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It’s Been A Slice. Hidden Blade’s Political Intrique Will Delight!

Everything Er Cheng presented in Hidden Blade is fascinating and scary at the same time.

Hidden Blade Well GO USA
Release Date: Feb 17, 2023

Mori Hiroyuki‘s enigmatic role in Hidden Blade (长空之王) is perhaps the most telling about all that transpired within to save China from itself, and the occupation that took place during the Second Sino-Japanese War. Multiple eyes are on Wang Jingwei’s Puppet Regime and they aren’t doing anything to give the Chinese people peace of mind.

What we hear from this Japanese diplomat is that he’s involved. Nearly a quarter of his dialogue is about defining our expectations for this movie. When he said, “Japan and China are inseparable partners. It’s our shared goal to boost the economy, join hands against the Communists, and achieve prosperity in East Asia. We wish that more and more Chinese people could understand Japan’s true intentions,” I got the shivers.

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Are We Ready to Run 3000 Miles of Chang’an?

Light Chaser Animation’s 3000 Miles of Chang’an is slated for release this Summer, and it’ll be different from their previous works.

Light Chaser Animation‘s upcoming 3000 Miles of Chang’an is a radical departure from their New Gods line of films, and it’s only a mere six or seven months away from release! In what I could dig up about this upcoming title is that the story will focus on a different aspect of Chinese History. Instead of focusing on further heroics from characters from classic folklore, what this latest tale will deal with is brotherly love, and the life and times of two famous poets.

Perhaps the switch is for the better. As much as I love to see further adventures from Ne Zha and Yang Jian from the New Gods series of films, perhaps they are meant to be sunsetted in favour for further tales to expound on a world today’s Chinese children don’t know about.

Although the tease at the end of New Gods: Yang Jian suggested Monkey will get to tell his story about those times from his persepctive, I suspect that won’t happen anytime soon.

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Dancing with Inu-Oh on Home Video!

Inu-oh can be religiously enjoyed for the experience that it is not only in cinemas but also at home with this release.

The home video release of Inu-Oh is here! Not only can I finally learn about Masaaki Yuasa‘s thought process, but also learn more about the elements I didn’t notice in my early viewing. Instead of reviewing the entire film again (it can be read here) with this additional knowledge, what I’ll explore is the bonus material. This filmmaker has been on my radar since discovering Lu Over the Wall; on television, he directed Devilman Crybaby.

After he named one of my favourite bands, Queen, as a key influence, I knew I was dead on with one musical montage in this film. He also explained why American and the history of music’s greatest moments are important to the crafting of this film. From The Beatles to Jimi Hendrix to Michael Jackson, a signature moment was actually snuck into the work, and that alone is enough reason to watch Inu-Oh multiple times. Not only can fans seek these frames out, but also they can listen for it too. Although Hendrix’s moment is with an action and we are told where it is, I have to search for the other easter eggs.

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It’s an Incredible Jamboree With Immortal Guitar Axes

While half of this picture book is about being close to those Immortal Guitar Axes, the other half is rich with some informative bit of history regarding that stringed instrument.

Immortal Guitar Axes is a perfect and heavy coffee-table book that’s sure to be an eye pleaser.It not only puts a lot of these beauties in the forefront, but also each instrument has a story too! Lisa S. Johnson‘s love for the six-string is very clear in the prose, and I suspect she did a lot of fieldwork to find out where some of them have disappeared to. Some were lost to history for one reason or another, and others thought destroyed.

For example, just when Peter Frampton (who played with many talents, ranging from David Bowie to Ringo Starr) thought he lost his beloved after the cargo plane crashed over Venezuela, it survived! Although not every guitar has a story like this one, what’s recounted is a look back about where it was either bought or made. Many artists’ instruments are profiled here, and while we already know everything about some axes, namely Brian May’s Red Special, others aren’t as widely known. I really appreciate the chapter about Suzi Quatro since it’s her music which got me to love that classic rock n’ roll all over again ever since I saw her on Happy Days.

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A Fond Look Back at REVIVAL69: The Concert That Rocked the World

REVIVAL69 has multiple screenings in #yvr #vancouver for those who want to relive Toronto’s Rock and Roll Revival on the big screen.

Opens in Select Cinemas across Canada beginning Dec 16, 2022
See Below for British Columbia Screenings
* Mild Spoiler Alert

‘Twas the summer of 69, and while many remember Woodstock as the event that transformed music, there were others, namely Toronto Rock and Roll Revival, where locals praised it as the “…the best show of my life.” The new documentary REVIVAL69: The Concert That Rocked the World by Director Ron Chapman looks at how the idea got started, and all the troubles that went with staging such a production.

I can’t help but wonder if a very young Bryan Adams was at this Canadian show to get inspired to play his six-string till his fingers bled. As for how this film can influence not only his destiny but also those who were there–including Geddy Lee, only time will tell. This frontman of RUSH was interviewed about how this concert changed him. Although some performers had trepidation about being here, they were ready and willing. Others who weren’t too sure took convincing. And as for John Lennon, this event showed to the world he’s “quit” The Beatles in a not so official way. But for him to offer a different style of performance theatre wasn’t without its hurdles either. The backstory is quite compelling, and I was glued to this subplot more than the other narratives.

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On Kickstarter is Video Games: The People, Games, and Companies in a Detailed Multi-Volume Look Back!

What makes Video Games: The People, Games, and Companies different from other works is that this author uses the same level attention to all four major categories–computer, console (handheld or home), and arcade.

Video Games author Andrea Contato Now on Kickstarter is Video Games: The People, Games, and Companies, and according to Andrea Contato, he wants to deliver the most comprehensive work to date regarding the history of video games. While the Italian five-book project is a go, the financial assistance through crowdfunding is needed to help translate this book to an English reading audience. The first chapter has been translated, annotated and can be read here.

In this book, there will be a lot of personal accounts detailing more than just the motivation and creation behind a lot of what today considers the retro scene. This author believes his book will cover a whole lot more than what we normally learn in documentaries offered so far. And I have huge respect for those who want to delve deep into the subject. In this work, we have a look at what really started it all, and I had a chance to interview him about what that is.

For people who haven’t read your last work, the comprehensive Through the Moongate about the classic Ultima RPG series, can you please introduce yourself?

I am a history, computer, and video game enthusiast from Italy. In 2015, I ventured into researching the history of Richard Garriott and his company Origin Systems Inc and after three years of hard work, I launched two crowdfunding campaigns to translate my draft into English. My book, Through the Moongate, (as pictured) was well received, and the enthusiasm with which my project was supported encouraged me to continue.

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