Tag: Mecha

Unboxing GKIDS’s Rebuild of Evangelion 3.0+1.11 Thrice Upon A Time

The Rebuild of Evangelion is finally complete! Now whether one should wait for a megaset to bring them all together or buy each film individually, well…

Rebuild of Evangelion 3.0+1.11 Thrice Upon A TimeAvailable to purchase on Amazon USA

As I’ve said in the unboxing video made to look at the packaging of this latest release that wraps up the Rebuild of Evangelion series, the keepsake edition created by GKIDS and distributed by Shout! Studio is far more attractive looking than Funimation’s. And as for why love this over the other?

That’s up to fans to figure out since the number of years it took to make this series was big, and during that time, negotiating the rights for North American distribution most likely had some troubling bureaucracy (like in the anime) as the final release is on the hands of another company to handle. While I don’t know the full story, I am hopeful a set will be offered, so I can see the cinematic presentation in full.

In this series, we have:

Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone — In this intro, we meet the mysterious Kaworu and Lilith in a film edit of what is essentially the anime series, episodes one to seven.

Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance — With this film, the series is sped through fast (8-23), and Mari Makinami is a new character. Asuka is reimagined and sports an eye patch.

Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo — The rather ironic title says it all, and instead of concluding the way the series did, it jumps ahead to deal with a “new” situation. NERV has a rival, and WILLE is not as what they seem. There’s more going on here, and it’s almost okay to start from here. However, a lot of character development points will get missed.

Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time – This chapter neatly wraps everything up, and goes to places that I didn’t expect, as the universe implodes, and…. (no spoilers are offered here, as this film is considered reviewed to death)

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Quick Thoughts on Pacific Rim: The Black Season Two Trailer Drop

Taylor and Hayley Travis have new skills to show off in the season two trailer of Pacific Rim: Black, coming soon to Netflix

Pacific Rim: The Black season 2 poster and first look images released ahead of April premiereComing to Netflix
April 19, 2022

Taylor and Hayley Travis have new skills to show off in season two of Pacific Rim: Black! The trailer is now out and what’s revealed shows off the threat introduced in last season’s cliffhanger, and just how nasty they can be!

These siblings look confident in piloting the mech they found, the Atlas Destroyer, but along the way, they’ll find old Jaegers (that they may salvage for parts) and deal with a cult. The mysterious Sisterhood are hailing the coming of the Kaiju Messiah to save the world. This figure may still need to be born, but in what’s revealed in the teaser makes him look like he’s been around for some years. He just hasn’t discovered his powers yet!

Not everyone wants it and I believe this season will examine the tough decision to kill or hide the child away. But if there’s a chance of saving a lost soul, I’m all for it! But nobody will know until this season drops later this month.

Need More Pacific Rim? It’s Ultimate Omnibus is Now Here!

Pacific Rim Omnibus Book CoverAvailable to purchase on Amazon USA

Further expanding the epic mythology based on Legendary Entertainment and Guillermo del Toro’s blockbuster film franchise, the comics division has launched the ultimate collection for readers to delve into! It’s a hefty book, and it also includes the recently released Blackout to get readers up to speed about the lore before season two of The Black.

For the first time ever, the Pacific Rim: Ultimate Omnibus brings together New York Times best-selling Pacific Rim: Tales from Year Zero (presented by Guillermo Del Toro and written by Pacific Rim screenwriter Travis Beacham) alongside Pacific Rim: Tales from the Drift (written by Joshua Fialkov), Pacific Rim: Aftermath, Pacific Rim: Amara (both from Cavan Scott), and the newly released Pacific Rim: Blackout in a deluxe omnibus collection.

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Pacific Rim’s Blackout Before Netflix’s Season Two Release

The recent release of the graphic novel Pacific Rim: Blackout is filling the gap by telling the story about the last days before Australia is evacuated.

Pacific Rim BlackoutLegendary Comics
Available to order on Amazon USA

Prior to the events of Netflix’s Pacific Rim: The Black, the recent release of the graphic novel Pacific Rim: Blackout is filling the gap by telling the story about the last days before Australia is evacuated. The Kaijus are everywhere, destroying everything on site and occupying vast swathes of desert land. We see humanity make its last stand in the cities still standing…

This 100 page work isn’t a brisk read. I had to go through it a few times and rewatch the animated series. Ultimately, it’s about the drama between Herc (one of the Jaeger pilots) and his sister, Liv–to which some parallels exist with the siblings from the animation: Taylor and Hayley. They lost their parents. Herc left the nest and never looked back. He didn’t attend his dad’s funeral, and that led to problems with the rest of the family. It’s a narrative to pay attention to instead of enjoying the spread of mecha upon alien fighting action. The presentation is reminiscent of many Toho films.

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On Why Music Matters in Macross: Past, Present & Future

ArtStation - Super Dimension Fortress Macross logo for 3D animation, George EdwardBy Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

After catching the livestream of Macross Delta Tactical Sound Unit—1st LIVE in Zepp—Walküre Attack! last month, I was curious. How has the music of this fond anime franchise fared over the years? Mari Iijima defined everything that is the sound of the 90s series, and maintained it! The talents who would take over in the sequels adapted to the times and generally honour this singer’s original legacy. From Sharon Apple to Sheryl Nome, the sound has changed. It sometimes transcend pop and become something that we can equate to Lady Gaga’s shows in our world.

This concert shows why music is important to this franchise’s success. The nature of these performances plays on a musical theory I believe is at the core of the series. Boethius is a Roman philosopher who once said music can be broken up to three components. They are musica mundana (a universal appeal), musica humana (the internal sound heard by the human body) and musica quae (the harmonies projected by singers and instrumentalists).

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