Bleach: the movie

Ok, I'm not talking about a movie dedicated to Clorox. If you thought that, you are not a fan of anime or manga. But if you are a fan you are definitely a bit happier.

For those that don't know, Bleach is an anime (an adult cartoon essentially) based on a 15 year old that gets mixed up with the spirit world and protecting regular people from the bad spirits. It's got elements of samurai, cowboy western philosophy, comedy, drama, and of course complete fantasy all mixed together. It has a huge cast of characters, yet the series (showing on Saturdays on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim) plays out like a soap opera, so it's not too difficult for new viewers to catch up. The show is wildly popular.

Part of the popularity comes from the inner battles many of the main characters go through. Most notably is the struggle of the lead Ichigo Kurosaki. Not only must he battle the various bad guys of the series, but he is in a constant battle with his own inner demon. An inner power that constantly tries to consume him, and is a danger to anyone in its reach when it gets unleashed.

So popular is the show that there is no lack of fan made videos celebrating each character and many of the story arcs. Here is an example of much of the above, specifically the inner demon partially released.



So now that you have a taste of what all the fuss is about, imagine this kind of a story in a movie theater. I can't wait. It has the inner journey, the desire and challenges of being a hero, the damsel(s) in distress, the epic battles of good and evil, and cool effects. If you like action, you enjoy drama, what else are you looking for?

Now here is the kicker. This won't be an anime movie. It is planned as a live action film. That means people doing what the cartoon has shown. The CGI technology exists, so it is possible. If this is done right the fights will be spectacular. If it's done wrong this will be Dragonball: Evolution.

Bleach the movie will be fantastic, as long as the Hollywood machine does not decide to turn this into a GI Joe movie. If they water down the material, go for the kids and make it a long Saturday morning cartoon made live they will lose their investment. But if they just let it be what it is, an adult movie with serious and at times humorous themes originating in an unusual (for Americans) format, it will do well.

Which movie will be made? Well, we will see soon enough.

Halo on a rainy Friday

It’s a rainy Friday for me and I needed something to pick up my spirits. So I decided to go back to Youtube to see if there might be something that would do the job. I think the following did it.

Greatest animated films ever - Yahoo's bogus list

Recently I saw a list of the top animated films ever. This was a list compiled by Yahoo in part to promote the new film Kung Fu Panda. Supposedly the list was voted on by Yahoo visitors and compiled. I think the list is a crock.

I really have to wonder what films were in the original choices to be voted on because there are a few massive omissions. Let me give you the names in the Yahoo list.

Bambi, The Jungle Book, Sleeping Beauty, Over the Hedge, The Simpson’s Movie, Ice Age 2, and the original Ice Age, Snow White, Howl’s Moving Castle, Mulan, Peter Pan, Horton Hears a Who, Lady and the Tramp, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Princess Mononoke, Cinderella, The Little Mermaid, Enchanted, Shrek 2, Cars, Monster's Inc, Spirited Away, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, Toy Story, Ratatouille, Shrek, The Incredibles, The Lion King and Finding Nemo.

That list is in order from lowest rated to highest. Or so Yahoo says. I think the list is just advertising for Disney and a few other advertisers for Yahoo. Oh and a few other films thrown in to make the list look honest.

Where is Ghost in the Shell? Or Akira? I mean seriously Akira is not on the list. That’s just stupid.

And to rate Ratatouille, The Little Mermaid, Cars, Mulan, and Over the Hedge in any list of greatest animated films is inane. Where is Fantasia, Dumbo, Charlottes’s Web (the original), Space Battleship Yamoto, Galaxy Express 999, The Lion The Witch & the Wardrobe, Heavy Metal, Secret of NIHM, Vampire Hunter D, Lilo & Stitch, and that’s just of the films I’ve seen.

I find the Yahoo list bogus not because of what is in it (though there is a lot of substandard recent garbage that is likely included just to pump up DVD sales) but because of the number of classic and acclaimed animated films that are left out.

At least Yahoo could have been honest and said ‘here is the list of movies out advertisers think were the greatest ever – if you never saw an animated film before or if you don’t mind increasing their profits with films in DVD libraries.’ But if you want a real greatest list you need to check out the films I mentioned that were omitted by Yahoo. I think you’ll agree with my list, without question.