Adventure Archives | Otaku No Culture

Where’s “The” Instead of “A Legend” Hiding in Stanley Tong’s Latest Action-Comedy-Adventure?

When there’s “A Legend” in the making, maybe the word “Chinese” needs to be added, in order to be recognized.

Box Art - A Legend Starring Jackie Chan — **Available to pre-order on Amazon USA**

Well GO USA
Minor Spoiler Alert

Chinese filmmaker Stanley Tong may well be running on fumes when it comes to coming up with fresh ideas. While there are minor elements to like in A Legend, which has been out for a while now and is finally available in North America, the people on the Internet have already spoken–this director relied on too much CGI tomfoolery to finish this movie. He really should have done a casting call to find a young-looking person who almost looks like Jackie Chan instead of relying on computers to de-age the actor.

Not only is most of the digital set design apparent in higher resolutions, but also pixels covered most of Jackie Chan’s screen time! As General Zhao Zihan in the flashbacks, he is 30 something years old rather than 70. We see this younger incarnation enjoying a moment in the grassy foothills of Central China, with Huajun (Lay Zhang) before a lady in distress arrives!

Continue reading “Where’s “The” Instead of “A Legend” Hiding in Stanley Tong’s Latest Action-Comedy-Adventure?”

Moana 2 Is Better Off As A TV Series

When sequels take too long to get made, the momentum has to be kickstarted again in Moana 2 and all fans can hope is the wait won’t be long for the next instalment.

Spoiler Alert

The world being set up in Moana 2 feels more suited to be a television series than a film. That’s because when Disney knows they have a hit, they better get on it fast otherwise it might get Frozen behind. Making computer animated films takes a long time, especially when it concerns figuring out the right story to tell. Here, what’s manufactured feels like it’s done by committee rather than from Jared Bush, the only individual who shares writing credit in both films.

Also, the songs aren’t as catchy as those from the first, and felt too loaded to keep the momentum going. After Moana (Auliʻi Cravalho) sings about how much has changed since the events of the last film, she also pines for more adventures with Maui (Dwayne Johnson). One night, she reveals to her little brother that once upon a time, all the island’s various tribes were united, but over time, something caused them all to split apart. Afterwards, she gets a vision to learn why, and she wants to help bring everyone back together!

Continue reading “Moana 2 Is Better Off As A TV Series”

Riding Bean or Bean Bandit, The Difference is in What Kenichi Sonoda Says is Official.

Barack Obama once said, “Let me tell your something. I’m from Chicago. I don’t break.” But we’re betting he never saw the anime, Riding Bean. We also offer the latest news concerning the Japanese release, Bean Bandit.

Release Date: Sept 10, 2024
Available to Purchase on Amazon USA or direct through MediaOCD

Technically, the only thing new in the re-release of Riding Bean is the interview with creator Kenichi Sonada. What he offers are some anecdotes regarding what inspired him to make the anime, and subsequent manga sequel, and he also shares what he loved back then, which he brought over to this series. For example, he talked about I Dream of Jeanie and also Terminator. I won’t give away the deets, but upon checking out this bonus video first, and this short film again, I agree about the latter’s influence. As for the former, that was a “Really?” moment.

Although Sonada-san didn’t say much regarding who he was drawing from for Percy, the police commissioner who is after Bean, I’m guessing he takes after Edward Rooney (Ferris Bueller’s Day Off) along with Walter Peck (Ghostbusters). They share similiar manic characteristics! He’s why I love this short film so much.

Continue reading “Riding Bean or Bean Bandit, The Difference is in What Kenichi Sonoda Says is Official.”

When Mantra Warrior: The Legend of the Eight Moons Lands At Fantasia 2024…

After Fantasia Film Festival 2024, Google Search says Mantra Warrior is destined to Netflix next!

Every country has a legend, and in Thailand, The Ramakien is one of several epic tales that paint a solid picture of good triumphing over evil. Here, King Rama and Tosakanth are opposites, and when the latter kidnaps the queen because he’s in love with her, this lord will fight back! What’s presented in Mantra Warrior: The Legend of the Eight Moons requires knowing the source material to truly appreciate it; otherwise, what’s presented like a Siamese version of Final Fantasy on steroids.

That’s because of the bold character designs and colour choices used to bring this mythic world to life. I want to compare this work to Gundam because of all the giant robots featured. Even though they look nothing like, the fact they carry oversized weapons with crazy nicknames is enough to make me think that director Veerapatra Jinanavin had this anime in mind!

Continue reading “When Mantra Warrior: The Legend of the Eight Moons Lands At Fantasia 2024…”

How The Inventor (2023) Seeks to Change the World, A Movie Review

Leonardo da Vinci’s life has been retold countless times from various perspectives, and not all of them are as charming and magical as this take, simply titled The Inventor!

The Inventor (2023) Movie Poster Sherry Media Group
Now on VOD (Amazon Prime link) and DVD

Nearly everything you want to know but were afraid to ask about the last decades of Leonardo da Vinci’s life is charmingly examined in the stop-motion masterpiece, The Inventor. I couldn’t spot anything that’s worth critiquing on since it’s so perfect in keeping me entertained. Not only does it have an internal rhythm like a nursery rhyme to entertain kids, but also just most of his diagrams and art gets blended in are very dreamlike.

Its whimsical style is as eye-catching as a Cartoon Saloon movie, and without Stephen Fry, I’d probably pass on viewing it. He knows how to keep an audience engaged and is no stranger to providing character voices. When considering his huge resume (which includes The Canterville Ghost), he’s just everywhere, delighting audiences with his performances. The plot, if there is one, really concerns how The Maestro managed to stay out of trouble. Although this movie doesn’t recount his early life, just where it comes in is at the height of his desire to reform Western Civilization.

Continue reading “How The Inventor (2023) Seeks to Change the World, A Movie Review”

Avast ye Buckos! When Craig Before the Creek is All About the Age of Discovery

The story that shows how Craig, Kelsey and J.P. met has lots of elements to like, and to see them together, in a story titled Craig Before the Creek has a lot of Speilberg spirit to boot too!

Craig Before the Creek Promotionial Poster No prior knowledge is required to enjoy Craig Before the Creek, the prequel to the Cartoon Network television series Craig of the Creek. This movie is the perfect jumping in point for newcomers, and for long time fans, what’s presented doesn’t change up what’s previously known. Philip Solomon voices the titular character, and everything we know from the series is given further development in this work! Here, we get to see how he met Kelsey (Michael Croner) and J.P. (Noël Wells).

That also includes revealing why his parents decided to relocate to the small town of Herkleton. Duane Williams (Byron Marc Newsome) is a computer programmer, able to work at home, and Nicole (Kimberly Hebert Gregory) is a school counsellor. She most likely got a job at the school Craig goes to, but little is shown about his time there. Instead, it’s all about those adventures that go on after school, at the creek. What’s revealed in this film is that he generally gets along well with his siblings, Jessica (Lucia Cunningham) and Bernard (Phil LaMarr), and after accidentally knocking his sister’s precious stuffed doll deep into the woods, he “promises” to find it and what he discovers at the creek is wonder and kids of his age having fun.

Continue reading “Avast ye Buckos! When Craig Before the Creek is All About the Age of Discovery”