My Top 5 Movies Of 2014

Hey there fellow Otaku & Metal Heads!

With Christmas rapidly coming towards us, I wanted to pump out one last post. Like the title says, these are the five movies of 2014 that I thought were the best out of everything else that was released. This also might be the strangest “Top 5 Movies” post anyone has ever put up on the internet. I won’t delay things any further, so here are what I consider to be my top 5 movies of 2014. Enjoy!

5) The Boxtrolls

Far in a way one of the darker kids movies to have been released this year, The Boxtrolls was released to theaters on September 26, 2014 to wide praise, and rightly so. The creators of this movie were also the creators of ParaNorman, which was an equally big hit just two years prior. The Boxtrolls has that movie’s look, feel, charm, and overall fun nature. Sadly, I didn’t like this movie as much as ParaNorman: don’t get me wrong, The Boxtrolls is not a bad movie. Far from it, this happens to be one of the best kids films released in 2014! What I didn’t like was that this movie was somewhat darker than ParaNorman. The mood of the film had a grimmer nature than it’s 2012 predecessor, and there were far more scarier moments involved. At one point, there’s a scene where it looks like the trolls in question were mercilessly crushed by the villains of the film. Despite this, I cannot hate The Boxtrolls. I had a lot of fun watching the movie, and I’d be more than willing to watch it again on DVD if the circumstances were right.

4) Big Hero 6

Perhaps the most recent movie to appear on this list, Big Hero 6 was released to the United States on November 7, 2014, but was first shown at the Tokyo International Film Festival on October 23, 2014. Loosely adapted from the comic of the same, Big Hero 6 is in a world on it’s own. Taking place in the fictional city of San Fransokyo (My only “Quasi-Gripe” of the film), Big Hero 6 is one of the most colorful films I’ve seen this year. The world that’s made for this feature has familiar elements of both San Francisco & Tokyo (Hence the combined name), but when put together it is easily one of the most funky & enchanting places to observe. Couple with the interesting & quirky characters, not to mention a story that both kids & adults can easily get into, and you have a movie that’s perfect for all ages.

3) Transformers: Age Of Extinction

Yeah yeah, I know what most of you are probably gonna say: “Booo, Michael Bay sucks! Transformers movies are a piece of shit! Booo!”. To which I say......you’re not necessarily wrong.

I for one, do not think that this franchise is the be-all-end-all series of movies that the hardcore fans say/think it is. Each of these movies have some series, especially the highly reviled Transformers: Dark of the Moon. Age Of Extinction, however, is a little different. Premiering in Hong Kong on June 19, 2014, the movie was fully released in China and the United States just a few days later on June 27th. Despite the criticism directed towards the film, the movie raked in 1 billion dollars worldwide, and a 5th movie is scheduled to be released in 2016. Looking back, this is easily the most improved of the Transformers films. Gone was Shia LaBeouf and any of the previous human actors/characters, and instead were replaced with an entire new set of actors/characters, headlined by the far more charismatic Mark Wahlberg. He brings much more action star credibility that Shia ever did in the first 3 movies combined, and is far more likable than any one that was in any of the previous films. Other charismatic actors appear in Age Of Extinction as well, such as Kelsey Grammar & Stanley Tucci, and were actually considered to be some of the positive aspects of the movie. On top of that, the whole movie felt darker & grittier than any of the others, almost to the point where it looked like Michael Bay realized he goofed up, and decided to take things a little more seriously. If you’re still hanging onto this franchise, and want something a little bit different, Age Of Extinction will satisfy any cravings you have.

2) Fury

Perhaps the most grim & powerful movie I’ve seen not just in 2014, but in all of my movie going experience, Fury was put in theaters on October 17, 2014 and received high praise. With a budget of 68 million dollars, the film raked in far more money. 154.2 million dollars, to be exact. The movie actually had a lot going for it: it was one of only a few World War 2 movies to focus exclusively on tank warfare. Most focus exclusively on the infantry, air force, or navy, so a movie that centers around tanks is a rarity. There were actual tanks brought in as well, not to mention the fact that it showcased the only German Tiger tank (Tiger 131) that is still functioning today. The violence in this movie is absolutely brutal: there are men lit on fire, limbs ripped off because of explosions & gunfire, and headshots so bloody you’d swear that they were real. Coupled with a ragtag yet perfect cast (Brad Pitt as the lead, and Shia LaBeouf is surprisingly believable in his role as a grizzled tank operator), and Fury is the most authentic modern World War 2 movie to date.

1) The Lego Movie

If you don’t love legos, you have no soul. There’s no way of saying it softly: if you didn’t enjoy playing with legos when you were a child, then you simply had no childhood. Even if you’re an adult, and legos still don’t make you smile, you are beyond all hope & redemption!

With that said, The Lego Movie is not only my favorite movie of the year, but has raised the bar for all kids movies. Released on February 7, 2014, The Lego Movie has some of the best things going for it: an animation style that mixed traditional CGI with stop-motion, high quality voice acting, humor that will have you laughing out loud, and a message that is both sincere & profound. Not only that, but the movie had a 60 million dollar budget, and brought in 468 million in profit (257 million in North America, and 210 million in other territories). An awful kids movie wouldn’t generate a fourth of this immense profit.

Simply put: watch this movie. Seriously, go find this!

So these were my top 5 movies of 2014. I hope you liked it, and Happy Holidays! See you in 2015!

My Top 10 Christmas Specials of All Time

Merry Christmahanakwanza fellow Otaku & Metalheads!

With the holidays getting closer & closer, our thoughts turn to the Christmas specials of yore. The classic films that previous generations have enjoyed, and newer features that my generation likes. This post compiles what I consider to be the top 10 greatest Christmas specials of all time. There are certainly some of the classics on here, but some of the more recent features, appear as well. There’s even some holiday twists & turns as well! Anyways, here are the top 10 Christmas specials of all time. Enjoy the magic!

(Note: In the time that this has been around, some links have deactivated, and my writing in 2014 was necessarily the greatest in hindsight. I'm updating this list with new links & grammar corrections, not to mention expanding the list to 12 instead of 10. I'll post up 12 & 11 in a week or so.)

12) Die Hard (Link)

Let's get this out of the way: this is one of the best action movies to have come out of the 1980s! It cemented the legacy of Bruce Willis as a top star, and paved the way for many imitators (Some good, some not) to grace the silver screen. It also happens to be one of the most iconic Christmas films ever made. Granted, it's connection to the holiday it tenuous at best, but it's still a seasonal classic. Regardless, Die Hard is over the top, filled with plenty of one-liners & explosions, and I always look forward to watching it every December. 

11) A Nightmare Before Christmas (Link)

If Die Hard stretched the Christmas connection, A Nightmare Before Christmas pulls it until it nearly tears apart. That's not to say that I don't see why people watch this around this time of year, cause I most certainly do. My big issues is that it's not just a Christmas movie, but it's a Halloween movie at the same time. This bipolar feeling I get from watching the saga of the Pumpkin King just leaves me confused by the time I'm done, but at the same time I leave my seat strangely fulfilled. I'm not exactly sure how to describe it. You just have to watch A Nightmare Before Christmas, and see for yourself!

10) Duke: Nuclear Winter (Link)

I wanted to include games on this list, and for the longest time, I actually had two at this spot: Nuclear Winter, and the “How Marcus Saved Mercenary Day” Headhunter Pack from Borderlands 2. I decided to not make this a tie, because while the Headhunter Pack was fun, it was essentially just a bite-sized holiday treat (It also doesn't help that it goes by really quick). Duke: Nuclear Winter isn’t necessarily much better: the only game made by the apparently short lived Simply Silly Software (Eye-Catching name, isn’t it?), this is easily the weakest of the Duke Nukem 3d expansion packs released back in 1997. It was shoddily put together, level designs were lackluster (The first two levels are just levels from Duke Nukem 3d, only backwards & given a holiday coat of paint), and is the quickest of the 3 packs. What gets Nuclear Winter on this list is the sheer absurdity of it all!

Basically, Duke gets a telegraph from Herbie (Of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer fame) saying that aliens have taken the North Pole. They’ve captured Santa, and enlisted help of the Feminist Elven Militia to assist them. Hell, there’s even a snowman at the beginning that narrates the story in the opening cutscene. Did I mention that said snowman has skeleton arms? Any case, for a quick but goofy time, give Duke: Nuclear Winter a shot. Just be sure to be nice while you play, or Santa might shove a lump of coal up your ass!

9) The Grinch (2000 Live Version)(Link)

Easily one of the more polarizing specials on this list, the 2000 live version of The Grinch is equally as infamous. Extending the running time, replacing the clever writing for more childish, rude, and rather crude jokes, and all in all somewhat destroying the legacy that the original movie wrote. At the same time, however, there are some bright points. In the original feature you didn’t know much about the Grinch, but in this you get his background, including why he hates the Whos & Christmas. It’s actually kind of sad, and because of that, you felt a little bit of sympathy for ol’ green. Secondly, I think that the “Christmas Isn’t About Presents” message within this edition is stronger. While I appreciate the fact that the Whos in the original knew it already, I thought that they had to learn it in this movie creates more of an emotional impact.

Yes, the live action The Grinch has a host of problems, but there’s silver linings in this dark cloud. If you want something more basic & juvenile, this is a special for you.

8) Love Hina: Christmas Special (Link)

Once again, the anime franchise that you either love or loathe makes a return to the Heavy Metal Otaku blog, and just in time for the Holiday season! Unlike the original show, it’s harder to find this movie (Not to mention the Spring Special, or the Love Hina 3-episode special). Funimation never picked this up, and thus has become something of a commodity. Despite that, this special is a charming little feature. If you’ve ever watch Love Hina the TV series, then you’ll immediately recognize the formula. If you’ve never seen, or if you aren’t an anime fan, you won’t need to learn much about the formula for what’s going on. Just a quick glance or two at the main show’s background (And maybe a glance at the manga) is all you really need to understand things.

To conclude simply: if you like Love Hina, you’ll like this. If you don’t like Love Hina, then you won’t like this.

7) Rankin Bass Christmas Specials (All)(Link)

It might look cheap to lump all of the Rankin Bass Christmas movies into one post, and truth be told you’re right. Some of the later specials delved into some pretty strange territories, enough to the point where you think you’ve might have taken a hit of Acid. Some really strong Acid, mind you. With that point beside, you can’t deny that the Holiday features that Rankin Bass produces are some of the most timeless around. Just mentioning titles like Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town, The Life And Adventures Of Santa Claus, and Jack Frost will brings smiles out of people. Hell, I think it’s damn near impossible to find someone who hasn’t seen Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer, much less hasn’t heard of. Yeah, lumping these special together onto one spot might seem lazy, but the magic that these films have says so otherwise.

6) Scrooged (Link)

There have been plenty of various on A Christmas Carol over the decades. There’s a version that took place in the old west, there’s one with the Muppets (I was close to putting it here. So friggen close), and there’s even a version that replaced Oprah for Scrooge. However, the one that triumphed over them all was the 1986 classic, Scrooged. Forgoing the English money exchange for a Television Network in New York City, you have Bill Murray as the angry network president. His performance in this is top notch, as he lays out the humor, and says some of the funniest one-liners you can ever hear in a Christmas Movie, much less a comedy. The other factor that makes this movie such a big hit are the other actors involved: there’s Karen Allen, Bobcat Goldthwait, and Robert Mitchum bringing up the rear in some surprisingly good support roles. Coupled with rather colorful interpretations of the three ghosts (Dexter Poindexter as a taxi driver.....do I need to say anything else!?), and you have a Christmas movie you can’t avert your eyes from.

5) Jeff Dunham: A Very Special Christmas Special (Link)

Despite some controversy surrounding him, I’ve always found Jeff Dunham to be one of the funnier comedians out there. His humor isn’t the deepest or most complex, but it is clever, and coupled with the ventriloquism routine he uses, creates a unique comedy act. Every single special of his that I watched I’ve laughed at, but my favorite is his Christmas special from 2008. You’ve got backgrounds for each of the characters, each of said characters has their own view on Christmas. Some of them good, and some that are bad (Bad in the funny way, mind you). There’s even a bit where Jeff slips up a joke, and puts the blunder into the show. During this screw-up, the entire theater is laughing. Even Guitar Guy, as Achmed calls him, is doing the best he can to lost fall to the floor. If a blunder can get people to laugh as much as an actual joke, then you definitely deserve some respect!   

4) The Grinch (Original Animated Edition)(Link)

While I did harp on this special when I was talking about the live movie, I certainly cannot disrespect the original The Grinch film. Coming in at just a half hour, this is one of the most classic animated Christmas movies around. Boris Karloff provides an incredible amount of voice & personality to this feature, as he both narrates the story, and plays the Grinch himself. Accompanied by his loyal, kind, but slightly ditzy dog Max, the classic tale unfold right in front of you, and in the end the Grinch learns what it’s really all about. Sure, the Whos already knowing what the message of Christmas is all isn’t quite as deep as learning it, but considering the legacy that the story & movie created, I can’t judge it in the end.

3) A Twisted Christmas: Live (Link)

When one thinks of Twisted Sister, you think of songs like We’re Not Gonna Take It or I Wanna Rock. What you don’t typically think of in association with the twisted ones is Christmas music, much less a Christmas special. However, in 2006, in Las Vegas Nevada, a full-blown Christmas concert/show was put on. The music that was performed was actually well-done: they put their own spin on classic jingles, and there were classic Twisted Sister songs done as well. Everybody that was on stage were performing pretty damn well for their age, and the crowd was loving every single second of the spectacle. Dee Snider is always a hoot, and this show was not a disappointment. If you want a Christmas concert with a twist (Pun totally intended), then A Twisted Christmas: Live is a gem!

2) The Twilight Zone: Night of the Meek (Link)

Everybody has a Christmas special that they cry too. For my Mother, it’s It’s a Wonderful Life. For my Father, it’s.....well, I’m actually not sure. For me, it’s the unusually positive Night of the Meek. While I’m not the biggest Twilight Zone fan, I most definitely respect it, due in no small part how it mastered Science Fiction back in the day. Night of the Meek is one of the few times that the show went in a more.....happy direction.

The story tells of a disillusioned store Santa, filled with booze & sorrow, lamenting how Christmas has become commercial (Predicting the future, now aren’t we?). He stumbles into an alleyway, when he comes across what he thinks is a dirty sack filled with cans & other garbage. In fact, it’s a magic sack that can give out any gift that nearby people desire. This newly invigorated Santa (Played by Art Carney of The Honeymooners fame) now wander around town, giving people gifts that they desire. Even the cops who arrest him on pretense that he’s handing out stolen goods, are given their heart’s desire. At the end, Art Carney has given everything out of the sack, and as soon as it looks like he loses hope, fate throws him one last surprise. To spoil it would ruin the entire thing, but if you’ve ever seen Night of the Meek, then you know.

Oh, and if anyone was curious, the 80s Twilight Zone did a good remake of Night of the Meek. It has just as much emotion & heart as the original. Trust me!

1) A Christmas Story (Link)

An early 80s movie about Christmas in the early 1950s midwest, A Christmas Story is easily the best Christmas special that’s ever been. I’m not going to deny it: I’m rather impartial to this film. I see a lot of my younger self in Ralphie, the lead character of the movie: kind, mischievous, and ravenously desires the ultimate Christmas gift. Not only that, but if you were a kid, and you wanted a gift that badly, you had to be as good as possible. Otherwise, that gift you wanted will more than likely never ever cross your path. A Christmas Story reflects this period in our lives perfectly, as well as the ups & downs of the Holiday season. Often, it’s not just that goes through this phase: we’ve got family, friends, and even bullies who go through this with us. No other Christmas special (That I’ve seen, at least) has ever been able to replicate this, and A Christmas Story takes the number 1 spot because of this.

So these are what I consider to be the top 10 Christmas special of all time. I hope that curiosity causes you to seek out some of these titles, and enjoy them. See you later this week, when I’ll put up the final post of the year. See you soon!



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If you're curious about the 80s edition of Night of the Meek, here's a link:

Twilight Zone: Night of the Meek (80s Version)

Fair warning: It repeats halfway through.

12 & 11 (Updated on December 5, 2018/10:14 A.M./Eastern Standard Time)

My Top 5 Games Of 2014

Merry Christmahanakwanzaa fellow Otaku & metal heads!

With the year fast approaching it’s end, geeks like me often look back on the games that were released in recent times, and reflect on what they offered to the gaming community. Sometimes it was their quality, other times is was the fun factor, and on a few occasions the reactions they induced in people. 2014 was certainly an interesting year: Old classics came back, surprises were rampant, and powerhouse franchises continued dominance in the mark. I play some fun games this go around, a few of which I didn’t expect to pop up. With that said, here are my top 5 games of 2014. Hope you like it!

5) Call of Duty: Ghosts

Right now, most of you that are looking at this spot, are probably lighting some torches and sharpening a pitchfork or two. Truth be told, I understand your anger. Ghosts is by far a dark stain on the Call of Duty series, and everything that Black Ops 2 did right, this game did the exact opposite. Boring story, uninteresting characters, a multiplayer that was filled with hackers, and so forth (I didn’t even finish the singleplayer, cause I hated this game so much). So, with all of the problems that the game has, why would I put it on a “top 5 games of the year” list? Well....

Because there are at least pieces of the game I enjoy! Despite the story’s blandness, I definitely find the setting interesting (Dystopian America is always something that catches my fancy). I’m always interested in the weapons that a Call of Duty will use, and this was definitely one of the more unique weapon selections. The new Extinction mode is an interesting alternative to the Zombies mode that Treyarch provides, as the alien menace can be quite threatening. Even the DLC isn’t bad, as it provides some much needed lifeblood for the game, and the added multiplayer/Extinction levels have some personality to them. Yeah, Ghosts is not that good of a Call of Duty entry, but there’s definitely parts of it that aren’t horrendous.

4) Wolf Pack/Doom 3: BFG Edition/Blood: One Unit Whole Blood

I got the both of these during the Steam Sale this summer for a pretty penny. Now I hadn’t played any of the games within the Wolf Pack for quite a while. I certainly played Spear of Destiny many times on my Laptop (Thanks to a Dos emulator), but I hadn’t touched Wolfenstein 3d in years! Wolf3d is definitely a breath of fresh air, as the twitch-style of gameplay is a rarity in the modern age of first-person-shooters. 4 weapons are all you need to mow down an army of Nazis, not to mention vicious guard dogs, and horrifying mutants. Return to Castle Wolfenstein was a nice treat, as I hadn’t played that game in almost 3 years! I can’t say much about the game, other than it definitely needs to go into a first-person-shooter vault, and dug up when future generations find it.

Now, onto the BFG Edition of Doom 3. I’ve played Doom 3 plus the expansion plenty of times, and I’ve never ever gotten sick of playing it. With this edition on sale. I just had to jump on the chance to buy grab it. Not only did it include Doom 3 & it’s expansion, but there was also the original Doom and Doom 2 included. Now Doom 2 I had played over & over due to one of the independent Doom platforms, but the original game I hadn’t touched in eons, so that was really something.

Perhaps the most surprising game I found this year was Blood on steam. It was on sale this past Halloween for just $2.49, but what I didn’t realize was that it had been on the service platform since July, when it was available for the still inexpensive $4.99 dollars. If you were a fan of Duke Nukem 3d and it’s contemporaries (Shadow Warrior & Redneck Rampage), you’ll find that Blood shares a lot of things in common with then. Basic story, quirky character, interesting setting, and a overall good time. Instead of parodying alien & action movies, Blood relies on gothic horror & horror movies for it’s inspiration & comedy. The main character still likes to be crude from time to time, but his humor is more sophisticated when compared to characters like Duke Nukem or Lo Wang. If you want a 90s shooter with a darker edge, then Blood is perfect for your needs.

3) Putt Putt: Goes to the Moon/Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel

When I first saw that the Putt Putt franchise was coming to Steam, I was downright baffled. Being over a decade old (The first game came out back in 1992), it’s strange that the series would make a return in this modern age. Getting some childhood nostalgia running through me, I figured “What the Hell”, and decided to buy it.......I don’t regret every single cent that went into the purchase!

Sometimes you don’t need something educational for a children’s video game. Sometimes, all you need for a kids game is a goofy premise & wacky characters, point & click mechanics, and cute visuals to keep them glued to the screen. It’s not the deepest kids game, nor is it one of the more complex games for kids, but honestly you can’t ask for much sometimes. Sometimes, fun is all you need.

As for Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, I didn’t want to put it here. I really didn’t! I found that it was just as much fun as Borderlands 2, sometimes more so. It has the great “Shoot N’ Loot” mentality of the previous game, not to mention a flavorful world filled with quirky characters. What bothered me, however, was the overalls state of The Pre-Sequel. It felt shorter, moved along faster, and wasn’t quite as polished as B2 was. Coupled with possibly a weaker season pass (Especially when compared to Borderlands 2's season pass), and you have a product that might not have as much oomph. Despite the problems, Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel continues one of the more bizarre yet recognizable game franchises available.

2) Skyrim

Of all the games on this list, Skyrim is the one that was the most surprising to me. My only experiences with anything in the Elder Scrolls universe were Daggerfall, which I barely remember, and Morrowind I thought was slow & dull (Not to mention buggy). For the longest time, I wasn’t interested in the game, simply because of the above reasons. In wasn’t until this past June when I saw that Skyrim was on sale. The deal included the main game, along will all of it’s dlc, for a summer sale price of just 14 dollars. I finally said “Screw It”, and decided to buy the game...man I can’t believe it took me so long to hop on the bandwagon!!!

If there was one thing I could complain about the game, it would be that sometimes, there’s too much to do. I’ve had a horde of quests (Primary/Secondary) in my journal, and it’s taken me forever to trim it down. With that said, Skyrim has been nothing short of pure, unadulterated fun. There is a horde of things to do: work for the Thieves Guild, joining a royal vampire house, becoming a archmage of a wizard college, and so much more. Not only that, but there is a bevy of Elder Scrolls lore, weapons, and spells spread out over a variety of schools. With the threat of dragons coming back, you will have a lot on your hands.

Before I show my number 1 game of the year, I wanted to show you some honorable mentions. Games that are certainly fantastic, but they didn’t quite make the cut for some reason. Maybe it was because it wasn’t quite as fulfilling, maybe because I didn’t play the whole thing, or whatever other reason I can’t think of. Anyways, take a look!

HM1) Five Nights At Freddy’s
- Words can’t describe how utterly frightening this game is! Despite being made by just one person (Scott Cawthon), the sheer quality puts this game up in the higher tier of horror titles. Taking an incredibly minimalistic approach, Five Nights At Freddy’s puts you in a small security office, and has you watch the cameras for signs of the “Child-Friendly” animatronics. You can’t move, but you’ve got lights & doors as your only defense. You must use them wisely, as they drain what little power you have. Once it’s gone, then you’re at the mercy of the murderous robots. Trust me, the outcome isn’t pretty if they catch you.

HM2) The Evil Within (Demo) 
- If I didn’t have to spend money on Christmas gifts (Or at the very least spend less), chances are I would have picked up The Evil Within in a heartbeat. Getting back to survival horror’s roots, the atmosphere with just the demo is impressive. Running around like Rambo will get you killed half of the time: instead, your best bet is to sneak around & scavenge supplies, picking off targets one by one in the process. Three levels was all it took to get me hooked to this well-crafted horror game. Whether it’s console or PC, you would be doing a disservice to the horror genre if you didn’t pick up The Evil Within!

HM3) Tomb Raider 2013
- This is the most recently purchased game on the list, having come off of the cyber sale that was going on Steam a few days ago. It only cost $3.99, so immediately I decided to buy it. I had grown up with the franchise when the original came out in 1996, so I had some pre-conceived notions of what was going to happen. I played the first few minutes, and those notions were immediately tossed out the window. Throwing out the sex object for a more “Human” kind of girl, the whole experience felt far more believable than any of the other games in the franchise, good or bad. If this game was on sale earlier in the year (Halfway through 2014), then it’s entirely possible that Tomb Raider 2013 would have made this list. It wouldn’t have been placed past 5, but it would have made it.

1) Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls

It’s a safe bet to say that when Diablo 3 launched, it didn’t live up to the expectations of hardcore Diablo fans. In particular was the Auction House, which many players (Rightly so in most cases) believe that it made the game easier because you can buy items instead of farming for them the old-fashioned way. Coupled with a required internet connection to play the game, and you have a game that while fun, didn’t have as much oomph as what we were hoping for. When Reaper of Souls was first announced, and the subsequent information that came out afterwards, it looks like we got the game we wanted.

Even before Reaper of Souls was released, Blizzard put out a host of changes, most of which brought in massive changes for Diablo 3. Most of the Skill Runes received a overhall, Legendary and Set Items were built once again from the ground up, and the revised difficulty system are the most notable of the changes. Then when Reaper of Souls finally came out back in March, things came full circle, and the game finally felt like the Diablo of old. There were still some small issues (Notably the internet connection issue), but now Diablo 3 has risen above it’s early fumbles. This “Rise Like A Phoenix” mentality, coupled with the incredible changes that were brought to the table, and you have a game that is more than worthy to take the number one spot!

Well, these were my top 5 games of 2014. I hoped you enjoyed this, and check back early next week, when I’ll post up my top 10 Christmas specials. See you soon!




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Sorry about the delay. I was busy Friday, so I didn’t have the time to get this up. Hope you don’t mind.

My Top 5 Albums of 2014

Hey everybody!

Well, 2014 has been an interesting year for me. On the negative side of things, I’ve lost my Grandfather of 80 years of age, as well as a host of deaths & issues. Fortunately, there were far more positives. Making the Heavy Metal Otaku blog (It was rocky at first, but I think things improved), going to my 5th Genericon & Connecticon, meeting wonderful new people at said conventions, signing up to Facebook, and simply enjoying time with those that I love & know. That sounds sappy, but it’s true!

In any case, I wanted to put out some content before my Christmas break. Nothing too big, but definitely some stuff to tide you over until we begin 2015. With a lot of great music coming out this year, I think it would be appropriate to show off what I thought the top 5 albums of the year were. Some legends returned to continue their legacy, while newcomers have appeared to cement their own positions in music history. In any case, I hope you enjoy what I’ve put here.

5) Black Light Discipline: Death By A Thousand Cuts (Sample song: “Link”)

We begin this list with a relatively unknown band here in the United States. Coming from the brutal & metal land of Finland, Black Light Discipline has only been around since 2008, making them the youngest band to be on this list. Death By A Thousand Cuts marks their 3rd album to be released by the band, and it’s a nice album. It’s not necessarily sparkling or dazzling, but the music on here is fun, and it’s just as good at a metal concert as well as a dance club. There’s good instrumentation, nice usage of sound effects, and the vocals, while not remarkable, are quite respectable. Death By A Thousand Cuts isn’t an album that you’ll want to speed towards your local music store to buy, but if you manage to listen to it online through some sort of livestream, then you might be entertained by what you’ll hear. 

4) Judas Priest: Redeemer of Souls (Sample song: “Link”)

From a unknown group to one of the most iconic metal bands around, Judas Priest has been kicking ass for 40 years. Releasing some classic albums, not to mention to infamous ones, they have created a legacy that is deserved to a T! Redeemer of Souls, their 17th album, is yet another step on their journey. Despite getting some flak thrown at them because of this release (Not to mention some flak thrown at them because of Nostradamus), Redeemer of Souls is a return to their older form, but with modern music technology at their disposal. Many of the songs on here sound like pieces taken from albums like British Steel, Defenders of the Faith, and Painkiller: there’s the old-school vibes coming off of many of the songs on ROS, where things felt raw & edgy, and when Heavy Metal was more treasured than it is now. Thanks to newer recording methods & tools, the songs on this release sound crisp, clean, and fresh.

Despite some of the hate that they’ve received from this album & Nostradamus, Judas Priest are now more powerful than they’ve ever been. When they come to a city, their presence is immediately felt. If you hold Priest close to your metallic heart, you owe it to yourself to buy this album, and redeem your soul!.....Pun intended.

3) Weird Al Yankovic: Mandatory Fun (Sample song: “Link”)

If a comedy album reaches number 1 on the Billboard 200, then you know it does something right. Taking influence from older & newer singers/bands, Weird Al has created another comedic masterpiece for the ages! Setting the music against the background of some equally parodied communist/socialist propaganda posters, and you have an atmosphere that’s equal parts funny & WTF. You really won’t find any bad music on Mandatory Fun: every song on this release is chock full of goofy humor, clever puns, and plenty of juvenile groaners (Smart juvenile groaners, that is). Simply put, if you like to laugh, then this album is most certainly mandatory!

2) Devin Townsend: Casualties of Cool (Sample song: “Link”) & Z2 (Sample song: “Link”)

A tie might appear to be something of a cop-out on a “Top 5” list, but it was hard to decide which of these two albums I enjoyed the most. In the end, I couldn’t decide, and chose to put these two together at number 2. Casualties of Cool & Z2 actually share something in common with the Deconstruction & Ghost releases back in 2011. Casualties of Cool is the calmer & atmospheric of the two albums. It’s artistic, full of vibrant energy, and peaceful. It calms your soul, and has the power to open your Third Eye if you let it. Z2 is the exact opposite: it’s loud, bombastic, and incredibly heavy. It’s a metallic tour-de-force that comes at you with the fury of 20 Mach trucks, and once it hits you, you won’t feel the same. You won’t be disappointed if you pick either one, as they’re both wonderfully produced albums. If you happen to get both releases, then you’ll be in music bliss for quite some time!

1) Septicflesh: Titan (Sample song: “Link”)

With maybe the exception of Death By A Thousand Cuts (Emphasis on the word maybe), the one thing that each of these albums have in common with one another is that I knew I was going to like them. Redeemer Of Souls, I liked. Mandatory Fun, I Liked. Casualties of Cool & Z2, I liked. With Titan, I did not expect to like it!

Let me explain why. I’m not a fan of Death Metal, and Black Metal by extension. I’ve always found them to be cheap forms of Heavy Metal music, that only people with minimal talent try to perform. I’ve also found Death Metal to be crude, poorly done, and overall not a well evolved form of music. There have been exceptions here & there, but these exceptions have only applied to songs. Titan marks the first time I’ve straight up loved a Death Metal album. When they released Order of Dracul, Burn, and Prototype as singles, for some strange reason I enjoyed them. Come time for the album to see release, I jumped on the chance to acquire it. I didn’t not regret it!

Despite being Death Metal, this is Death Metal with style. It’s got a accompanying symphony, boys & girls choirs, and a production value that is out of this world! Every song on here is an absolute blast to listen to, and each of them are dripping with a epic, gothic-like atmosphere. I can describe things any further, as it would ruin the experience. Suffice it to say, if you had to buy just one album of 2014, make sure that Titan is your first!

Well, these are the top 5 albums of 2014. See you later this week, when I’ll show you my top 5 games. See you soon!

Anime Review - Dragon Half

Hey fellow Otaku & metal heads!

This is the last review of the month. I won’t get into it here, but I’ve got some things on my plate that will take up a good majority of my time. As I said in my last review, the anime of this month are quick & easy watches. Shows that don’t take too much time to absorb & understand. So to not waste anymore time, let’s look at the short but highly quirky Dragon Half. Let the review begin!

Story/Setup
Mink is like every other teenage girl. She’s got a crush for a pop idol (Dick Saucer.....let that name sink in), has loyal friends, and is quite pretty. Actually, she not like every other teenage girl. Her father was a legendary dragon slayer, and had quite a career until he met his love....a red dragon. The pairing of these two resulted in Mink, a girl with dragon wings, horns, and a tail. This doesn’t suit well with the king, who wants revenge because Mink’s father retreated from the armed forces. Along with his daughter (A “Slime-Half”.....again, I’ll let this sink in), they conspire to make Mink’s life unbearable, and will do everything in their power to do so.

As you can tell, Dragon Half.....doesn’t have the most serious of storylines. If anything, this show practically never takes itself seriously. Hands down, this OVA is balls-to-the-wall, apeshit insane, slapstick hilarity. The bad guys are bumbling idiots, and the good guys are well meaning but goofy, or silly & sweet. I like stories like this. They’re simple, and don’t take too much brainpower to absorb into one’s conscious.

Animation
Cute & Chibi! That’s how I can describe things. Oh, and colorful!

The amount of cute that’s in Dragon Half is enough for someone to get cuteness diabetes. Everybody in this little show has a form of cuteness with them. Even the bad guys are adorable in some weird way. Just about everybody’s eyes are large & attention, and movement during the comedic moments are very over-the-top & exaggerated. At the same time, it’s very apparent that the animation in this OVA is incredibly outdated. I’ll give credit where credit is due: when this first came out in 1992, this was stunning. Today, however, it’s still attention-grabbing, but when compared to computer-animated show, it looks very primitive.

Voice Acting
Ah, the voice acting. Yeah......it’s not that good.

Okay, maybe that’s a little bit of a stretch. The voice work is certainly not one of ADV Films’s best, but it’s not horrible either. There are certainly some characters that have okay voices, but there are other characters that have voice acting that’s.....questionable. Mink herself is the culprit for blech voice acting. 9 times out of 10, whenever Mink talks, it sounds like the howling shrieks of the damned. Luckily, there’s a handful of tiny moments where she actually sounds okay. Maybe not good, but bearable at the least.

Characters
Characters are a strange thing in Dragon Half. Everybody in this OVA has the most barebones background, and due to the show’s length, nothing ever develops. In a strange sense, I don’t exactly have a problem with this. The meat of this show is comedy, and everybody will make you laugh (Or at the very least chuckle). Mink is definitely the one who makes me laugh the most: she’s cute, bratty, and her physicality provide a lot of the humor. She often comments on her wings, horns, and tail to humorous effect. Her Mother & Father are fighting constantly over silly things, the king & his servants are constantly trying to take Mink and her family out, and the king’s daughter forms plots that are just dumb. Again, there’s not much to the character, but the humor makes up for this in spades!

Availability & Pricing
For the longest time, Dragon Half was out of print. Considering that it was released by ADV Films, this is to be expected. What’s not expected is the pricing: used copies on Amazon start at very respectable 8 dollars in price (This is among the 2002 original & 2004 re-release). New copies are criminal as far as pricing is concerned (Especially where there’s so little content), with the range starting from 42 to 45 dollars for beginning prices. In a surprise move, this was re-released as recently as March of this year. Pricing in this is quite fair: used copies start at 10 dollars, while new copies begin at 11 dollars.

You can also find Dragon Half on Best Buy & FYE’s websites also. It’s 15 dollars at the Best Buy webpage, while FYE is slightly more expensive at 17 dollars. At little more expensive than Amazon, but these two are still a reasonable option.

Overall Impression & Rating
Much like Call Me Tonight, Dragon Half is a timekiller of an anime. Only an hour long, it has the power to stay stuck in your hand for quite sometime. Whether it’s because of how slapsticky everything is, the animation, or the over-the-top voice acting, you’ll be thinking about this series at the strangest of times. Sure, there’s some annoyances here & there, but the warped nature of this bite-sized OVA shines right through! 

Dragon Half gets a 7.2 out of 10

Well guys, this is the last review of the month. I’ll be taking a break, getting my Christmas shopping done early, wrapping said purchased presents, and celebrating Thanksgiving with my parents & family friends. I’ll get some content ready to put up in December, so there’s that to look forward to. See you soon!

Anime Review: Call Me Tonight

Happy November fellow Otaku & Metal Heads!

I want to make a quick apology regarding my reviews this month. With Thanksgiving & Black Friday coming in a couple weeks, I won’t have much to watch & reviews. On top of that, my Heavy Metal review will be put off until the Holiday season. For this reason, I’m taking a look at anime that don’t require too much time to watch & take in. Just like today’s, for example. Today’s review is a quick half-hour watch, and a bonus, post celebration of Halloween as well. So with that said, let’s look at a quirky OVA that never made it state-side. One filled to the brim with the looks of the 80s. Not to mention the cheese as well. Let’s look.....at Call Me Tonight. Let the review begin!

Story/Setup
Taken from the Anime Internet Database:

“Rumi has met a lot of guys through her job, and it is probably fair to assume that most of them could be said to have some sort of problem, but a man who literally turns into a beast when he gets turned on may be outside of this perky call girl's field of expertise. Still, a little challenge every now and again stimulates the mind and makes life so much more interesting, so she is willing to give it a shot.”

That’s really the jist of it. At it’s core, Call Me Tonight is the definition of a hokey, b-rated 80s sci-fi movie. An exceedingly basic story, with little in the way of background.  Do not go into this movie thinking there’s a gripping story, cause you will be incredibly disappointed. Instead, go into this thinking that this will be a light-hearted feature. Probably like one you’d see at a drive-in during the 80s..................I’ll be mentioning the 80s more during this review, if you couldn’t tell.

Animation
The animation in Call Me Tonight is something of a mixed bag. On one hand, you can tell immediately that this comes straight from the 80s. 1986, to be exact (To be a real stickler, this OVA came out on July 28th, 1986). There’s a dated look to everything. From the backgrounds, to the look of the character, and to their movements, it looks very old & archaic. At the same time, I think that’s the whole point. The whole atmosphere looks & feels cheap, despite how serious the animation director was trying to make things, but a part of me thinks this was done completely on purpose. On other times, Call Me Tonight actually looks okay. There’s really not much in the way of a “Wow” factor, but there’s nothing that won’t make you gouge your eyes out.

Voice Acting
Sadly, this OVA wasn’t released anywhere else in the world. See below for further details.

Characters
Like the story, the characters of Call Me Tonight are given the bare minimum for a background. Unlike the story, the characters are given a little bit of room to expand. Emphasis on the word little.

Let’s start off with Rumi. At the beginning, she’s pretty much a hooker. An 80s hooker, that is. She’s dressed up in cheesy 80s fashion, has a hairstyle at the beginning that looks like she stuck a finger in a light socket, and has an attitude that screams goldigger. About halfway through, she essentially becomes a hooker with a heart of gold. It’s not the deepest change, but it does change a fundamental aspect of her. Then there’s Sugiura, the man with the problem. He’s pretty much a shy guy for almost the entire OVA. When he gets closer to Rumi, he starts to open up a little more, and by the end is in a full-blown relationship with her.

Apart from them, nobody else really changes over the course of the OVA, apart from something small. Nobody is really interesting either, except for the “Villain” of this feature. I can’t reveal anything about here, as that would kind of ruin a part of the story. I will say, however, that she’s has a surprisingly original plan. It’s not a deep plan, but it’s one you’ll be surprised by.

Availability & Pricing
Once again, Call Me Tonight was never released outside of Japan. Luckily, there’s been some fansubs of this OVA for a while now. Youtube has a couple of them, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Veoh, Vimeo, and Dailymotion have some as well. There’s even some places were you can actually download this (That’s how I found this 2 years ago), so you can try your luck there as well.

Overall Impression & Rating
Words can’t describe how batshit insane Call Me Tonight is. It hasn’t aged well, but the sheer “WTF” factor sustains it to this very day. It’s quick, it’s simple, and if you’ve got about a half-hour (The running time of the OVA) to kill before you have to go somewhere or do something. You couldn’t do any worse!

Call Me Tonight gets a 7.5 out of 10

I’ve got another quick review coming next week. See you soon!




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Here’s a link to the OVA. Enjoy!


Call Me Tonight

Oh, and here’s a song to go with this movie. It was released 3 years prior to the OVA, but has just as much cheese!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uu_kBTbbulQ

Album Review: Type-O Negative's October Rust

Happy Halloween fellow Otaku & Metal Heads!

Today is the day where the spirit world and our own intertwine. Where spirits of the past come to mingle with the living, where creatures of darkness prey upon the innocent, and where many of us scutch up to the TV or computer for some of our favorite horror movies/anime. Sadly, most of us don’t think of music on this holiday, which is a shame since there are plenty of bands that fit in perfectly with this time of year. Rob Zombie & Black Sabbath are just two examples of singers/bands that have a macabre feel to their songs. Today, however, I’m covering a release from a band well versed in the Gothic Metal genre. An album that could have only come from the 90s. An album steeped in gothic imagery, paganism, and sensuality. Such an album could only come from one band’s mind, and that mind....is Type-O Negative.

Ah yes, Type-O Negative. It was a great tragedy when Pete Steele passed away back in April of 2010: The band was getting ready to write new material in May of that year, when heart failure took the life of one of metal’s most powerful front-men. Despite that, the band left a legacy of powerful & classic Gothic Metal albums. Albums that are still talked about today by fans, and celebrated by individuals who have discovered them more recently. Today’s review is of their 1996 hit, October Rust. An album that certainly lives up to it’s name. Without further delay, let’s begin the review!

Background
Coming off of their success of Bloody Kisses, the band toured Europe & the United States to promote their (At the time) new album. During the touring, the band started work on what would later become October Rust, and in doing so introduced some radical changes in the process. First, the album took a departure from the punk vibes that previous album had within them, and decided to go in a more ballad direction. Secondly, the band decided to add a little bit of humor to the album: The opening track Bad Ground is just 38 seconds of low-level buzzing (Which was made to trick the listener into thinking that the speakers weren’t plugged in properly), and the 2nd & 15th tracks were that of the band members themselves.

On the more technical side of October Rust, Type-O Negative employed two interesting techniques. For some of the songs on the album, the band implement very abrupt endings and segues, which created a kind of whiplash for the listener. Perhaps more curious was the drumming on this album: this marked the first time that drummer John Kelly was credited with his role. However, the actual drumming used on this album was done with a drum machine. Listeners didn’t know about this for a long time, until an interview in 2007 with dreadcentral.com, where he stated that the drumming wasn’t necessarily his. Ironically, it would be their final album, Dead Again, where he would be actually playing the drums (The last he did was with Bloody Kisses, and that was back in 1993).    

Basic Description
A Gothic Metal masterpiece!

If Type-O Negative’s first three (Two, if you don’t count Origin of the Feces) album built up the band, then October Rust kicked things into high gear. Although a little more melodic & ballad based that their first releases, the quality on this album is stunning! The instrumentation is fantastic, with nary a hiccup to be heard. The vocals are great, especially when you consider who’s primarily singing. Pete Steele is a man who always managed to sound depressed, erotic, and dryly humorous when he’s singing, and he certainly doesn’t disappoint on this album. Last but not least, the atmosphere on October Rust has to be one of the most varied & flavorful I’ve ever felt! Equal parts dark, sensual, sorrowful, and funny, listening to October Rust is an experience that anyone who enjoys Heavy Metal should go through at least once!

Best Song
This.....was a difficult task. It’s not because there isn’t any one song to pick, because there actually is. It’s just that this album is jam-packed with really high-quality music! From the dirge-like Love You To Death, to the tragic Die With Me, and finally to the ethereal Haunted, October Rust has some of the best songs that Gothic Metal can provide. Even the worst song of the album, which I’ll get into in a moment, is a well-crafted piece of music! Eventually, however, I did manage to locate what I consider to best the best song of the album, and I think I might be turning some heads with this choice.

My Girlfriend’s Girlfriend, at least for me, is the best song off of October Rust. Not only was it the first song I’ve ever heard from the band, but it was also the first music video I ever saw from them. Both the song & video mix in some 60s psychedelic funk rock, and the end result is perhaps the most positive-sounding tune on the album. The story in the song is simple: it’s about a dude, who loves a girl, and another girl that loves the first girl, who also happens to love to dude as well. It’s about a Manajatwa people!

My Girlfriend's Girlfriend

Indeed, My Girlfriend’s Girlfriend is the best song on the album, but in reality just about everything else on here is also great. If you aren’t a fan of more peppy music, then chances are there’s probably another song on October Rust that will surely be to your liking.

Worst Song
Red Water (Christmas Mourning) takes the spot for worst song of October Rust, but not for the reasons you would think. Red Water has the same great instrumentation, wonderful vocals, and dripping with just as much atmosphere as every other song on here. There’s even Christmas bells & chimes used in this song, which simply add to the already somber nature of this song. The problem with it is theme: with a name like October Rust, you’d expect the nature of the album to be tied to Autumn & Halloween. For the most part this is true, but the inclusion of Red Water is a rather big anomaly, especially when compared to everything else. Not a bad song, but it shouldn’t have been put on October Rust.

Red Water (Christmas Mourning)

Overall Impression & Rating
October Rust has to be in your collection! The instrumentation is superb, the vocals are top-notch & instantly recognizable, and the atmosphere that was created is just remarkable. Coupled with fantastic songs & an good production overall, this is perhaps the first Type-O Negative album you should buy & listen to. Just be sure to have some warm clothing on, because things might be nippy in the meantime.

October Rust gets a 9 out of 10

With this review up, the Halloween season has now ended. The final two months of the year are upon us, and then, 2014 will be no more. Before then, however, I’ve got some good stuff planned in the meantime. See you soon!

Anime Review: Vampire Hunter D

As Halloween creeps closer & closer, the land is changing. Colored leaves are falling to the ground, the air is as cold as a ghost’s touch, and the beasts & spirits of the past prowl around the Earth. As we get closer to this ancient holiday, our thoughts often turn to the genre of horror. Forgoing the light, we hunker down in front of the TV or movie screen, and put in our DVD/Blu-Ray devices movies & anime that send chills down the spine of viewers. Today’s review showcases a classic feature, but does it have the same scare factor that it once had? Let’s not waste any more time, and check out Vampire Hunter D. Let the review begin!

Story/Setup
Taken from the Anime Internet Database:

“10,000 years in the future, the world has become a very different place; monsters roam the land freely, and people, although equipped with high-tech weapons and cybernetic horses, live a humble life reminiscent of millennia past.

A small hamlet is plagued by monster attacks, living under the shadow of rule by Count Magnus Lee, a powerful vampire lord who has ruled the land for thousands of years. When a young girl is bitten by the Count and chosen as his current plaything, she seeks out the help of a quiet wandering stranger, D. It so happens that D is a renowned vampire hunter, and he takes it upon himself to cut through the Count's many minions, and put an end to the his rule.”

There’s two sides to this story. On the one hand, it establishes an interesting setting. A post apocalyptic world, filled with the monsters of old, and humanity living in the shadows of fear is something refreshing. The omnipresent darkness that permeates everything (Even when it’s daylight) can be felt in every scene, whether you want too or not. Sadly, Vampire Hunter D doesn’t delve deep into it’s own story. It all seems like it only scratches the surface of things most of the time, and often things are dropped for certain characters. Still, there is meat on the bones, but don’t go into this movie expect Prime Rib. 

Animation
Vampire Hunter D’s animation......isn’t exactly the best. In 1985 it certainly was an impressive sight, to be sure, but compared to today’s animation quality, it’s a joke. The animation looks very old, very dated, and actually looks a little silly. In defense of it, however, there are certain visuals throughout the movie that are at least imaginative. When D encounters the siren-serpents, their appearances are striking. They look pale like ghosts, and their green hair flows down their naked bodies like a waterfall. When they turn into their snake forms, they have the appearance of deadly vipers, with fangs that could break bones with just a single bite! Yes the animation isn’t good looking, but there are sights to behold.

Voice Acting
The voice acting.......is definitely better than the animation. It’s not exactly great, since this was a dub from Streamline Pictures (Streamline was notorious for voice acting that is considered to be hokey at best), but it’s managed to age far better. I shouldn’t actually insult the voice acting, as it was actually well done for 1993. The cast of voice actors was small for it’s time, as it measured in at 11 (Michael McConnohie voiced 2 characters: D’s Left Hand, and D himself), but this small pool didn’t create a mess of voices. They effort that all of the actors put in (At the time) was basic, but at the same time you could tell that there was a personality behind the voices. The acting is old, but it’s serviceable.

Characters
For an interesting setting, the characters aren’t all that exciting. If anything, everyone is kinda boring. Despite being powerful, the main villain (Along with his henchmen) is just a standard “Badguy Of The Day” kind of villain. Doris Lang, the girl that becomes the count’s plaything, isn’t quite as strong as one would expect. Everybody else gets all jumbled into one whole plain mess, where you can't quite tell anything different from each other. The only interesting character is D himself: dark & mysterious, things are revealed overtime & always at the right moment. When you get towards the end of the movie, it is revealed that D is more than he appears. To spoil it here would actually be something of a crime, and ruin a good part of the movie.

Availability & Pricing
Yet again, I’ve reviewed a title that’s out of print & expensive. Unlike the previous review, the cost is at least somewhat bearable (Emphasis on the word somewhat), and the DVD can be found, if you’re looking in the right place. Best Buy is a no-go for sure, and FYE will have a 50/50 chance of finding a used copy. Amazon is the best bet in this case: although few copies along both new & used, they are available for purchase. New copies (There are 6 as I’m typing this) start at 68 dollars, and the used ones (There are 14 as I’m typing this) begin at the more reasonable 26 dollars. If you’re looking to get this title, I suggest you stick with Amazon!

Overall Impression & Rating
The sad tragedy of Vampire Hunter D is staying power. Compared to other horror anime (Both old & new), the scare factor seems rather hokey by today’s standard. Coupled with a confusing story & mostly weak characters, and you have a movie that almost seems a small blip on the radar. However, Vampire Hunter D is a colorful movie with an interesting premise. Some of the atmosphere is still effective under the right circumstances, and the voice acting isn’t too bad despite a hiccup or two. If you’re a fan of dark horror anime, then it wouldn’t hurt to seek this title out. Otherwise, watch it only if you’re curious.

Vampire Hunter D gets a 6 out of 10

Ooh, I’m starting to feel a bit of the Halloween spirit kicking! I’m carrying on this trick or treat attitude next week, when October will start to rust on us all. See you soon!



***
For anyone interesting in the movie, click the link below

Vampire Hunter D (Full Movie)

Anime Review: Ah My Goddess the OVA

Hey fellow anime fans & metal heads!

Sometimes, even the most hardcore of anime fans need something lighthearted to ease the mind. It’s only a matter of time when you’ll be wanting something different from the serious shows in your collection. Something a little more sunny & sweet. Something that’s a little more heartwarming, and something you’ll feel good about watching when you’re done. Today I’m checking out a nice little title full of charm, humor, and a dash of love. Today’s show is Ah My Goddess: the OVA. Let’s get enchanted!

Story/Setup
Keiichi Morisato, a student of the Nekomi Institute of Technology, and member of the school’s auto club, is calling a takeout restaurant for some grub. In the process, he accidentally calls the so-called "Goddess Helpline", and the godess Belldandy appears before him. She says that he called her because he’s been granted a single wish, and because he thinks that what’s going on is a joke from his fellow club members, Keiichi says his wish is for Belldandy to stay with him forever. Sure enough, the wish is granted, and the two are now together. What ensues afterwards is a tale of love, hilarity, and tragedy for the pair. Not only that, Belldandy’s sisters Urd & Skuld show up, trying to fix things & causing trouble in the process. Coupled with appearances from the Auto Club and Keiichi’s sister, and there’s bound to be all kinds of hijinks.

What I’ve said above is pretty much what you get when you watch. While I know that this was based off the manga to a degree, I’ve never read it, so I can’t say anything about the story. I can say that it is simple, and easy to get into. There’s nothing really complicated about what’s going on, apart from some things toward the end, and even then it’s not massively complicated. Simply put: this is a story that doesn’t require too much brain power.

Animation
For an early 90s anime, this OVA is one of the better looking one’s out there. Sure, it looks dated, but it has that strange “Looks-Good” kind of dated. There was a lot of care put into how the show looks & moves. The backgrounds are simplistic but nice, and the characters are very striking. There’s nary a hiccup with the animation, and when one does occur, it’s rather small & can only be seen by an animation expert. Visually, there are some dazzling sequences in concerns with the goddesses. Their displays of magic are quite impressive, but their more modern incarnations can do more (Hint, Hint). 

Voice Acting
The voice acting in this OVA isn’t exactly the best on the planet, especially since this was first released in the U.S. back in 1995. You can definitely tell that it comes from the 90s, as the sound of the voices feels very dated. That said, it’s not the most horrendous 90s voice acting. The voice actors are adequate enough that when you listen to the characters speak English, it’s not the most ear-piercing thing you’ll hear. It might, however, cause you to have second thoughts as to what you’re listening to, and maybe switch over to the subtitles.

Characters
Sadly, one of the more major problems with the OVA involves the characters. It’s not that they don’t have personalities, because they don’t. It’s not that we don’t learn anything about them, because we do. The problem is that we really don’t get much with these characters in terms of background. This is one of those circumstances where a little isn’t good, as the newer incarnation of Ah My Goddess goes into many of the backgrounds much more than this OVA. Their personalities are roughly the same as those in the newer series, albeit more simplified.

Availability & Pricing
This is hands down the most expensive title I’ve reviewed so far. Hand Maid May from a couple weeks was certainly expensive, but even that doesn’t quite eviscerate your wallet the way that this show does. Not even FYE has new copies available for purchase: your only chance to find a copy is over on Amazon. Despite that, there’s the cost: A new copy will cost you a mind-blowing 200 dollars! This is for just 5 episodes, mind you. A used copy of the OVA starts at 65 dollars for costs (Excluding shipping). 65 is still expensive, but it’s not $200. That’s for sure!

Overall Impression & Rating
Ah My Goddess: the OVA gives us a bite-sized glimpse into the world that the characters live in. Sure, it’s not the most in-depth mini-series, but in this circumstance hordes of depth might have hurt things. Truthfully, this OVA is great because of it’s simplicity. The fact that it gives us something to chew on, and not have any strings attached, makes the overall experience more fulfilling.

Ah My Goddess: the OVA gets a 7.5 out of 10

Well, that was a look at Ah My Goddess: The OVA. Hopefully, you got touched by the divine when you were reading this. See you soon!





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I’ve realized that my intro for this review, and some of my other choices for words, were incredibly hokey. Don’t worry, I got something to counteract the sap factor!

**
Things might be slowing down already here on the Heavy Metal Otaku blog. I got Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel & it’s season pass as a gift from my Dad on pre-order. The game will take up some of my review time, so expect the reviews & stuff to be spread out farther. Apologies in advance for any delays.

My Top 10 Singers & Bands

Hey fellow Otaku & metal heads!

I wanted to take a break from my reviews, and give you all a little glimpse into my mind. What my favorite things in life are, so to speak. Since I want to get a little closer to you all in terms of friendship, I wanted to show you who my top 10 singers & bands are. There’s plenty of metal to be found here, but there’s other genres as well. With that said, here are my top 10 singers & bands. Enjoy!

10) AC/DC (Sample Tracks: “Link” & “Link”)

Growing up, I was never really big fan of AC/DC. It’s not that I didn’t like any of their songs (Big Gun, Big Balls, Money Talks, and depending on the day either Thunderstruck or Who Made Who), but it was because of my parents playing them a lot of the time. If we were in the car, and suddenly AC/DC came on the radio, they would turn up the volume. Because of this, I never really got into the band, and I always thought they were incredibly annoying. When 2008 came around, and the band put out their Black Ice album, something in my head clicked for me. I’m not exactly sure what clicked in my head, but I know something did. Despite this, I’m still not the biggest fan of the band, but I don’t hate them anywhere near as much as I once did. So consider this my “Don’t Like, But Respect” spot on the list.

9) Faith No More (Sample Tracks: “Link” & “Link”)

It’s such a shame that this band never got farther than they did. It’s not that they weren’t popular, cause they definitely managed to get noticed (Because of the song Epic, along with the album that the song came off of, The Real Thing). I guess that they were just a little odd for music lovers of the 90s, which is ironic given how strange some singers & bands were during that time. But that’s what made Faith No More such a good band.......their weirdness!

These guys never followed what was popular. Mixing Alternative & Funk Metal, along with some Experimental Rock, and bits & pieces of Nu Metal, Faith No More created songs that had their own groove & feel, many of which still sound great today. Even with their last album back in 1997 (Ironically called Album of the Year), they were still following the beat of their own funky drum. With their somewhat recent reunion, there’s been hope that the band will create new material, and in 2015, we’ll finally get our wish! Long live Faith No More!

8) Weird Al Yankovic (Sample Tracks: “Link” & “Link”)

I may listen to plenty of metal & bleak music during my darkest times, but if that doesn’t work, then I always have my accordion-playing friend Weird Al as backup. A man who has remained consistently funny throughout his career, Weird Al Yankovic has always stayed on top of pop culture. His ability to make fun of just about anything is nothing short of incredible. Downloading music, he’s made fun of that. The Amish, he’s made fun of them. Losing on Jeopardy, he’s slammed that. Hell, he even used music from the iconic Michael Jackson as a base for a song where he sings about fat people! Anybody that can do that, and get people to laugh for as long as he has, deserves respect!

7) Paradise Lost (Sample Tracks: “Link” & “Link”)

I’m under the belief that out of all the sub-genres of Metal, Gothic Metal is the hardest to perform. I say that, because bands that specialize in this sub-genre have to walk a very thin tightrope. If the band falls to the left side of the rope, then it’ll look like they’re trying too hard, and listeners will think they’re sellouts. If they happen to fall over the right side of the rope, listeners will think they’re not trying hard enough, and that they’re posers. If there was one band that’s ever gotten Gothic Metal right, it would be Paradise Lost. Although there was a small period from 1997 to 2001 where they were more Electronic than Gothic, the band has remained one of the founders of the Gothic Metal genre. Their albums are some of the most iconic around (Draconian Times is still a powerhouse to this day), and their live shows can be a force to be reckoned with. If you want to feel the rain come down, then Paradise Lost is your band. 

6) Type-O Negative (Sample Tracks: “Link” & “Link”)

If Paradise Lost represents the more serious side of Gothic Metal, then this band represents the dark & dry humor side of the genre.

Due to the tragic death of frontman Peter Steele back in April of 2010, and the subsequent breakup of the band in November of 2010, the band known as Type-O Negative sadly no longer exists. However, the band left a trail of some of the most brutal albums around, not to mention a swathe of gloom & doom that you still might see hovering in the sky. From the punk-flavored Slow Deep and Hard, to the darkened funeral dirge of World Coming Down, and to the renewed bleakness that is Dead Again, this band was appreciated by it’s fans the world over. If you find that Paradise Lost was too serious, then Type-O Negative is a good alternative.

5) Ozzy Osbourne (Sample Tracks: “Link” & “Link”)

Much like AC/DC, I was never a big fan of Ozzy Osbourne. Unlike AC/DC, there was never any songs of Ozzy I liked, and I got into Mr. Osbourne about 7-something years before I got in with the Aussies.

I was 14 years old, when I heard Ozzy’s song “It’s Gets Me Through You”. Now I had a little exposure to Heavy Metal, but what I listened to mostly at that time was 80s Pop (Long story). It was all so sickeningly cheesy & manufactured, hearing Ozzy in a new mindset was a breath of fresh air. A year later on my 15th birthday, I got The Ozzman Cometh compilation album, and that’s when I finally got it. I got it to the point where Ozzy Osbourne took the number 5 spot on this list. Ozzy’s voice is one of the most iconic of voices within the Heavy Metal community. His ability to go from soft & mournful, to loud & titanic, is nothing short of impressive. Since the 70s, Ozzy has crafted some great music, whether it was/it’s his time in Black Sabbath, or during his equally incredible solo career. Even those who aren’t fans of metal, have at least heard of Ozzy Osbourne. It is this legacy, and not to mention his charm, that has garnered Ozzy the number 5 spot on my list.

4) Devin Townsend (Sample Tracks: “Link” & “Link”)

It’s really kind of hard to classify what Devin Townsend does, considering that he’s bounced all over the radar. Heavy Metal, Death Metal, Progressive Metal (What Devin is especially known for), and Ambient are just a couple of the styles that Mr. Townsend has performed. Hell, he put out a Country/Ambient Rock album earlier this year under the title Casualties of Cool. His chaotic musical style really makes it hard to pin Devin down into a specific area, and yet that’s why I like him.

Much like Faith No More, Devin Townsend listens to the beat of his own drum. However, while FNM listens to the beat, Devin Townsend listens to the beat if the dial was turned past 11. The man’s imagination is nothing short of mind-shattering: one album he’s throwing his voice into the blackest pit, and the next he creates ambient songs that make you feel like you’ve obtained your Zen enlightenment. Devin has even created albums that reflect his bipolar mind, as evident in the album Infinity (Along with the Infinity EP). Sometimes, the notes of music can be found in the most chaotic & brilliant of minds. Devin Townsend is proof of this.

3) Rammstein (Sample Tracks: “Link” & “Link”)

Okay kids, it’s story time again!

I was 15 years old, and back when I was 15 walkman tape players were still kinda popular (Although CD players & Mp3 players were definitely taking over). I was listening to my walkman’s radio while I was letting my at-the-time dog Charlie take care of business, when I song came over the headphones. I was nothing I had ever heard of before! I knew that it was clearly metal, but it was a kind of metal that I’d never heard of before. There was definitely drums & guitars that metal was known for, but there were these electronic noises & beats sewn into the instruments that I hadn’t listen to before, not to mention German being used in the vocals. After a couple weeks, I learned who sung the song, and the name of said song (Ich Will, if you were curious). When it was closer to the end of 2002, I picked up their album Mutter, and the rest is history.

Some would say that Rammstein is overrated, and to a certain degree I agree. They’re popular. Very Popular. I would be hard-pressed to find a place, much less a person, that’s listened to Rammstein. At the same time, I still think they’re a blast to listen to. Their earlier work laid their foundation, while their later/current material is refined but still heavy. Although Rammstein isn’t the first group you should listen to when you’re going into Industrial, they’re definitely a group to listen to a little down the line.

2) Eisbrecher (Sample Tracks: “Link” & “Link”)

Now this one was tough. I’m say that, because I’m pitting a band that’s pretty popular & pretty well known, up against a band that’s known almost the world over. In fact, I think it’s pretty hard to find a person or place that hasn’t heard of Rammstein. Making this more difficult is that these two bands are both very, very similar. They both are known for Industrial Metal/Neue Deutsche Härte/Tanz Metall, they both have great instrumentation, and they both have great vocals (Although I give Eisbrecher a little more credit in this regard). Ultimately, I decided that Eisbrecher would get the number 2 spot, and Rammstein would get number 3, so hear are the reasons why.

For starters, Eisbrecher is a newer band. While some of the members have been in the music business before hand, Eisbrecher as a band has only been around since 2003, while Rammstein has been around since 1993. Secondly, there’s more energy in Eisbrecher. Their live concerts are very intense, the band is highly energetic, and the fans really get into the music. While Rammstein is pretty much the same, they don’t seem to have as much oomph as they once did. Finally, Eisbrecher is number 2 on my list because of their attitude. They’re very cheerful, happy, and have a more positive attitude on life & the music industry (Ironic, given how brutal some of their songs are). With Rammstein, not so much. They look very worn out, very angry & bitter, and they seem like they really don’t want to do music anymore, but are still playing because they don’t want to be forgotten. Sorry Rammstein, for while you are still kickass, someone just edged past you.

Before we get to my number 1 singer/band, I wanted to give you some of my Honorable Mentions in this category. Bands that, while very enjoyable, just didn’t make the cut. Maybe it’s because of the sound quality, controversy, or whatever other reason comes to mind. With that said, here they are:

HM1) Judas Priest (Sample “Link”)
- Like AC/DC & Ozzy Osbourne, Judas Priest is yet another band that my parents played a lot when I was younger, and thus was a group that I didn’t like for a long time. Judas Priest does happen to share one thing with Ozzy Osbourne, and the common factor is that there weren’t any songs of Priest that I liked. Fast forward to 2012, and I am gladly enjoying their music. So much so, that Defenders of the Faith and Turbo are two of my favorite albums from the band, although most of their 80s material isn’t too bad either. Yes, I’m now a fan of Judas Priest, but because I discovered them far more recently, I didn’t feel it was right to put them on the list.

HM2) Moonspell (Sample “Link”)
- A fantastic band from a country that many people wouldn’t expect metal to come from (Portugal), Moonspell is a fantastic Gothic Metal group. I would have put this band up on the list, but then I would have had 3 Gothic Metal bands up (Ironic, given who my number 3, 2, and 1 are). I wanted to show of a wider variety of metal/non-metal music, so I reluctantly left Moonspell off, which is a tragic shame. The band has created some beautiful songs, filled with dark & brooding imagery. While Moonspell isn’t up on the main list, it’s quality puts it right up there with the likes of Paradise Lost & Type-O Negative, and is a force to be reckoned with in it’s own right!

HM3) Metallica (Sample “Link”) & Megadeth (Sample “Link”)
- Although these two bands have fallen off of the bandwagon for a while now, and landed deep into the pit of “Music Sellout”(Much more so in Metallica’s case), there was a time when Metallica & Megadeth were titans of Thrash Metal. In the case of Metallica, they created some of the most iconic Thrash Metal albums. Even today, releases like Kill Em All & Ride The Lightning, all the way up to the infamous Black Album, are still talked about today. Megadeth is essentially in the same boat: despite Dave Mustaine essentially becoming the thing he hated the most (A right-wing, religious nutjob), the band has continued to produce some great music throughout their entire career. Countdown To Extinction celebrated it’s 20th anniversary back in 2012, and is still widely considered to be one of their best CDs they’ve ever released. Sure these two bands are somewhat pathetic, but if you look through the smoke, then you’ll find a couple gems.

1) Ministry (Sample Tracks: “Link” & “Link”)

August 27, 2006. I was 19 at the time. I woke up to my parent’s 23rd anniversary, not to mention that it was the day before my Fall 2006 semester at Hudson Valley Community College (A good college. Great college. If you live in the Albany/Troy area, and you’re looking for a place to go, you won’t find anything better). So because of this, I was in a exceptionally good mood. I got dressed, and went downstairs to meet my folks. However, the sight I saw was not at all what I expected. I saw my Father packing a suitcase really fast, and when I asked what was going on, my Mother came over with tears coming down her face, hugged me, and told me what happened.

It turned out that my uncle Randy was on a flight back from Kentucky (From what I remember, he was down there to help a friend). The plane took off, then shortly there after, it crashed, killing everybody that was on the flight died (Except for the Co-Pilot, ironically enough). Further adding to this tragedy, my Dad & I went up to Watertown NY for a reunion on his side of the family, and my Uncle was there. This propelled me into a state a depression that not only caused me to fail most of my classes in the Fall (Ironically, the only class I didn’t fail was my General Sociology course, and I got a B), but it was such a dismal state that it took years to recover from.

You’re now probably wondering what this has to do with Ministry. Well, about a month or two prior to my Uncle’s death, I was flipping through the TV channels, and came across MTV (When they were still kinda-sorta playing music videos). When I got to the channel, the video for LiesLiesLies had just started (I must have missed maybe one or two seconds). I watched it, enjoyed it, but didn’t think much of it. I heard the song again in my head a couple days later, and still didn’t think much of it. It wasn’t until a couple days after my Uncle had did when fate rolled me onto a strange path.
                       
My Uncle’s death was a little bit past the midpoint for George W. Bush’s second term, and if you remember your political history, shit was going downhill for the guy at the time. So in a “effort” to fix his career, Bush had gone down to the crash site, in an attempt to clean things up & offer his condolances. It failed in spectacular fashion (As just about anything he did), and reinforced my hate of Republicans/Conservatives, as well as politics in general. So, when I was at the mall with my girlfriend at the time, I immediately made a beeline for the FYE store, found the album that LiesLiesLies came from, bought said album, listened to it, and for the first time during that period, there was peace.

I am under the firm belief that if I didn’t pick up Rio Grande Blood, chances are my depression would have gotten too serious, and I would have put a gun to my head & pulled the trigger. As brutal, bleak, and pessimistic the album, somehow it saved my life, and I am eternally grateful. Al Jourgenson, if you ever manage to find this, I just have two words to say to you. Thank You.

So this was one of my trips into my mind. I hoped you enjoyed it. I’ll be putting up lists like these further down the road, showing off more things about myself. See you soon!