productions
Distributed byLionsgate (USA/UK), Metropolitan Filmexport (France)
Release date(s)September 17, 2010
Running time88 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$20 million


Friday, August 20, 2010

Piranha 3D

Piranha 3D

Directed byAlexandre Aja
Produced byAlexandre Aja, Mark Canton, Marc Toberoff, Grégory Levasseur
Written byPete Goldfinger, Josh Stolberg, Alexandre Aja, Grégory Levasseur
StarringElisabeth Shue, Adam Scott, Jerry O'Connell, Ving Rhames, Jessica Szohr, Steven R. McQueen, Christopher Lloyd, Richard Dreyfuss
Music byMichael Wandmacher
Editing byBaxter
StudioThe Weinstein Company, Dimension Films, Atmosphere, Entertainment, Chako Film Company, Intellectual Properties Worldwide
Distributed byDimension Films (United States), Entertainment Film Distributors (United Kingdom)
Release date(s)August 20, 2010
Running time88 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Preceded byPiranha (1995)
Followed byPiranha 3D: The Sequel (2012)


Piranha 3D is a 3D horror film and the second remake of the 1978 film, directed by Alexandre Aja and featuring an ensemble cast including Steven R. McQueen, Jessica Szohr, Adam Scott, Elisabeth Shue, Kelly Brook, Riley Steele, Richard Dreyfuss, Jerry O'Connell, Christopher Lloyd, Ving Rhames, Dina Meyer, Cody Longo, Ricardo Antonio Chavira, Paul Scheer, Ashlynn Brooke, Gianna Michaels and Eli Roth. The script was written by Josh Stolberg and Pete Goldfinger, the writers of Sorority Row.


Plot

Fisherman Matthew Boyd (Richard Dreyfuss) is fishing in Lake Victoria, AZ when a small earthquake hits, splitting the lake floor and causing a whirlpool. Boyd falls in and is ripped apart by a school of piranhas that emerge from the chasm and ascend the vortex.

Jake (McQueen) is admiring attractive tourists as Spring Break begins. He reunites with his old crush, Kelly (Jessica Szohr) and meets Derrick Jones (Jerry O'Connell) an eccentric pornographer, as well as Danni (Kelly Brook), one of his actresses. Derrick convinces Jake to show him good spots on the beach for filming a pornographic movie.

That night, Jake's mother, Sheriff Julie Forester (Elisabeth Shue), searches for the missing Matthew Boyd with Deputy Fallon (Ving Rhames), who has found Boyd's boat. They find his mutilated body and contemplate closing the beach down. The next morning, a lone cliff diver is attacked and consumed by the marauding fish.

Jake bribes his sister and brother, Laura (Brooklynn Proulx) and Zane (Sage Ryan), to stay home alone so that he can show Derrick around the beach. After Jake leaves, Zane drafts Laura to go fishing on a small sandbar island. They forget to tie the boat down and are stranded in the middle of the lake. Meanwhile, Jake goes to meet with Derrick and runs into Kelly, who invites herself onto Derrick’s boat, The Barracuda. Jake meets Crystal (Riley Steele), another of Derrick’s actresses, and cameraman Drew (Paul Scheer). They film an underwater love scene between Danni and Crystal before partying.

Julie takes a team of seismologist divers — Novak (Adam Scott), Sam (Ricardo Chavira), and Paula (Dina Meyer) — to the fissure. Novak speculates that the rift leads to a buried prehistoric lake. Paula and Sam scuba dive to the bottom and they find the entrance so Sam goes first. There he discovers a large cavern filled with large egg stalks. While down there he's bitten by something and then he finds himself surrounded by thousands of piranha. Paula hears him screaming for help and she tries to help him. As she watches him being ripped to pieces by the piranha, she gets attacked as well, before she can escape and alert the others. Novak dives in to save them but he's too late. Novak and Julie then pull Paula's corpse onto the boat, capturing a lone piranha, which they take to Mr. Goodman (Christopher Lloyd), a marine biologist. He explains that the piranhas are a prehistoric species, long believed to be extinct, and must had been trapped underground for over two million years. At first, they are not convinced that a species of piranha could survive for millions of years, cut off from the surface. Mr. Goodman points out the scars on their piranha specimen, indicating that they have survived through cannibalism. Making them a much tougher species.

Julie, Novak, and Fallon try to evacuate the beach, but their warnings are ignored until the piranhas attack the tourists. Novak boards a jet-ski with a shotgun to help while Fallon ushers people to shore and Julie tries to get swimmers into the police boat. A floating stage set up in the water collapses from the weight of all the panicking guests and the wet T-shirt contest host (Eli Roth) is killed. A partygoer tries to flee by using a speedboat and in doing so runs over fellow guests, killing them. A girl's hair gets caught in the propellor of the boat, and when the craft pulls away, it gruesomely removes her scalp and part of her face.

Jake spots Laura and Zane on the island, and forces Derrick to rescue them. Derrick gets the boat's propeller stuck and crashes into some rocks, flooding the rooms below deck. Kelly is trapped in in the kitchen while Derrick, Crystal, and Drew are thrown from the boat. Crystal and Drew are devoured while Danni manages to get a partially eaten Derrick back on board. Jake calls Julie for help.

Julie and Novak commandeer a boat and take it to the sinking Barracuda. Fallon stays behind to fight off the piranhas with a shotgun in shallow water. Seizing the motor off a speedboat, he turns it on and shreds much of the swarming school with it, sacrificing himself but giving more swimmers a chance to get out of the water.

Julie and Novak reach Jake and attach a rope to his boat. Julie, Danni, Laura, and Zane start crossing the rope but the piranhas latch onto Danni's hair and pull her into the water, devouring her. Laura, Zane, and Julie make it to safety but Jake breaks the rope. Using Derrick's corpse as both distraction and bait, Jake ties the line to himself and goes to save Kelly. He ties Kelly to him and lights a flare after releasing the gas in a pair of stored propane tanks. Novak manages to start the boat after a struggle and speeds away just as the piranhas surround Kelly and Jake. They are dragged to safety and the propane tanks explode, destroying the boat and killing most of the piranhas.

Mr. Goodman calls Julie on the radio, Julie tells him that they killed most of the piranha but she thinks their still more of them out there. Terrified, Goodman tells her that the glands on the piranha they obtained were not mature, meaning that the piranhas they've been fighting are babies. Novak wonders where the parents are. Then a giant adult piranha lunges out of the water, attacks Novak and pulls him into the water, killing him.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piranha_3D


2010 films | English-language films | American films | 2010s comedy films | 2010s horror films | American action thriller films | American comedy horror films | Dimension Films films | Film remakes | Films directed by Alexandre Aja | Films shot in Arizona | Natural horror films | The Weinstein Company films | 2010s 3-D films | 2-D films converted to 3-D

Friday, July 16, 2010

Inception (2010)

Inception (2010)

Directed byChristopher Nolan
Produced byChristopher Nolan, Emma Thomas
Written byChristopher Nolan
StarringLeonardo DiCaprio, Ken Watanabe, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard, Ellen Page, Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, Tom Berenger, Michael Caine, Dileep Rao
Music byHans Zimmer
CinematographyWally Pfister
Editing byLee Smith
StudioLegendary Pictures, Syncopy Films
Distributed byWarner Bros. Pictures
Release date(s)July 8, 2010 (London premiere), July 16, 2010 (United States)
Running time148 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish


Inception is a 2010 American science fiction action film written, produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan. The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Ken Watanabe, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard, Ellen Page, Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, Tom Berenger, Michael Caine, and Dileep Rao. DiCaprio plays Dom Cobb, a thief who extracts information from the subconscious mind of his victims while they dream. Unable to visit his children, Cobb is offered a chance to regain his old life in exchange for one last job: performing inception, the planting of an idea into the mind of his client's competitor.

Development began roughly nine years before Inception was released. In 2001, Nolan wrote an 80-page treatment about dream-stealers, presenting the idea to Warner Bros. The story was originally written as a heist film, inspired by concepts of lucid dreaming and dream incubation. Feeling he needed to have more experience with large scale films, Nolan opted to work on Batman Begins, The Prestige and The Dark Knight. He spent six months polishing up the script for Inception before Warner Bros. purchased it in February 2009. Filming spanned six countries and four continents, beginning in Tokyo on June 19, 2009 and finishing in Canada in late November of the same year. Composer Hans Zimmer scored the film, using parts of Edith Piaf's song "Non, je ne regrette rien".


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inception_(film)


2010 films | English-language films | American films | IMAX films | Films directed by Christopher Nolan | Warner Bros. films | Legendary Pictures films | Syncopy films | 2010s science fiction films | American science fiction action films | Heist films | Films about telepresence | Films shot in multiple formats | Films shot anamorphically | Films shot in Alberta | Films shot in Morocco | Films shot in Paris | Films shot in Tokyo | Films shot in California | Films shot in the United Kingdom | D-BOX motion-enhanced films | Dreaming and fiction | Existentialist films

Friday, July 9, 2010

Bulma (ブルマ), Dragon Ball

Bulma



Bulma (ブルマ, Buruma) is a character appearing early in the series in the first chapter Bulma and Son Goku (ブルマと孫悟空, Buruma to Son Gokū) first published in Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine on December 3, 1984. She was originally portrayed as a secondary main character, next to Goku. Her role is quickly downplayed as the series continues, though she does continue her role as a supporting character for the remainder of the series. Bulma is the daughter of Dr. Briefs; the founder of Capsule Corp., a fictional corporation that creates special capsules that are often used to store objects of various sizes. Being the daughter of a brilliant scientist, Bulma is also an intelligent scientist, as well as an inventor and engineer. She is most credited for inventing the Dragon Radar, a fictional device that is specifically designed to detect the energy signal emitted by a Dragon Ball, being able to find the Dragon Balls faster than anyone else. Bulma's role as an inventor becomes important at several points in the series. Several of her creations were major contributions to various plotlines, including a microband that could make her shrink, the time machine that brought her son Trunks to the past during Dragon Ball Z and the generator that allowed her husband Vegeta to achieve Super Saiyan 4 in Dragon Ball GT.

Bulma is a direct parody of the character Xuanzang from the Chinese novel Journey to the West. Even though Bulma's character parodies a monk, her Japanese name "Buruma" is a direct take on the word bloomers, which was a popular type of women's underwear in the early 20th century. As with most characters in the Dragon Ball series, Bulma's name is consistent with those of the rest of her family. All of Bulma's family members are named after underclothing of some sort. Her father's name is "Dr. Briefs", while her son and daughter are named "Trunks" and "Bra" ("Bulla" in the anime adaptation, which is "bra" in Japanese) respectively. She married the Saiyan Prince Vegeta, who is the only family member (other than King Vegeta) to not be named after clothes.

Bulma is voiced by Hiromi Tsuru in all of the Japanese media. In Funimation's dub, she would be voiced by Maggie Blue O'Hara in the first Dragon Ball film; Lalainia Lindbjerg in the first 13 episodes of Dragon Ball and the 64 episodes and first three movies of Dragon Ball Z; Leslie Alexander in the film Sleeping Princess in Devil's Castle; Tiffany Vollmer in all other Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, and Dragon Ball GT dubs including re-dubs of previously dubbed works; and Monica Rial in Dragon Ball Z Kai. In Westwood Media's dub, Maggie Blue O'Hara returned to voice Bulma in Dragon Ball Z; Leda Davies was cast for Dragon Ball; and Kristin Nowosad in Dragon Ball GT. In the Japanese dub of the live-action Dragonball Evolution, she is voiced by Aya Hirano.

Bulma has a cameo in the Dragon Ball/One Piece crossover Cross Epoch. In this segment, she is partnered up with the character Nami. The two act as a pair of space pirates. Bulma has been portrayed by Jeannie Tse in the unofficial live-action Dragon Ball movie The Magic Begins. She was also featured in the 1990 unofficial Korean adaptation where she was played by Lee Ju Hee. Bulma appeared in the live-action film Dragonball Evolution, portrayed by Emmy Rossum.[10] Rossum describes her portrayal of Bulma as "She’s pretty bad-ass, but still quirky and fun, and kind of ridiculous in the way she is in the anime."


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Dragon_Ball_characters

http://dragonball.wikia.com/wiki/Bulma

Predators (2010)

Predators (2010)

Directed byNimród Antal
Produced byRobert Rodriguez, John Davis, Elizabeth Avellan
Written byMichael Finch, Alex Litvak, Jim Thomas (characters), John Thomas (characters)
StarringAdrien Brody, Laurence Fishburne, Topher Grace, Alice Braga, Danny Trejo, Walton Goggins, Oleg Taktarov, Mahershalalhashbaz Ali, Louis Ozawa Changchien
Music byJohn Debney, Alan Silvestri (theme)
CinematographyGyula Pados
Editing byDan Zimmerman
StudioTroublemaker Studios, Davis Entertainment
Distributed by20th Century Fox
Release date(s)July 9, 2010 (international), July 9, 2010 (United States)
Running time107 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Preceded byAliens vs. Predator: Requiem


Predators is a 2010 American science fiction action film directed by Nimród Antal and starring Adrien Brody, Laurence Fishburne, Topher Grace, Alice Braga, Walton Goggins, Danny Trejo, Mahershalalhashbaz Ali, Oleg Taktarov, and Louis Ozawa Changchien. It was distributed by 20th Century Fox. It is the third film in the Predator franchise, following Predator (1987), Predator 2 (1990), and the crossover films Alien vs. Predator (2004) and Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007).

The film follows Royce (Adrien Brody), a mercenary, who wakes up finding himself falling from the sky into a jungle. Once on the ground, he meets other people who have arrived there in the same manner, all of whom have questionable backgrounds, except for a doctor (Topher Grace). As the film progresses, the group discovers that they are on an alien planet that acts as a game reserve to which they are being hunted by a merciless race of aliens known as Predators.

Producer Robert Rodriguez had developed a script as early as 1994, although it was not until 2009 that 20th Century Fox greenlit the project. According to Rodriguez, the title Predators is an allusion to the second film in the Alien franchise, Aliens (1986). The title also has a double meaning, referring both to the extraterrestrial Predator creatures and to the group of human characters who are pitted against them. Principal photography for Predators began on September 28, 2009 and concluded after 53 days; filming took place in Hawaii and then in Austin, Texas.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Predators_(film)

Thursday, July 1, 2010

The Last Airbender (2010)

The Last Airbender

Directed by: M. Night Shyamalan
Starring: Noah Ringer, Nicola Peltz, Jackson Rathbone, Dev Patel, Shaun Toub, Aasif Mandvi, Cliff Curtis
Studio: Nickelodeon Movies
Distributed by: Paramount Pictures
Country: United States


The Last Airbender is a 2010 American adventure fantasy film released on July 1, 2010. It is a live-action film adaptation based on the first season of the animated television series Avatar: The Last Airbender. The film stars Noah Ringer as Aang, a reluctant hero who prefers adventure over his job as the Avatar. Aang and his friends, Katara and Sokka, journey to the North Pole to find a Waterbending master to teach Aang and Katara the secrets of the craft. At the same time, Fire Lord Ozai, the current Fire Lord of the Fire Nation, is waging a seemingly endless war against the Earth Kingdom, the Water Tribes, and the already vanquished Air Nomads. The film also stars Nicola Peltz, Jackson Rathbone, and Dev Patel.

The first of a planned trilogy, The Last Airbender was produced by Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies. Development for a film began in 2007; it was adapted into a film by M. Night Shyamalan, who also directed and produced. Other producers include Frank Marshall, Kathleen Kennedy, Sam Mercer and Scott Aversano. The series from which it was adapted was influenced by Asian art, mythology and various martial arts fighting styles and was created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko. Filming began in mid-March 2009; the movie was released in both traditional two-dimensional projectors, as well as in 3D (using the RealD 3D format).


Plot

The film begins with a fourteen-year-old Waterbender girl named Katara, and her older fifteen-year-old warrior brother, Sokka from the Southern Water Tribe, unfreezing an Iceberg with a 12-year-old boy Aang, and a flying bison named Appa, trapped inside. This attracts the attention of Zuko, the Prince of the Fire Nation who was exiled by his father: The current Fire Lord Ozai. Arriving to Southern Water Tribe, Zuko demands the elderly under the impression that Avatar is an old person until Aang is found. Aang surrenders himself to Zuko as long as he agrees to leave the village alone. Aboard Zuko's ship, Aang is at Zuko's mercy, but he dares the two escorts that he could take them both in a fight with both of his hands tied behind his back. Eventually he manages to maneuver away from the guards before Katara and Sokka arrive on Appa, making their escape. Aang and friends visit the Southern Air Temple where the Avatar learns that he was in the ice for a century and the Fire Nation wiped out everyone he knew there, entering the Avatar State and revealing to the world that the Avatar has returned via spiritually significant statues begin to glow, just like Aang's eyes and tattoos. It was there Aang meets up with the only known remaining "flying lemur", naming it "Momo" as it joins Aang's group. Meanwhile, Commander Zhao invites Prince Zuko and Iroh for lunch, only to humiliate Zuko in front of his men.

Arriving in a small Earth Kingdom town that is controlled by the Fire Nation, Aang's group are arrested while helping a boy named Haru there. They then incite a rebellion with reminding the disgruntled Earthbenders that earth was given to them through the air ducts. Soon after, Katara finds a waterbending scroll that she uses to perfect her skills while helping Aang master waterbending as they make their way to the Northern Water Tribe and liberate more Earth Kingdom villages in the process. During a side track to the Northern Air Temple on his own, Aang is betrayed by a peasant and captured by a group of Fire Nation Yuu Yan archers, commanded by Zhao. However, a masked marauder, the "Blue Spirit", helps Aang escape from his imprisonment. Aware that Zuko is the "Blue Spirit," Zhao arranges the prince's demise. But Zuko survives the attempt on his life and, with Iroh's help, sneaks aboard Zhao's lead ship as his fleet departs for the Northern Water Tribe to execute the plan he and Ozai set up with the scrolls from the Library detailing the spirits there.

Upon arriving, Aang's group is welcomed warmly by the citizens of the Northern Water Tribe. Sokka falls in love with Princess Yue, while Aang and Katara master their waterbending skills under Pakku. Once the Fire Nation armada arrives, Zhao begins his attack while Zuko infiltrates the tribe on his own, capturing Aang while he entered the spirit world to find the dragon spirit to give him the wisdom to defeat the Fire Nation. Coming to his senses, Aang battles Zuko before Katara freezes him. As the battles escalates, Iroh watches Zhao slay the moon spirit Tui, causing the waterbenders to lose their power. However, Yue, who was imbued with some of the energy of the Moon spirit when she was a newborn, sacrifices her life to revive the Moon spirit. As Zhao is drowned by Waterbenders after Zuko and Iroh leave him to his fate, Aang uses the ocean to drive the armada back. Aang now fully embraces his destiny as the Avatar and prepares to continue their struggle against Ozai. When news of Zhao's death and Iroh's betrayal reaches him, Ozai appoints his daughter Azula to capture both her Uncle and Brother while hindering the Avatar in any way before Sozin's Comet makes its return within three years' time.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Last_Airbender

Thursday, June 10, 2010

The Karate Kid (2010)

The Karate Kid (2010)

Directed byHarald Zwart
Produced byJerry Weintraub, Will Smith, Jada Pinkett Smith, James Lassiter, Ken Stovitz
Written byScript: Christopher Murphey
Story: Robert Mark Kamen
StarringJackie Chan, Jaden Smith, Taraji P. Henson
Music byJames Horner
CinematographyRoger Pratt
Editing byKevin Stermer
StudioOverbrook Entertainment, JW Productions, China Film Group
Distributed byColumbia Pictures
Release date(s)June 10, 2010, June 11, 2010 (United States)
Running time140 minutes
CountryUnited States, China
LanguageEnglish, Mandarin


The Karate Kid, known as The Kung Fu Dream in China and Best Kid in Japan and South Korea, is a 2010 martial arts remake of the 1984 film of the same name. Directed by Harald Zwart, produced by Will and Jada Pinkett Smith, the remake stars Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith.

Principal photography for the film took place in Beijing, China; filming began around July 2009 and ended on October 16, 2009. The Karate Kid was released theatrically in the United States on June 11, 2010 and Singapore a day earlier on June 10, 2010.

The plot concerns a 12-year-old boy from Detroit who moves to China with his mother and runs afoul of the neighborhood bully. He makes an unlikely ally in the form of his aging maintenance man, Mr. Han, a kung fu master who teaches him the secrets to self-defense.


Plot

12-year-old Dre Parker (Jaden Smith) and his mother, Sherry (Taraji P. Henson), arrive in Beijing from West Detroit to start a new life. Dre develops a crush on a young violinist, Mei Ying (Wen Wen Han), who reciprocates his attention, but Cheng (Zhenwei Wang), a kung fu prodigy whose family is close to Mei Ying's, attempts to keep them apart by beating Dre, and later harassing and humiliating him in and around school. During a particularly brutal beating by Cheng and his friends, the enigmatic maintenance man of Dre's building, Mr. Han (Jackie Chan), comes to Dre's aid, revealing himself as a kung fu master who adeptly dispatches Dre's tormentors.

After Han mends Dre's injuries using fire cupping, they go to Cheng's teacher, Master Li (Yu Rongguang), to attempt to make peace, but the brutal Li, who teaches his students to show no mercy to their enemies, challenges Dre to a fight with Cheng. When Han declines, Li threatens him, saying that they will not be allowed to leave his school unless either Dre or Han himself fights. Han acquiesces, but insists the fight take place at an upcoming tournament, and that Li's students leave Dre alone until the tournament. The amused Li agrees.

Han begins training Dre, but Dre is frustrated that Han merely has Dre spend hours taking off his jacket, hanging it up, dropping it, and then putting it back on again. After days of this, Dre refuses to continue, until Han demonstrates to him that the repetitive arm movements in question were Han's method of teaching Dre defensive block and strike techniques, which Dre is now able to display instinctively when prompted by Han's mock attacks. Han emphasizes that the movements Dre is learning apply to life in general, and that serenity and maturity, not punches and power, are the true keys to mastering the martial arts. During one lesson in the Wudang Mountains, Dre notices a female kung fu practitioner (Michelle Yeoh, in an uncredited cameo) apparently copying the movements of a cobra before her, but Han informs him that it was the cobra that was imitating the woman, as in a mirror reflection. Dre wants Han to teach him this technique, which includes linking Han's hand and feet to Dre's via bamboo shafts while practicing their forms, but Dre's subsequent attempt to use this reflection technique on his mother is unsuccessful.

As Dre's friendship with Mei Ying continues, she agrees to attend Dre's tournament, as does Dre her upcoming recital. Dre persuades Mei Ying to cut school for a day of fun, but when she is nearly late for her violin recital, which has been rescheduled for that day, she tells him that her parents have deemed him a bad influence, and forbid her from spending any more time with him. Later, when Dre finds Mr. Han despondent, he learns that it is the anniversary of his wife and son's deaths, which occurred years ago when he lost control of his car while arguing with his wife. Dre reminds Han that one of his lessons was in perseverance, and that Han needs to heal from his loss, and tries to help him do so. Han then assists Dre in reading a note, in Chinese, of apology to Mei Ying's father, who, impressed, allows Mei to attend the tournament.

At the tournament, the under-confident Dre is slow to achieve parity with his opponents, but soon begins to beat them, and advances to the semifinals, as does Cheng, who violently finishes off his opponents. Dre eventually comes up against Liang, another of Master Li's students, who is instructed by Master Li to break Dre's leg. When Liang insists that he can beat Dre, Master Li sternly tells him that he doesn't want him beaten, but broken. During the match, Liang delivers a devastating kick to Dre's leg, along with a series of brutal follow-up punches. Although Liang is disqualified for his illegal strikes, Dre is incapacitated, which would allow Cheng to win by default.

Despite Han's insistence that he has earned respect for his performance in the tournament, Dre convinces Han to use his fire cupping technique to mend his leg, in order to see the tournament to the end. Dre returns to the arena, where he confronts Cheng. Dre delivers impressive blows, but Cheng counters with a debilitating strike to Dre's already injured leg. Dre struggles to get up, and adopts the one-legged form he first learned from the woman on the mountain, attempting to use the reflection technique to manipulate Cheng's movements. Cheng charges Dre, but Dre flips, and catches Cheng with a kick to his head, winning the tournament, along with the respect of Cheng and his classmates, both for himself and Mr. Han.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Karate_Kid_(2010_film)


2010 films | The Karate Kid | 2010s action films | 2010s drama films | American action films | American drama films | English-language films | Film remakes | Films set in China | Films shot in China | Martial arts films | Martial arts tournament films | Reboot films | Overbrook Entertainment films | Columbia Pictures films

Friday, June 4, 2010

Killers (2010)

Killers (2010)

Directed byRobert Luketic
Produced byScott Aversano, Jason Goldberg, Mike Karz, Ashton Kutcher, Chad Marting, Christopher S. Pratt, Josie Rosen
Written byBob DeRosa, Ted Griffin
StarringKatherine Heigl, Ashton Kutcher, Tom Selleck, Catherine O'Hara
Music byRolfe Kent
CinematographyRussell Carpenter
Editing byMary Jo Markey
StudioKatalyst Media
Distributed byLionsgate
Release date(s)June 4, 2010
Running time100 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish


Killers is a 2010 American action comedy film starring Katherine Heigl and Ashton Kutcher. The film was released in the United States and Canada on June 4, 2010. The film centers on a young woman who meets a guy who turns out to be a contract killer.


Plot

After a break-up with a spontaneous boyfriend, an overly cautious Jennifer "Jen" Kornfeldt (Katherine Heigl) travels to Nice with her parents (Tom Selleck and Catherine O'Hara). While going into an elevator to go to her hotel room, she meets Spencer Aimes (Ashton Kutcher). Spencer asks her to dinner and she accepts. The scene then changes to Spencer sneaking onto a boat, taking out a guard, then putting a time bomb on the bottom of a helicopter. He then swims back and goes on the date with Jen.

After a night of drinking, Jen reveals that she's not the spontaneous person she's been pretending to be and in return Spencer bluntly tells her that he's a contract killer, albeit unhappy about being one. Unfortunately she's already passed out and hasn't heard. In spite of this, Spencer decides that Jen's the woman he's been looking for and decides to marry her. When Spencer tells his boss, Holbrook (Martin Mull), his plan, the response is the obvious: "You don't just quit being a contract killer". Spencer is defiant and goes ahead with his plan.

Three years later, they are settled into their new normal life. After Spencer surprises Jen with a remodeled office, she gives him a birthday surprise: tickets to Nice to celebrate his birthday and their three years. Because of the hitman connections to Nice, Spencer is less than enthusiastic. When her friends ask about his reaction, they take it as signs of that he might be getting bored and fill her head with doubts.

Meanwhile, Spencer gets a postcard from his old boss and the ultimatum to take another job. While trying to refuse him long distance, Jen's father shows up to take Spencer to dinner, so Spencer hangs up the phone, prompting a suspicion in Mr. Kornfeldt. This is fueled further when Jen's dad see the postcard and quizzes him about the XOXX (hugs and kisses), being odd coming from a former boss. Stopping home to change, Spencer finds that the dinner invite is just a detour to bring him to a surprise party. While Spencer navigates drunk friends, Jen's friends continue to fill her head with doubts over Spencer's lack of enthusiasm for the Nice trip. This is further irritated, when the following morning, despite her attempts to be physical with him, Spencer rushes Jen off on her business trip.

A little while later, Jen comes back (without having gone on her trip) to find Spencer being tossed around their house by Henry (Rob Riggle), Spencer's friend and co-worker. Spencer screams for her to get his gun (of which she was unaware) and she shoots the attacker in the arm. While interrogating the attacker, he reveals that there is a $20 million bounty on Spencer's head. An unidentified sniper takes pot shots at them, and Spencer and Jen flee. After escaping, they go to a hotel room where Spencer's old boss is staying, but find that someone has already killed him. Jen demands that they go to her dad for help, but Spencer disagrees. In the middle of their argument Jen vomits, and declares that she might be pregnant.

Heading back to his office for Jen to take a pregnancy test, Spencer is attacked by his secretary (Katheryn Winnick) and realizes that there are others who know about the contract. Jen then reveals that she is pregnant and is leaving Spencer. Left alone, Spencer is attacked by the UDE driver, who is killed by Olivia (Lisa Ann Walter), Henry's wife and another assassin vying for the contract. She then attacks Spencer and is killed by Jen, who came to rescue him. The two discuss their possible future and return to their neighborhood, which is holding its annual block party. When they first arrive they are attacked by two assassins. They escape and head to the block party. As they walk through the block party they receive many suspicious looks from neighbors. They enter their house to retrieve guns and their passports. Spencer is grabbing the guns when he is attacked by two assassins who he eventually kills.

Meanwhile, one assassin, Kristen (Casey Wilson), one of Jen's best friends, holds Jen's mother as a hostage in a Mexican standoff with Jen. Jen's father arrives and kills Kristen. He then explains that he was the one who put out the bounty on Spencer. He knew of Spencer's previous work, and hired the neighbors and co-workers three years before in case Spencer started working for the his old boss again, who Jen's father says had "gone dirty". After seeing the postcard from Holbrook in Spencer's office, he came to the conclusion that Spencer had re-accepted his old job and activated the assassins. He reveals that he had been a contract killer as well, and that he was actually the target Spencer was supposed to kill in Nice three years earlier.

Wanting to prove that he really did get out of the business and had no desire to kill her father, Spencer drops his gun. Jen, now convinced, turns on her father and reveals her pregnancy. Realizing that he will be a grandfather, Jen's father also puts down his gun and the family makes peace. The movie ends showing Spencer and Jen's father working on some wires near Spencer and Jen's baby's crib. Spencer and Jen then leave to let Jen's mom and dad babysit. They all leave the room and when they close the doors lasers turn on to protect the baby.


Cast

Ashton Kutcher as Spencer Aimes
Katherine Heigl as Jennifer "Jen" Kornfeldt
Tom Selleck as Mr. Kornfeldt, Jen's father
Catherine O'Hara as Mrs. Kornfeldt, Jen's alcoholic mother
Katheryn Winnick as Vivian, Spencer's secretary
Kevin Sussman as Mac Bailey, one of Jen and Spencer's neighbors
Lisa Ann Walter as Olivia, Henry's wife
Casey Wilson as Kristen, Jen's best friend and an assassin
Rob Riggle as Henry, Spencer's friend and co-worker
Martin Mull as Holbrook, Spencer's boss
Alex Borstein as Lily Bailey, one of Jen and Spencer's neighbors
LeToya Luckett as Amanda, one of Jen's friends
Mary Birdsong as Jackie Vallero, Jen and Spencer's annoying next door neighbor



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killers_(2010_film)


2010 films | American films | English-language films | 2010s romantic comedy films | American action thriller films | American romantic comedy films | Films directed by Robert Luketic | Films shot in France | Films shot in Georgia (U.S. state) | Lions Gate films

Monday, May 31, 2010

Final Fantasy VII



Final Fantasy VII (ファイナルファンタジーVII, Fainaru Fantajī Sebun) is a role-playing video game developed by Square (now Square Enix) and published by Sony Computer Entertainment as the seventh installment in the Final Fantasy series. It was originally released in 1997 for the Sony PlayStation and was re-released in 1998 for Microsoft Windows-based personal computers and in 2009 on the PlayStation Network. The game is the first in the series to use 3D computer graphics, featuring fully rendered characters on pre-rendered backgrounds, and was the first game in the main series to be released in Europe. Final Fantasy VII follows protagonist Cloud Strife, who, at the beginning of the game, joins the rebel organization AVALANCHE in their quest to stop the world-controlling megacorporation Shinra, which is draining the life of the planet for use as an energy source. As the story progresses, Cloud and his allies become involved in a larger world-threatening conflict and face Sephiroth, the game's main antagonist.

Development of Final Fantasy VII began in 1994 and the game was originally intended for release on the SNES, but was later moved to the Nintendo 64. However, since the Nintendo 64's cartridges lacked the required storage capacity, Square decided to release the game for the PlayStation instead. The game was designed and produced by Hironobu Sakaguchi, while the actual direction was done by Yoshinori Kitase. The music was scored by Final Fantasy veteran Nobuo Uematsu, while the series's long-time character designer, Yoshitaka Amano, was replaced by Tetsuya Nomura.

Helped by a large promotional campaign in the months prior to its release, Final Fantasy VII became an immediate critical and commercial success. In the years following, it has continued to sell solidly—10 million copies worldwide as of May 2010, making it the best-selling title in the series. Final Fantasy VII received significant praise upon its release for its graphics, gameplay, music and story. There was also criticism pertaining to its English localization. It has retrospectively been acknowledged as the game that popularized the role-playing video game genre outside of the Japanese market, and has frequently ranked highly on numerous professional and fan-made "greatest games of all time" lists. The popularity of the title led Square Enix to produce a series of prequels and sequels for different platforms under the collective title Compilation of Final Fantasy VII. An enhanced remake for the PlayStation 3 has been rumored since 2005, though Square Enix has formally stated no such product is in development at the time; however, in March 2010, Square Enix CEO Yoichi Wada told the media the company would explore the possibility of a remake.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Final_Fantasy_VII

Thursday, May 27, 2010

FlashForward (2009)

FlashForward (2009)

Genre: Drama, Science fiction
Created by: Brannon Braga, David S. Goyer, Robert J. Sawyer (novel)
Starring: Joseph Fiennes, John Cho, Jack Davenport, Zachary Knighton, Peyton List, Dominic Monaghan, Brían F. O'Byrne, Courtney B. Vance, Sonya Walger, Christine Woods
Country of origin: United States

Original channel: ABC
Original run: September 24, 2009 – May 27, 2010


FlashForward is an American television series, adapted for TV by Brannon Braga and David S. Goyer, which aired on ABC between September 24, 2009 and May 27, 2010. It is based on the 1999 novel Flashforward by Canadian science fiction writer Robert J. Sawyer. The series was cancelled in May 2010.

The series revolves around the lives of several people as a mysterious event causes nearly everyone on the planet to simultaneously lose consciousness for two minutes and seventeen seconds on October 6, 2009. During this "blackout," people see what appear to be visions of their lives on April 29, 2010, a global "flashforward."

It was announced in June 2010 that ABC would not be renewing FlashForward for a second season.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FlashForward

Sunday, May 9, 2010

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (film)

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (film)

Directed byMike Newell
StarringJake Gyllenhaal, Gemma Arterton, Ben Kingsley, Alfred Molina
StudioJerry Bruckheimer Films
Distributed byWalt Disney Pictures
Release date(s)May 9, 2010 (London premiere), May 28, 2010 (US)
Running time116 minutes
CountryUnited States
RatingMPAA: PG-13 (for intense sequences of violence and action), 12+ (KR)


Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is a 2010 fantasy-adventure film written by Jordan Mechner, Boaz Yakin, Doug Miro, and Carlo Bernard; directed by Mike Newell; and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. The film is based on the 2003 video game of the same name, developed and released by Ubisoft Montreal.

The film stars Jake Gyllenhaal as Prince Dastan, Gemma Arterton as Princess Tamina, Ben Kingsley as Nizam, and Alfred Molina as Sheik Amar.

Despite the film being primarily based on The Sands of Time, elements from Prince of Persia: Warrior Within and Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones are also incorporated.


Plot

The plot follows Dastan (Jake Gyllenhaal), a street urchin in Persia, historically in the Persian Empire in the sixth century BC. After showing courage in the market place, he is adopted by the king. He has "no royal blood and no eye for the throne." Fifteen years later, Dastan, and his royal blooded foster brothers Garsiv and Tus lead the Persian army in an attack on the sacred city of Alamut, under the assumption that the city's people are selling weapons to their enemies, as shown by Nizam (Ben Kingsley), the King's brother and adviser. As Garsiv leads the initial assault, Dastan decides to lead a surprise attack with his friend Bis (Reece Ritchie) against the orders of his brother. He manages to open the eastern gate of Alamut and prevents further casualties. During the fight in the city, Dastan defeats one of Princess Tamina's (Gemma Arterton) guards who was in the possession of the mythical Dagger of Time. The dagger gives its owner the ability to go back in time for a short period so that the user can try to correct any mistake or redo any moment. Alamut falls to the Persians, Tamina is captured and is offered as a wife for Tus, which would make the city of Alamut a part of the Persian Empire.

The Persians celebrate their victory, but during the celebration Prince Dastan is fooled into presenting a poisoned gown — seemingly given to him by Tus — to King Sharaman (Ronald Pickup), which fatally burns the king. Prince Dastan is held as the perpetrator of his father's murder. He escapes the castle with Princess Tamina while Bis, his best friend, is killed trying to save them. Together, they embark on a journey — the Prince wants to prove his innocence, while Tamina wants to safeguard the Dagger of Time. On the first night, Tamina attempts to kill the prince and recover the dagger, but Dastan accidentally activates the dagger and learns about its ability to rewind time for one minute and in doing so, prevents Tamina from attacking. Dastan believes that Tus knew about the dagger and framed Dastan for their father's murder in an attempt to seize the throne and the dagger, thus becoming the most powerful ruler of Persia.

During their journey, the duo meets a group of merchant-bandits, in the valley of slaves, including entrepreneur and ostrich racing-organizer Sheik Amar (Alfred Molina) with his friend Seso (Steve Toussaint) who hails from the Ngbaka, masters of the throwing knives. Dastan offers Tamina up as a slave in return for their hospitality. However, the bandits try to take the Dagger of Time and take Dastan to the newly crowned Tus because of the reward for his capture; they fail in the process, while the two escape.

Dastan and Tamina return to Persia for King Sharaman's funeral. Dastan tries to convince his uncle Nizam that he was not the cause of his father's death, only to discover the dagger was taken by Tamina. Instead, he notices the burns on Nizam's hands, which indicate he was the one who set up the murder of the King. Furthermore, Nizam has set up an ambush for Dastan along the Persian streets, and after a conflict with his brother Garsiv, Dastan escapes.

Dastan catches up with Tamina and explains that the villainous brother of the King, Nizam was behind it all. The attack of Alamut was based on false allegations provided by Nizam and promoted with a motive to attain the Dagger of Time and use it with the massive Sandglass, which is hidden under the city of Alamut. This way, Nizam would go back in time before he had saved Sharaman from being attacked by a lion and undo the act, hence ensure that he becomes the King of Persia. However, Tamina reveals that the Sandglass is the vessel holding the Sands of Time, which the Gods conjured to punish humanity for its sins. A pure hearted girl, offering her life, convinced them to seal the sands; should the Dagger of Time be used to pierce the Sandglass, the sands would be released and destroy the entire world. The holder of the dagger may also turn back time as far as they please. The pair then put aside their differences and agree to work together to protect the dagger.

Meanwhile, back in Persia, Nizam, aware that Dastan knows he was responsible, tries to convince the newly-crowned King Tus and Garsiv that Dastan is trying to overthrow them and must be killed without a trial to avoid a rebellion. When this fails, Nizam hires the Hassansins, a group of highly-skilled warriors that Nizam kept hidden for his own ends after Sharaman had the sect disbanded.

Dastan and Tamina are again captured by Sheik Amar, Seso, and their group because of the chaos they caused back at the valley. Sheik intends to claim the reward for turning them in to renew his business. But that night, when everyone is asleep, the Hassansin leader (Gísli Örn Garðarsson) attacks the group in an oasis by controlling a number of vipers. Many of the group die, but Dastan uses the dagger to rewind time, and, foreseeing the attack, manages to kill all the snakes single-handedly, saving Seso in the process. The Hassansin leader then leaves in a sand dervish.

The next day, the pair, now accompanied by Sheik and Seso, travel to the secret sanctuary in the mountains near India, where it's possible to seal the dagger by returning it to the stone where it came from. In order to do so, Tamina would have to sacrifice herself, but it fails as they run into Garsiv's men. Dastan, however, manages to persuade his brother that he is innocent, only for Garsiv to be killed by a flurry of spike-knives thrown by a Hassansin. The Hassanin attack, killing many of the group, while their leader manages to snatch the Dagger of Time from Tamina (who was knocked unconcious in the battle) by using a trained snake. Eventually, Dastan is saved from the last Hassansin by Garsiv, who then succumbs to his injuries.

Tamina and Dastan, as well as Sheik Amar and Seso, return to Alamut to reveal the truth about Nizam and the dagger to Tus. First, they must get the dagger, which is kept in the sacred temple, guarded by the Hassansin who killed Garsiv. Seso, the master of throwing knives, fights the spike-wielding Hassansin to obtain the dagger. He manages to kill the Hassansin after a well aimed throw, yet is fatally wounded in the process. Seso manages to throw the Dagger out of the window to Sheik and Dastan before dying. Sheik Amar then distracts the guards by serving as a decoy while Dastan shows the truth about the Dagger to his brother Tus by killing himself, only to have Tus rewind time with the dagger. Afterward, Tus is killed by Nizam, and Dastan is incapacitated by another Hassasin. The Dagger is once again in Nizam's hands, but Dastan manages to defeat the Hassasin with Tamina's help. She realises that the Hassansin had been a spy inside the city of Alamut and must have been the one who told Nizam about the Dagger.

Nizam goes to the Sandglass caves beneath Alamut, as Dastan and Tamina race to stop him. Tamina opens a secret gate leading to the chamber, allowing them to take a short cut to the Sandglass. En route, they encounter the leader of the Hassansins; however, after a close fight, Dastan gets the upper hand and stabs the Hassansin before throwing him into the chasm. Dastan and Tamina then kiss. They then manage to reach Nizam as he pierces the Sandglass with the Dagger. During the final confrontation, Nizam knocks Tamina over the edge of the chasm and Dastan desperately catches her hand. Knowing he cannot stop Nizam and save her, Tamina professes her love for Dastan and lets go, sacrificing herself to stop Nizam. Dastan fights Nizam as they both hold their hands on the Dagger. Dastan then uses the Dagger's button to open the Sands of Time container and use its power against Nizam. The Sandglass slowly cracks and the sandstorm is shown destroying Alamut. Dastan is then able to use the Dagger and turn back the time as the Sandglass breaks, ending up at the point when he first held the Dagger during the siege of Alamut.

Dastan uses his knowledge to reveal Nizam's evil plan to his brothers, gaining their acceptance by revealing what Tus told him about the meeting with their father prior to the attack. Exposed, Nizam attempts to kill Dastan but ends up dying by Tus' blade. After apologizing for the ransacking of her city, Tus suggests that perhaps Tamina should become Dastan's wife as a sign of good will. The Prince returns the Dagger of Time to her as a gift, as she looks at him surprised. The two of them are next shown talking to each other and Tamina expressing her surprise about Dastan's sudden change in behavior and hinting that he may have discovered something to which he replies that they are in control of their own destiny.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_of_Persia:_The_Sands_of_Time_(film)


Disney films | English-language films | Films based on video games | Films directed by Mike Newell | Jerry Bruckheimer films | Prince of Persia | 2010 films | 2010s adventure films | Swashbuckler films | D-BOX motion-enhanced films | American fantasy adventure films

Saturday, May 8, 2010

[Y^^]: Koihime Musou(恋姫†無双) vs Ikkitousen(一騎当千)

[Y^^]: Koihime Musou(恋姫†無双) vs Ikkitousen(一騎当千)

The similarity is that both animations are base on the romance of three kindoms, and the main charaters are females. They reinterpret the original novel. Both of them contain some erotic scenes.

The difference is that Ikkitousen is more violent and Koihime Musou(恋姫†無双, Koihime†Musō) is more humorous.

Ikkitousen tells the story from the view point of Wu(吳). One of the most important protagonist is Sonsaku Hakufu(孫策 伯符, Sunce Bofu). On the other hand, Koihime Musou follows the viewpoint of the original novel. Kan'u Unchō(関羽 雲長, Guanyu Yunchang) of Shoku(蜀) is a main protagonist.

The backdrop is also different. The backdrop of Ikkitousen is Japanese schools at present. The charaters are students. However, the setting of Koihime Musou is the ancient China. That does not mean Ikkitousen has no linkage with the three kingdoms. Most of the main charaters have some spirit from the ancient China.

Ikkitousen is a school-action animation. From the first scene, the students keep fighting. There is no sufficient reason. Sometimes, they fight just for fight itself. By contrast, Koihime Musou is a fusion historical animation. If you catch a glimpse of it, you may think it's kind of historical animation. But sooner or later you can realize that it ignored the history.

Both of them borrow the idea, characters and some story. However, the story is not important at all. They say what they want to say, not the story of the original novel.

Koihime Musou

Ikkitousen

Friday, April 30, 2010

[Y^^]: Wanted(2008)

[Y^^]: Wanted(2008)

Wanted has a distinct characteristic. It twists a lot of stereotypes. TThe law of gravity can not apply to the characters. The bullets curve through the air.

Sometimes it reverse time. Above all, it says justice does not always triumph. Moreover, it gives cinema audiences a question, "Is there justice?"

Because there is not justice nor virtue in the film, the graininess and cruelty is natural. However, if you do not enjoy the cruelty, it may be unfit for you.


Thursday, April 29, 2010

Our Home's Fox Deity (我が家のお稲荷さま)

Our Home's Fox Deity

Light novel
Author: Jin Shibamura
Illustrator: Eizō Hōden
Original run: February 10, 2004 – ongoing

Manga
Author: Jin Shibamura
Illustrator: Suiren Shōfū
Original run: February 27, 2007 – ongoing

TV anime
Director: Yoshiaki Iwasaki
Studio: Zexcs
Original run: April 6, 2008 – September 14, 2008


Our Home's Fox Deity. (我が家のお稲荷さま。 Wagaya no Oinari-sama.) is a Japanese light novel series by Jin Shibamura, with illustrations by Eizō Hōden. The first novel was released on February 10, 2004, and as of October 10, 2007, seven volumes have been published by ASCII Media Works under their Dengeki Bunko imprint. A manga adaptation by Suiren Shōfū started serialization in the shōnen manga magazine Dengeki Comic Gao! on February 27, 2007, published by MediaWorks; the manga transferred to Dengeki Daioh, published by ASCII Media Works on April 21, 2008 after the former was discontinued on February 27, 2008. An anime adaptation, produced by Zexcs, aired in Japan between April 6 and September 14, 2008, containing 24 episodes. NIS America licensed the anime series and will be releasing it in North America, under the title Our Home's Fox Deity.


Characters

Kūgen Tenko (天狐 空幻 Tenko Kūgen)

Voiced by: Yukana (female), Yuichi Nakamura (male)

Kūgen is a fox deity that used to be the Guardian of the Mizuchi family. Kūgen was sealed away by a Water Priest because of her mischievous behavior. She was released by Noboru after Tōru was targeted by a demon and now serves as their guardian. She can become male or female at any time, but uses the pronoun ore (俺) to refer to herself which is usually only used by males in Japan, though in the past females did use the pronoun as well. She attracts a fair bit of attention because of her blonde hair, blue eyes and fox ears, which have to be covered by a hat when out in public, though she can also hide them completely without a hat (they involuntarily pop out if she gets distracted or excited, though).

Noboru Takagami (高上 昇 Takagami Noboru)

Voiced by: Takahiro Mizushima

Noboru is the eldest son of the Takagami family. He is sixteen-years-old and was made aware that he is the head of the Mizuchi family in the beginning of the series. He is in the badminton club with Misaki Sakura.

Tōru Takagami (高上 透 Takagami Tōru)

Voiced by: Yu Shimamura

Tōru is the youngest son of the Takagami family. He is eleven-years-old and has strong Yin in his blood, as stated by his grandmother. This indicates that Tōru may be sought after by spirits like in the beginning of the series.

Kō (コウ)

Voiced by: Saori Hayami

Kō is the sentinel of the Mizuchi family. She is sent to keep an eye on the Takagami brothers and Kūgen, and therefore must live in Noboru's house for the time being. She appears to be helpful, (having asked if she can do anything to help around the house), dedicated to her job, and does not want to be a bother. She initially is very poor with common household tasks, and is mainly proficient in combat.

Misaki Sakura (佐倉 美咲 Sakura Misaki)

Voiced by: Yui Kano

Misaki is a friend of Noboru's from school who tries many times to be more than friends with him. Kūgen and Kō, as well as Misaki's own imagination, get in the way of these attempts however.

Miyako Takagami (高上 美夜子 Takagami Miyako)

Voiced by: Yui Horie

Miyako is Tōru's and Noboru's late mother. She died before the beginning of the series. She had a friendship with Kūgen, and seemed to adore animal mascots. Ebisu states to Kūgen that her spirit has not yet passed on early in the series.

Ebisu (恵比寿)

Voiced by: Daisuke Ono

Ebisu is the local deity of the area where the Takagami brothers live. He runs a convenience store close to his shrine where he has two stone imperial guardian lions, named Kōga and Eiga, which he can bring to life. He is a real god unlike a yōkai like Kūgen Tenko, so he is able to overpower Kūgen without trying too much especially by the use of kotodama since he is the most powerful in his territory. He usually seems very jovial and friendly but is extremely sharp and sly and sometimes might be harsh. He keeps note of any new yōkai that enter his domain.


Media

Light novels

Our Home's Fox Deity. began as a series of light novels written by Jin Shibamura, and drawn by Eizō Hōden. The novels are published by ASCII Media Works under their Dengeki Bunko publishing label. The first novel was released on February 10, 2004, and as of October 10, 2007, seven volumes have been published. In 2003, the first novel in the series won the Gold Prize in the tenth Dengeki Novel Prize contest.

Manga

A manga adaptation started serialization in the Japanese shōnen manga magazine Dengeki Comic Gao! on February 27, 2007, published by MediaWorks. On February 27, 2008, the manga ended serialization in Dengeki Comic Gao!, but continued serialization in ASCII Media Works' manga magazine Dengeki Daioh on April 21, 2008. The manga takes its story from the light novels that preceded it, and is illustrated by Suiren Shōfū. As of March 27, 2008, two bound volumes have been released under ASCII Media Works' Dengeki Comics label.

Anime

A 24-episode anime adaptation produced by the animation studio Zexcs and directed by Yoshiaki Iwasaki aired in Japan on the Chiba TV television network between April 6 and September 14, 2008. NIS America licensed the anime series and will be releasing it in North America, under the title Our Home's Fox Deity. Three pieces of theme songs are used; one opening theme, and two ending themes. The opening theme, "KI-ZU-NA ~Haruka Naru Mono e (KI-ZU-NA 〜遥かなる者へ), is performed by Hitomisora (Yoshida Hitomi & Sora Izumikawa). The first ending theme, "Kaze ga Nanika o Iō to Shiteiru (風がなにかを言おうとしている?), is performed by Saori Hayami, and was used for the first eighteen episodes. The second ending theme, "Shiawase no Kotodama" (シアワセの言霊), is performed by Yukana, Saori Hayami, and Mikako Takahashi, who are the voice actresses for three female characters in the anime.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Home's_Fox_Deity.

Light novels | Manga series | Anime series | Anime of 2008 | Dengeki Bunko | Dengeki Comic Gao! | Dengeki Comics | Dengeki Daioh | Fantasy anime and manga | Manga of 2007 | Shōnen manga


This page was last modified on 29 April 2010 at 03:37.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

[Y^^]: Spartacus: Blood and Sand

[Y^^]: Spartacus: Blood and Sand

It's a hardcore historical television series. It's historical background is the Roman Empire similar to TV series Rome that was aired in 2005-2006. Spartacus includes a lot of cruelty and sexuality. I am not shocked that kinds of scene because I had already watched Rome. Anyway, I'm not really into hardcore.

Watching the series, you become accustomed to the brutality. When you see the blood, it looks like just red color. Of course it's really red color itself. Also it contains nudity and sexuality. Someone likes and says that those scenes make the series real. However, I think the maker use those scenes just as kind of service (like panties in Japanese animation, but its level is different).

Film Makers may say that TV series or movies do not cause crimes and the copycat crimes are not their fault. They may assert the freedom of expression. I agree that the freedom of expression should be guaranteed. However, no one can deny that the violent programs impact on the crime.

I stop watching Spartacus, but I accustomed myself to the blood and atrocity. If someone who enjoy this kind of program, he will accustomed himself to the blood and cruelty. He will think the bloody viloence is natural in real life."

Saturday, April 24, 2010

[Y^^]: RoboCop (1987)

[Y^^]: RoboCop (1987)

The future of the movie is very gloomy. The capital control the city and police force.

Because financial difficulty of some cities such as LA, it may not be entirely fictional situation. The city is about to default on a debt. The fire fighters and police officers can not receive their salary. It's real.

Capitalism aims at making profits. People are forced to believe that the privatization is better because it's more efficent.

In the movie, the city, Detroit is governed by a company, OCP. The reason is familiar. Financial difficulty of regional government, privatization, M&A.

The company makes a plan to develop robots that substitute for police forces.

Murphy, a police officer was murdered in line of duty. Fortunately or unfortunately, he was reborn as cyborg. It's a great movie to express a bleak future dominated by the capitalism and efficiency. Also It says about beings between human and robots.


It's a very special movie to me, because I started to write something after watching this movie. The first fiction that I wrote was 'Neo Black(黑新敎).' It was affected by 'RoboCop' and 'The Legend of Condor Heroes(射鵰英雄傳).' Neo Black is a oriental fantasy novel. Robot police officiers, Taoist and vampires showed up. I wrote down on paper but I threw it away. I regret my action, but there is no Neo Black anymore.

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Planet Comics

Planet Comics



DescriptionCover scan of Planet Comics, No. 53, Fiction House, March 1948. Cover art by Joe Doolin. Doolin, Matt Baker, George Evans, and Maurice Whitman art. Cited in Seduction of the Innocent.
Date1948
SourceOriginal copy of above, digitized by Self, from material in my possession.
AuthorChordboard
LicensingThis work is in the public domain because it was published in the United States between 1923 and 1963 and although there may or may not have been a copyright notice, the copyright was not renewed.


From Wikimedia Commons http://commons.wikimedia.org

Friday, April 16, 2010

Characters of Oh My Goddess!

Characters of Oh My Goddess!


Main characters

Keiichi Morisato

Voiced by: Masami Kikuchi

Keiichi Morisato (森里 螢一 Morisato Keiichi) is a student of the Nekomi Institute of Technology and a member of the NIT Motor Club. One day Keiichi accidentally dials the Goddess Relief Office. After summoning Belldandy by accident, he ends up wishing for her to be by his side forever. Ever since, the two have been together. Keiichi's pure and innocent personality also puts him in the middle of an unusual love relationship. While he understands his love for Belldandy, he sometimes has a difficult time expressing his feelings.

He is a very skilled mechanic and an exceptional race driver. He is bestowed the directorship of the Motor Club, which he subsequently passes on to Sora Hasegawa. At his supposed graduation from college, he started working at the repair shop Whirlwind owned by the founder of the NIT Motor Club: Chihiro Fujimi. He picked up the one class and actually graduated many chapters later.
Since he met Belldandy, Keiichi has had many extraordinary experiences in his young life, including having met several other Goddesses and supernatural beings. He became the only person ever to have flown the Shinden, an experimental World War II Japanese airplane, and met Schrödinger's Whales—and saved them from extinction by teaching them songs.

Keiichi's personality is illustrated when he summons one of Lind's own Angels, Cool Mint. Lind gave him one of her angels because he is able to host the angel with the love of the three goddesses, which he received due to his innocent personality. Later on, Keiichi also temporarily and involuntarily hosts the demon-angel Blue Lance. The reason why the angel chooses him to be the host at random was explained as that he is the only person referring to her as an "angel" and not a "former demon".

Belldandy

Voiced by: Kikuko Inoue, Akemi Okamura (The Adventures of Mini-Goddess episodes 1–13)

Belldandy (ベルダンディー - Berudandī) is a goddess who ends up contractually bound to Keiichi Morisato after he accidentally dials the Goddess Relief Office. Ever since, Belldandy dwells with Keiichi at the Tariki Hongan Temple in the city of Nekomi, Chiba Prefecture near Tokyo. She can cancel the contract at anytime, but she states Keiichi is a special person in her heart, and that her purpose is to make him happy.

Belldandy is kind, patient, and warm, not only to Keiichi, but to everyone, without exception. She can easily sense other people's emotions, and tries her best to be empathetic to all those around her. However, even though Belldandy tries her best to be as kind as possible, it is revealed that at times, as a result of latent jealousy, she can become very insecure and sad, especially when she is confronted with an implication that involves Keiichi in one way or another. This can sometimes result in power leaks that affect everything within the vicinity, referred to as "jealousy storm" in the anime.

Belldandy is licensed as a goddess first-class, unlimited, and as such is highly skilled. Her power is so great, in fact, that she is required to wear a special earring on her left ear which constantly seals the full brunt of her magical strength. Belldandy's angel is Holy Bell; her elemental attribute is wind. Like all angels, Holy Bell augments Belldandy's magical powers when called upon, and like all angels, she also reflects her master's current state.

Urd

Voiced by: Yumi Touma

Urd (ウルド Urudo) is Belldandy's older half sister and is the second Goddess to appear to Keiichi. Urd ranks as Goddess second class, management category limited license, similar to her youngest sister Skuld. She is the Yggdrasil System Administrator and Manager. Though she is much more powerful than her sisters, she has not become a first class goddess, most recently because she chose not to become a first class goddess (See main article.) Urd shares a common father with her younger sisters, but has a different mother, the Demon Lord Hild. Because of this, Urd is a hybrid of Goddess and Demon, reflected in the half-white, half-black appearance of her Angel, World of Elegance.

Urd fancies herself a Goddess of Love, so she comes to Earth to spur Keiichi onward with love potions and well-meaning, but deceitful advice, but as punishment for deserting her post and for using her powers on Earth without authorization, The Almighty banishes her from Heaven until further notice. After being allowed to go back, she decides to stay on Earth instead.

Skuld

Voiced by: Aya Hisakawa

Skuld (スクルド Sukurudo) is the younger sister of Belldandy, and is the third Goddess to appear to Keiichi Morisato. Skuld has a Goddess second class, type one, limited license, a category similar to her eldest sister, Urd. Skuld is one of Yggdrasil's system debuggers. She compensates for her lack of magic power with her innate talent for invention, which is known throughout Heaven. Skuld is an engineering genius, capable of building just about anything out of the most mundane parts under most limited resources. She can compute equations and redesign even the most complex engineering blueprints in no time.

She travels to Earth after Belldandy's proximity to Keiichi started creating an increasing number of bugs in Heaven's supercomputer Yggdrasil. At least that was her official excuse, as she believed Belldandy was living with Keiichi against her will. She tried to convince Belldandy to return to Heaven to resolve the bug problem and at the same time with the ulterior motive of alleviating her loneliness. After realizing that Belldandy's relationship with Keiichi was not going to end any time soon, Skuld decides to stay on Earth and act as Belldandy's unofficial chaperon.

In the second season she begins to develop her goddess powers. Her angel's name is Noble Scarlet.


Heaven

Heaven is one of the two divine factions in the series. It is where the three main goddesses and several other characters reside. It contains, Yggdrasil (ユグドラシル Yugudorashiru), the heavenly computer system that maintains reality, with the Gods and Goddesses acting as its programmers, system administrators, and debuggers. Yggdrasil works with the Goddess Relief Office by notifing the goddesses such as Belldandy working at the office of people whose fortune and misfortune is out of balance given their actions such as fortitude in facing misfortune, kindness in sympathizing with others. Each person Yggdrasil chooses is granted one wish which can be anything ranging from "wealth that would last a life time" to the destruction of the world, or even for simply a "Girl like you".

Almighty

Voiced by: Shinji Ogawa (OVA), Hidetoshi Nakamura(TV)

The Almighty One (神様 Kami-sama) is the lord of Heaven. As Lord of Heaven, all Goddesses ultimately answer to Him and He is responsible for maintaining reality, time, and probability as we know it. His attitude and personality is very commanding, but He is very polite and forgiving; he has forgiven the Norns for disobeying his orders multiple times (as is suggested by Keiichi in the manga). The Almighty One is very blunt and straight-forward. He does not understand how humans act and communicate; possibly because He has not been to Earth in a long time. Throughout the manga and anime He is an unseen character as viewers never see His face, which is usually shrouded in shadow, turned away, or simply too close-up; all that can be discerned is that the Almighty One is tall and well-built, with long black hair. He also has many seals on His hands, neck and on His ears (this could probably be a clue as concerns the fact he may be the divinity in doublet with Hild, as also we can imagine listening to her discussing on the Double System). The Almighty is the father of the three Norns. During the Trouble with Doublets saga, Belldandy answers the phone and tells her sisters "It's the Almighty." After Urd loses odds and evens against Skuld, She answers with "Oh goodness, Daddy?! It's been ages!"

Peorth

Voiced by: Rei Sakuma

Peorth (ペイオース Peiōsu) is the fourth goddess of the series, and she enters the story when Keiichi accidentally calls her up one day, much like he did Belldandy. She is part of the Earth Help Center, and a Goddess First-class, Second Category, Unlimited. For a time, Peorth harbored a deep resentment towards Belldandy because Belldandy had reported the removal of a bug in Yggdrasil as a team effort. Believing Belldandy was pitying her, she held a grudge. During her stay she continually tried to seduce Keiichi in order to seem more of use to him than Belldandy, though she ultimately falls in love with him. However, after the misunderstanding is cleared up, Peorth remarks that she does not hate Belldandy anymore, and in recent appearances the two seem to be on friendly terms once again. Still, Peorth's incessant flirting with Keiichi puts some strains upon this new relationship.
Her magic is based on the element of Earth, mainly associated with roses, as with her own angel, Gorgeous Rose.

Lind

Voiced by: Miki Ito

Lind (リンド Rindo) is the fifth Goddess to appear in the series. Lind is a Valkyrie, a member of the battle division of Heaven. Like the Goddesses Belldandy and Peorth, Lind carries a First Class License. However, unlike the other two, Lind's license is classified as "Special Duty, Unlimited", which denotes her position as a Valkyrie. Her elemental domain is ice, even though she is able to control perfectly fire and lightning beams.

In an unlikely turn of events, Lind obtained twin angels, Spear Mint and Cool Mint, though at first she could only call upon one of them at a time, causing her to be teased all throughout Heaven and Hell. Frustrated by her 'weakness' and resulting inability to call forth her second Angel, Lind threw herself into Valkyrie training with incredible ferocity. This intense training gained Lind the reputation as a Goddess of extreme violence. Eventually, she is able to call out both her angels by realizing that she lacked a belief in herself and a trust towards others during her fight with the Angel Eater planted inside of her by Hild in an attempt to replace her angels with devils. She has since become more open and smiles often. She has also established close friendships with Keiichi Morisato and Belldandy.

Chrono, Ere and Ex

Chrono (クロノ Kurono), Ere (エレ) and Ex (エクス Ekusu) are three goddesses who maintain Yggdrasil. They generally help Peorth, Lind and such by giving relevant exposition, or lines to increase dramatic tension. They also serve as people for Peorth or Lind to give orders to, allowing the commanding character to verbally direct the conflict, and to explain the dangerous nature of certain actions.

Chrono is the sixth goddess to be present in the human world. Like Peorth and Lind, however, she stayed only for a few chapters. Chrono is terrified of cats due to a childhood trauma up in the heavens with her pet cat, and needless to say, she avoids Velsper like the plague. She also practise martial arts, aiming for a post in the Valkyrie ranks. At the end of her arc Lind confesses Peorth she is interested in Chrono, so she'll propose her for the "Silver Wings" unit. In the manga we can see this new goddess with a different hair colour than in the movie: instead of being brown, she seems to be blonde or with a very light hair at least.

As concerns Ere and Ex, in the manga we can only catch a glimpse of them in a cartoon when Chrono gets back in heaven, showing the two goddesses interrupted in their discussion because of the scene in which Peorth teases Chrono and later when Hagall's demons make too many contracts with humans unbalancing Heaven's equilibrium.


Hell (Niflheim)

Hild

Voiced by: Gara Takashima

Hild (ヒルド Hirudo) is the ultimate Demon who is the opposite to The Almighty, known as the Ruler of Demonkind. She is incredibly powerful, with her power dwarfing even the combined strength of the three goddesses. Despite her immense power, she respects the doublet system, and thus limits her power to prevent killing any of the Goddesses. She is Urd's mother, whom she loves deeply, though Urd does not return the feeling (it is revealed that doing so would mean that Urd would acknowledge and thus be taken over by her demonic side). Hild dislikes Belldandy, because Belldandy's attitude and love for humanity reminds her of the Almighty One and the relationship they once had. Because of this, she has often tried to corrupt or hurt Belldandy several times throughout the series. She also seems to have some feelings for Keiichi Morisato.

She appears a few times before leaving an avatar child version of herself, who would go on to become a regular antagonist for the goddesses, as well as a direct supervisor for Marller. While this avatar possesses only one thousandth of the true Hild's power, it is still enough to make the avatar a powerful enemy for anyone. In the manga, a small team of demons sealed her main body and attacked her avatar in the human world.

Lord of Terror

The Lord of Terror is a virus that runs on Yggdrasil. It is divided into two parts—the will of the Lord of Terror, and the "Ultimate Destruction Program", Fenrir. It wants to destroy the world and create a world for demons in its place (this happens only in the anime, while in the manga we can see that his intent is to destroy the entire universe in order to create a new, violent one; this is the reason why Keiichi, possessed by the program, wants Skuld to build a 10 dimensional scythe for cutting the 10 dimensional string of the universe, which permit its existence). The heir to the Lord of Terror was Urd, because of her mixed ancestry. Basically, the Great Lord's will influenced Urd and eventually sealed her will away. It then utilized the urn Mao Za Haxon, which contained the Ultimate Destruction Program's bootup. After it had possessed Keiichi, Belldandy told it to transfer to her but it could not possess her, as the base wavelength was diferent, and was quickly forced to transfer itself to a floppy disk and was then erased by Skuld with a magnet.

Marller

Voiced by: Urara Takano

Marller or Mara in the English anime (マーラー Mārā) was once the childhood friend of the goddesses who are the main characters, even though she is a demon. Urd and Mara used to be very good friends, but got separated when Urd chose to be a goddess. Her actual duty is to increase the market share of the demons on earth, though she decides that removing the goddesses will make it one hundred percent.

Like Urd, because of her demonic heritage Marller has a music-based weakness: when hearing hard rock, she is compelled to dance until exhausted. Likewise, the close proximity or touch of good luck charms has adverse effects on her; the accidental touch of a hamaya (demon-slaying arrow) once caused complete, if temporary, amnesia.

Senbee

Voiced by: Norio Wakamoto

Senbee (魔神千兵衛 Majin Senbei) is the miniature genie and the self-proclaimed god of disaster and poverty. He lives by the philosophy of happiness being finite in the universe. Because of this belief, he places all sorts of misfortunes on others to raise his own happiness, often doing so by magically causing bad luck or accidents. He usually serves as a minion of Marller.

Velsper

Velsper (ヴェルスパー Verusupā), also known as Welsper, is a demon, who is in a doublet, a link of fate established to preserve the balance between Heaven and Hell, with Belldandy. The doublets normally forget each other, but Velsper cursed himself to remain in child form in exchange for remembering his encounter with Belldandy. The curse could only be broken if Belldandy speaks his name. It turned out that his body could not handle his growing power, so he worked to break the curse by stopping time. After installing a virus in Yggdrasil, he ends up having the curse broken, and returns to the demon realm. However, because Velsper hacked into Yggdrasil, he was punished afterwards by being reincarnated into a kitten. He is the only demon who shows a Tsukaima (demon servant), having it obtained by Keiichi after neither him nor Belldandy could handle the burden of bringing the creature which almost transformed her into a demon because of Hild. His black fur becomes white spotted, but he returns normal after naming his Tsukaima as "Die Wespe der Blauen Lanze" ("The Wasp of the Blue Lance" in German).

Hagall

Hagall (ハガル Hagaru), also known as Hagal, is the second most powerful demon in Hell, who takes the control of Niflheim—The Hell—in a rebellion against Hild, because she thinks Hild has lost the power and glory of the demon world. Through an elaborated plan to get more share of wishes on Earth and to destroy everything related to the Goddesses, she imprisons Hild and sends her servants to attack Chibi-Hild on Earth, however she manages to escape and goes with Belldandy to ask for help (the story is currently being developed in the manga—chapters 240 till 259). Hagall usually talks about herself in third person and her powers include mental control and hypnotism. Besides, she is a very selfish and ambitious demon who does not consider the energetic balance between Heaven and Hell (brought by human contracts).

Halval

Halval (アールヴァル ArubaruÞ), also known as Halvalth, is a powerful demon, who serves Hagall in a rebellion against Hild. Her name has the rune "Þ" (Thurizas, Thorn or Tursas) who is the rune of the sound. Her main power is "to see the sound" with her eyes and fight battles in complete darkness. She battles against Keiichi and Belldandy in the episodes 251 till 255 of the manga. In the episode 255 Halval lost the battle with an plan of Keiichi Morisato (influenced by the kiss of Chibi-Hild, who transfers some of her knowledge to Keiichi before she to goes to Niffleheim).


Nekomi

Nekomi is a Japanese town that acts as the main setting of the series. It houses the Nekomi Institute of Technology, where Keiichi attends, and the Tariki Hongan Temple, where he and the goddesses reside.

Toshiyuki Aoshima

Voiced by: Nobuo Tobita

Toshiyuki Aoshima (青嶋 紀元 Aoshima Toshiyuki) is a playboy around the Nekomi Institute of Technology campus and Sayoko's cousin. He is enamoured by Belldandy and tries often to steal her away from Keiichi, going as far as to set up a rival motor club. However, in just about all of his attempts, he fails miserably. In the TV series, he and his cousin Sayoko can be identified by the supercars that they drive, in Aoshima's case, an Enzo Ferrari (Ferrari 288 GTO in the manga).

Banpei

Banpei-kun RX (ばんぺいくんRX Banpei-kun āru ekkusu?) (changed to Banpei RX in the English edition of the anime) is a humanoid robot that was designed and built by Skuld. Banpei-kun's primary function is to guard the temple, originally from Marller, however, this has expanded to include any threat the demons send, and even to 'protecting' Belldandy from Keiichi Morisato. Banpei has gradually gained many new abilities as Skuld continues to create new add-ons or new functionality for him. Originally, he required a direct power connection via an external cable but was later given a battery. This allows him to travel anywhere for extended periods of time; however, when the battery runs low Banpei has to shut down and enter memory preservation mode.

Banpei's program continues to evolve on its own: Banpei gained sentience, an appreciation for life and, after meeting Sigel, the ability to love. Even though Sigel is not interested in Banpei, he is not disheartened, and spends a great deal of time and energy trying to get her to appreciate him; he will also not hesitate to risk serious damage to himself if only to help her. His emotional circuit will work at varying degrees, from being completely shut off, to being almost alive; in recent times it has gained stability, ensuring that he remains "alive" at all times. Unable to express emotion, Banpei will at times use a permanent marker to draw what he is feeling on his face: a tear for sadness, a furrowed brow, and clenched teeth for anger.

Chihiro Fujimi

Voiced by: Yuka Imai

Chihiro Fujimi (藤見 千尋 Fujimi Chihiro) is the original founder and director of the Nekomi Institute of Technology Motor Club. She is a resolute person and an incredibly skilled mechanic and motorcycle driver, even more so than Keiichi. She starts up her own motorcycle shop called Whirlwind and hires Keiichi and Belldandy to work for her. Normally a no-nonsense personality, she has a soft spot for cute objects, cats and children and seems to enjoy relaxing activities (such as bathing in an onsen) and having fun. She drives a Krauser Domani SSi. When she was director of the N.I.T. motor club, both Tamiya and Otaki confessed they loved her but she turned them both down rather than cause conflict in the club. Both Tamiya and Otaki respect and fear her very much, obediently following her orders.

Gan-chan

Voiced by: Mitsuo Iwata

Gan-chan (岩) (also known as Mitsuo Iwata) is the much-abused temple rat from the Adventures of Mini-Goddess series. Generally nice and friendly, Gan is somewhat emotional and very excitable, but highly prone to gluttony. Due to his nice and trusting nature, he is often led off on some wild adventure by Skuld and Urd, with the end result of Gan getting physically abused in some way. Gan has a crush on and prefers the company of Belldandy, since she is much quieter (and far from being violent towards him) than her sisters.

Sora Hasegawa

Voiced by: Ikue Ōtani (OVA & TV first season), Satomi Kōrogi (TV second season)

Sora Hasegawa (長谷川 空 Hasegawa Sora?) is a member of the Nekomi Tech Motor Club. A rather timid, mousy girl, she looks up to Keiichi and Belldandy. Throughout the series, the two help her to overcome her lack of confidence and believe in herself. When Keiichi leaves to work for Chihiro's company Whirlwind, he bestows the directorship of the Motor Club to her. She accepts the position, despite the fact that previous clubs that were led by her all collapsed (though not necessarily by her fault). Every time she gets drunk, she whines to Keiichi about how people think she is a middle school student, flashing her chest to show she is growing breasts to him. She has a crush on Toshiyuki Aoshima.

Hijiri

Voiced by: Noriko Shitaya

Hijiri (聖) is a little girl whom Keiichi befriends before meeting Belldandy for the first time. Appearing only in the TV series, Hijiri has become a running joke in the series, appearing from time to time in minor roles in the stories, such as being shown witnessing the Goddesses' dramatic battles, accidentally kidnapping a spirit that was transformed by Marller, or simply being there at the right time to help Keiichi get a meal.

Sentaro Kawanishi

Voiced by: Romi Paku

Sentaro Kawanishi (川西 仙太郎 Kawanishi Sentarō) is a boy who loves riding his bike around the neighborhood in Nekomi. He meets Skuld during the time where she was learning to ride a bike. He was the one who taught her that it did not matter if she fell off the first few times she tried, what mattered was that she got back up, and eventually she learned. This coincided with Skuld's magical powers slowly developing—it was revealed that a Goddess' power comes from loving others. Skuld started to fall in love with Sentaro, and hence her powers started to develop. Sentaro eventually moves away with his family, though Skuld does not become sad by it, as she claims that despite the distance they will always meet when they want. It turns out that Sentaro only moved across town, much to Skuld's embarrassment due to her previously stated claims. It is unclear whether or not Sentaro is aware that Skuld is a goddess, but he has seen Skuld use her powers, and has stated (albeit through inner-dialogue) that she looks like a goddess.

Koshian

Voiced by: Mugihito

Koshian (越庵 Koshian) is the Buddhist priest and caretaker of the Tariki Hongan temple where Keiichi and the Goddesses reside. After witnessing Belldandy's "spiritual enlightenment", Koshian left on a pilgrimage to seek his own enlightenment, leaving his temple and house in the care of Keiichi and Belldandy. He returns in the anime at one point after traveling for eleven months, but soon gets caught up in a fight and leaves again. After returning a second time, he appears briefly, kicking Belldandy (who at that time has an evil mark on her head) and Keiichi out; but when Belldandy gets her goddess licences back, she and Keiichi return to the temple. He is last seen watching Belldandy's lighting burst, calling it the "Great Dragon"; then he disappears for the rest of the series.

Sayoko Mishima

Voiced by: Junko Asami (OVA), Mamiko Noto (TV)

Sayoko Mishima (三嶋 沙夜子 Mishima Sayoko) is a popular girl at Nekomi Tech, to the point where she considers herself the "queen" of the school. She is also quite rich, coming from a wealthy family. She has her own apartment and an expensive car, and gets to throw lavish parties with very important people. When Belldandy appears, all the guys' attention turns to her rather than Sayoko. Mishima begins to get jealous of Belldandy and wants to make her upset by seducing Keiichi, even though she does not have any interest in him. She even goes to the lengths of teaming up with Toshiyuki Aoshima and Marller to bring her down. Gradually, as the series progresses, she becomes less and less antagonistic, even offering Keiichi relationship advice and foiling Marller's schemes. It seems as though she develops feelings for Keiichi at the beginning of season 2 when she did not feel as lonely when he was with her. Sayoko has seen both Urd and Belldandy use their powers, although she now believes that Belldandy is a witch. She is shown to have much pride, and seems to almost enjoy competing with Belldandy at times.

Keima Morisato

Keima Morisato (森里 桂馬 Morisato Keima) is Keiichi and Megumi's father. Keima, like his children, is incredibly skilled as a mechanic and as a motorcycle driver (though he is actually a glass blower). He dislikes being called "father" and much prefers to be addressed by his given name. He also has a severe form of heterophobia (fear of members of the opposite sex), except for people that he loves. Belldandy was the only "stranger" who did not trigger this fear upon first contact.

Megumi Morisato

Voiced by: Yuriko Fuchizaki

Megumi Morisato (森里 恵 Morisato Megumi) is Keiichi Morisato's younger sister. She attends the Nekomi Institute of Technology (NIT), like Keiichi, as an engineering student. Megumi is also a very skilled mechanic and motorcycle driver. She goes on to become the "queen" of bike racers around Nekomi. Belldandy has remarked that she sees a similarity between Megumi and Skuld, and that she would like to see Skuld learn some things from Megumi. As we know from the recent developments in the manga, she has a lot of success with boys, but she is not lucky in love because all of her boyfriends feel eclipsed by her motor-queen status.

Takano Morisato

Takano Morisato (森里 鷹乃 Morisato Takano) is Keiichi and Megumi's mother. Takano is a master player of mahjong and easily beats Skuld, Urd and Peorth at the game. She is also a much more confident and outgoing person than her husband, Keima.

Shiho Sakakibara

Voiced by: Asami Sanada

Shiho Sakakibara (榊原志保 Sakakibara Shiho) is a freshman in electronics at Nekomi Institute of Technology. She is also a second year correspondence course student in exorcism. Shiho first makes herself known to Keiichi through a secret letter that Keiichi, Urd, and Belldandy take to be a love letter. When Keiichi approaches the rendezvous mentioned in the letter with Belldandy and Urd, he finds that she is indeed very cute. However, she does not seem interested in a relationship with Keiichi, rather only to find out whether or not he is possessed by a demon. She is invited back to Keiichi's residence. At times, she becomes too friendly with Keiichi, making Belldandy jealous.

Sigel

Sigel (シーグル Shīguru) was originally an antique welcome mannequin with the form of a ten-year-old girl, with a "welcome" message recorded in an internal tape player. The property of an antique shop, Skuld's utility robot Banpei fell in love with the mannequin on first sight, even going so far as to take her immobile form out on a date. The mannequin's voice player finally broke down and she was sent to the scrapyard, to be claimed by Whirlwind Garage owner Chihiro. Chihiro gave the mannequin, with a new digital voice player, to Skuld. After Skuld re-makes the mannequin into a sentient, walking robot, it demonstrates a reluctance to establish a relationship with Banpei, though she secretly does have a soft spot for him due to his devotion for her. This welcome robot was not named until much later by Belldandy, who named her after the Anglo-Saxon futhorc s-rune, Sigel.

Sigel shows a great deal of admiration and affection for Skuld, whom she addresses as "mistress", and she has also been seen showing respect for Belldandy. Sigel tries her best to keep demons away from the temple, although she lacks the impressive array of weapons that Banpei has. Her only weapons are skating wheels in the heels of her feet and detachable rocket punch hands (when asked about these, Skuld states that they are standard issue for robots).

The Three Ninjas

A trio of diminutive female ninja operatives created by Marller (apparently from transformed rats) to serve as her agents of chaos against the goddesses. They are expert fighters with all sorts of weapons. They are named after the three Shinkansen (bullet) trains in Japan.

The three ninjas were sent in one by one to eliminate the goddesses, but they failed in their task, mostly due to Belldandy's friendliness towards them. Eventually, they decided to quit their service with Marller and moved into the temple proper. They rarely appear in the mainstream series from that point on, but they do have several appearances in the Mini-Goddess comic strips and TV anime series.

Kodama Genwaku: the infiltration specialist and Mistress of Illusion.

Hikari Senkuo: the weapons and assault specialist. She wears a distinctive spiked ball helmet.

Nozomi Senrigan: the recon specialist. She uses a clarinet to effect her magic and summon their ninja auxiliaries.

Tamiya and Otaki

Voiced by: Kiyoyuki Yanada and Issei Futamata

Toraichi Tamiya (田宮 寅一 Tamiya Toraichi) and Hikozaemon Otaki (大滝 彦左衛門 Otaki Hikozaemon) are the ex-directors of the Nekomi Motor Club. Tamiya (a dark-skinned, hulking man) and Otaki (who dresses in punk-style) are rather crude and brash personalities who make life very hard for Keiichi by passing on a lot of work to him. However, they have a great deal of respect for Keiichi's abilities both as a mechanic and a driver. In the manga, they pass the directorship of the Motor Club to Keiichi as they graduate. They were also both in love with the original director of the motor club, Chihiro Fujimi; however, she rejected both of them for the sake of the club. Tamiya addresses Otaki as "Dai-chan" (the Kanji "大" in Otaki's name is "O" but can be pronounced as "Dai") and Otaki addresses Tamiya as "Den-chan."

Satoko Yamano

Voiced by: Chie Nakamura

Satoko Yamano (矢間野 里子 Yamano Satoko) is a freshman in electronics at Nekomi Institute of Technology. She is quite attractive—even Keiichi comments that she is one of the top five most attractive girls at Nekomi Tech. She meets Otaki when her scooter breaks down on campus and Otaki decides to help her despite the insistence of one of her suitors, that she ride his car instead. They start going out and she eventually gets her father's approval of Otaki.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Oh_My_Goddess!_characters