‘Spy Classroom’ is an espionage manga written by Takemachi, illustrated by Tomari, and published by the Japanese publisher Fujimi Shobo since 2020. It was picked by the Tokyo-based Japanese animation studio Feel for an anime adaption that is set to be released in Japan and simultaneously in North America via the HiDive streaming service.
HiDive said on their website, “Are you a big fan of Spy x Family and Princess Principal and wondering where you can watch Spy Classroom? We have a specific answer to that specific question: You can watch the anime on HIDIVE starting Thursday, January 5, 2023…”
The show is directed by Keiichiro Kawaguchi, scripts written by Shinichi Inotsume, and character designs done by Sumie Kinoshita. It will premiere in Japan on the same date on the channel AT-X among others.
The manga is also known as ‘Spy Room’ in some markets.
“After a devastating war, there has been a realization, weapons are now too powerful and destructive. Thus ends the era of war fought in the “light” and begins the era of war fought within “darkness”, a war fought with information and trickery, a war of spies. After the destruction of the spy team Inferno, their only surviving member, Klaus, sets off to create a team who specializes in “Impossible Missions”. Impossible missions are missions whom a spy team has already failed thus leading to higher security resulting in a chance of failure to be 90 percent. The problem? The seven girls that Klaus has recruited are all washouts and bottom of the barrel for the spy schools they hailed from. Klaus only has a month to teach them everything he knows and in turn the girls will have to employ every possible trick to have a chance of surviving.”
Yen Press currently has the license to publish an English version of ‘Spy Classroom’ in North America.
Amazon Studios dropped a teaser trailer for the upcoming dark comedy thriller ‘The Consultant,’ which is based on a satirical novel about working in an office setting. The show is a joint effort with Amazon and MGM Television with it set to stream the entire first season streaming to Prime Video.
“The sinister series brings a new meaning to ‘boss from hell,’” Amazon said in a press release. “Prime Video debuted the first-look teaser and episodic images for the highly anticipated, Christoph Waltz-led series, The Consultant. Prime Video announced that the series will premiere all eight episodes exclusively on February 24…”
They continued, “Based on Bentley Little’s 2015 novel of the same name, the characters and story in this thrilling new series unfold in new and unexpected ways. The Consultant is a twisted, comedic-thriller series that explores the sinister relationship between boss and employee.”
The show will star Christoph Waltz (No Time to Die) as Regus Patoff, Nat Wolff (The Fault in Our Stars) as Craig, Brittany O’Grady (Black Christmas) as Elaine, and Aimee Carrero (The Last Witch Hunter) as Patti.
You can watch the trailer below:
Amazon described the synopsis as follows, “When a new consultant, Regus Patoff (Christoph Waltz), is hired to improve the business at the App-based gaming company CompWare, employees experience new demands and challenges that put everything into question … including their lives.”
“Creator, showrunner, and executive producer Tony Basgallop is joined by executive producer and pilot director Matt Shakman, and executive producers Christoph Waltz, Steve Stark, and Andrew Mittman, alongside producer Kai Dolbashian,” Amazon added to their statement.
The television is based on the 2015 novel of the same name by Bentley Little. It was published by Cemetery Dance Publications which described it as “a biting workplace satire, with the horrific touches only Bentley Little could provide.”
The eggquisite McFarlane Toys has announced that the eggcellent line of Batman 1966 action figures will finally be graced with Vincent Price’s Egghead. The villain with the egg-shaped dome and egg-centric criminal schemes will arrive just after St. Valentine’s Day!
Egghead’s only accessories are two action word bubbles that attach to the toy’s arms. Luckily, the two Egghead comes with are aptly worded “CRAACK!” and “SPLATT!”
Sadly, like many other collectibles, the Batman ’66 toys are also subject to a price increase. Where the toys were somewhere between $15-$17 last year, they’re now $19.99 across the board.
Photo Credit: McFarlane Toys
Photo Credit: McFarlane Toys
Photo Credit: McFarlane Toys
“Obsessed with eggs and egg related villainy, this criminal mastermind is only one of two of Batman’s villains to deduce his secret identity of Bruce Wayne. And not only did he deduce it, he did it with deductive reasoning rather than trickery, making him one of the most genius egg-otistical villains to ever combat the Caped Crusader.”
Photo Credit: McFarlane Toys
Photo Credit: McFarlane Toys
“A mastermind, the Riddler would always send Gotham’s Law Enforcement or the Batman a riddle before embarking on a crime spree. It would take the World’s Greatest Detective to unravel his dastardly clues.”
In other Batman ’66 news, an unmasked black-and-white version of Frank Gorshin’s Riddler is coming, too. He can also be pre-ordered at Target. The exciting thing about this Riddler is that he comes with an accessory that isn’t a word bubble. Yup, the action figure comes with his signature question mark cane. I hope this leads McFarlane Toys to release an accessory pack for the previously released figures. We need batarangs, bat shark repellant, and Catwoman’s cat-shaped gun!
The new Riddler will be launching alongside Egghead on February 19th, 2023.
I’ve been relatively impressed with this line. My kid loves the ’66 series, and the price range McFarlane of the figures and accessories was a relief to my wallet. These are, first and foremost, toys instead of collectibles. The Batcave playset and Batmobile, while detailed, are made to be played with and so far have held up well after some inventive adventures involving Barbies, dinosaurs, and Masters of the Universe figures.
If you’ve got an iPhone a couple of years old, get ready to pay more for a battery replacement. Apple tech that’s now out of warranty will be more costly to repair. This affects everything from iPhones to MacBooks.
The battery replacement price increases will go into effect on March 1st. We went through Apple’s repair portal and checked out the current battery replacement costs, and created a possible pricelist based on PC Mag‘s article:
iPhone models X, 11, 12, 13 – $89
5th generation and earlier models of iPad Pro 12.9″ models, Pro 10.5″, Pro 9.7″, iPad Mini, and iPad Air – $119
MacBook Air (2022 and earlier) – $159
MacBook and MacBook Pro (2022 and earlier) – $249
Considering Apple devices are known to suffer from bloating batteries and manufacture-imposed quality of life restrictions, many will suffer through needlessly expensive simple repairs if customers visit an Apple Store and “Genius” Bar. However, remember that replacing a battery on most Apple devices is relatively easy and can be done at home for far less if you’re comfortable popping open the case.
The price hike was not mentioned, but it could be due to inflation or supply chain issues. In general, prices for replacement parts for all industries have increased. In addition, car insurance policies have increased by 20-30% over the past year due to the cost to repair rapidly moving upward. My premium went up an additional $60/month this year despite never having an at-fault accident.
On the audio-video front, several manufacturers of pro-audio parts have postponed orders because of significant supply chain disruptions, mainly due to the ongoing chip shortages. As a result, companies like Crestron and Shure are raising prices each quarter and pushing delivery dates of existing orders back several months.
How many times have you had to get a battery replaced on an Apple product? Let us know in the comments section below.
The dark fantasy film ‘Dragonslayer’ was a hit critically when it was released in 1981, even garnering a nomination at the Academy Awards. That being said, it did not do well at the box office, earning only $14 million against its $18 million budget. Since its release, by Paramount Pictures and Disney, it has garnered more respect with home video releases, becoming a cult classic.
It is getting a remastered release with the announcement that it will be getting a 4K DVD release on February 21st, 2023 which will include a standard box set as well as a steelbook edition.
Niche Gamer reported the press release as follows,
“FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER ON 4K UHD, REMASTERED WITH DOLBY ATMOS SOUND, AND FEATURING HOURS OF SPECIAL FEATURES INCLUDING NEW COMMENTARY BY DIRECTOR MATTHEW ROBBINS WITH GUILLERMO DEL TORO
An essential fantasy-adventure, with groundbreaking Oscar-nominated visual effects, DRAGONSLAYER comes to 4K Ultra HD with HDR-10 and Dolby Vision—restored for exceptional picture and sound approved by director Matthew Robbins. Set in sixth-century England, an ill-tempered, fire-breathing creature—ominously known as Vermithrax Pejorative—terrorizes its citizens until a young sorcerer’s apprentice named Galen is reluctantly tasked with confronting the beast. For Galen to succeed, it will take more than magic to defeat the dragon.”
You can watch the trailer for the film here:
‘Dragonslayer’ was directed by Matthew Robbins (Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark) who also co-wrote it with Hal Barwood (Warning Sign). It stars Peter MacNicol (Recess: School’s Out), Ralph Richardson (Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes), John Hallam (Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves), and Caitlin Clarke (Crocodile Dundee).
Music composer Alex North’s score for the film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Score, but it would go on to lose to ‘Chariots of Fire.’
The Shrek movies had a big impact on pop culture, giving everyone a fun twist on classic fairytales and comedy from 3D animation. But the Shrek sequels also gave us various side characters with the potential to spin off into their own stories away from the big green ogre. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is an example of how this works out well, giving us a unique plot that is still set within a familiar world we already love. If you love slapstick comedy and a few classy innuendos, mixed in with a mature tone that doesn’t overpower everything else, then you’re going to enjoy seeing what happens to this feline hero. Just don’t expect any crazy Shrek cameo before going to see it, this is a story focused solely on Puss in Boots, which works out for the better.
The plot of The Last Wish finds Puss in Boots going on adventures in various towns and building up his legend, only to hit a major snag that nearly shatters his world. As a cat, Puss in Boots has used up a good number of his nine lives during his escapades, which brings him a harsh reality check with the physical embodiment of death. After being scared straight, Puss in Boots hears about a fallen star that could grant any wish, which could restore all his nine lives. So he sets out to find the fallen star and crosses paths with many enemies and allies along the way, including a number of new fairytale characters we haven’t seen before.
The tone of the film is fun but isn’t afraid to edge close to serious and mature, especially when the topic of death is brought up. Everything is fun and games until the harsh reality sinks into Puss in Boots, but the movie never lets one or the other become the central focus. A lot of this is due to the fantastic job that Antonio Banderas brings as the voice of Puss in Boots, offering an incredible range of emotions and witty banter to the heroic feline.
There’s always a great response and delivery from Banderas both in the action scenes and when things slow down. Luckily, he has a great supporting cast to play off with Salma Hayek as Kitty Softpaws and Harvey Guillen as Perro. When the three of them are finally together, the movie really starts to pick up momentum. The heartfelt moments between them are great but are complemented by the bigger moments as the story reaches a climax.
The other characters in the movie are good, but only a few stand out as much as Puss and his allies. John Mulaney plays a rotten version of Jack Horner that gets even more unlikable as the movie goes on. Not in the way you might think, however, as Mulaney gives Jack’s voice equal parts malevolent and goofy businessman. We end up hating Jack Horner for the right reasons throughout each of the big moments of the movie, not because the character is poorly made.
But the other side characters that provide a great side story to the main plot are Goldilocks and the Three Bears, who act as secondary foils and a misunderstood family. Their backstory will resonate with many who can relate to why they end up standing opposite of Puss in Boots, especially toward the latter half of the movie. It’s hard to describe why that is without spoiling, but rest assured it’s something that many families who watch The Last Wish will really appreciate.
One surprisingly good thing about Puss in Boots is the action sequences. For a series that leans heavily on the comedic aspects, the fights and big action scenes are a step up from previous films. The sword fights that Puss in Boots finds himself in are fun to watch, with a lot of cool shots and great shifts in perspective. Puss is not only a great fighter, but the quips and one-liners from Antonio Banderas make them all the more fun to watch. Most of the time, there’s a lot of movement happening on screen in the foreground and background, but you’re never distracted from the central part of the action.
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is still set within the Shrek franchise, so do any other characters from those movies make an appearance? While there’s no Shrek and Fiona to be found, a few other side characters do show up briefly. They don’t have a significant impact on the plot of the movie, but it is nice to see that they’re still running about in this world. However, the final stinger of the movie will definitely be something that fans will appreciate, both as a promise and a fun nod.
Whether you’re someone who has watched all the Shrek films or not, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish will be a fun movie to watch. It doesn’t lean heavily on one’s knowledge of fairytales or anything related to the Shrek movies to get its jokes or enjoy this story. The jokes a goofy, the action is solid, and the plot is interesting overall. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is a fun reintroduction to this world with a charismatic character that lands safely on his feet.
Have you gotten a chance to see Puss in Boots: The Last Wish yet? What do you think of the Shrek movies? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!
Part of the mech anime series, ‘Tetsujin 28 FX’ is a sequel released in 1992 that ran for forty-seven episodes from TMS Entertainment. Directed by Tetsuo Imazawa, the show has become a fan-favorite and it will now be arriving in North America on Blu-Ray from Discotek Media.
Discotek plans on releasing the entire series in the original Japanese audio with English subtitles on January 31st, 2023. It is currently available for pre-order on the Right Stuf Anime website.
“Decades have passed since Shotaro Kaneda and Tetsujin 28 protected the world but evil continues to strike! It’s time for a new hero and a new robot, Tetsujin 28 FX, to protect the world! Masato Kaneda returns after mysterious vanishing a year ago to take up the reins of protecting the Earth along with his family and friends from the diabolical Neo Black Gang. With upgrades for Tetsujin 28 FX from Masato’s brilliant mother Yoko, along with Shotaro and the original Tetsujin 28 occasionally leaping in to help, can they stop the Neo Black Gang & all the other villains and rogue robots?!”
‘Tetsujin 28 FX’ is a sequel to the diesel-punk 1960s anime ‘Tetsujin 28,’ also known as ‘Gigantor.’ It ignores a remake from the 1980s titled ‘The New Adventures of Gigantor.’
‘Tetsujin 28’ is based on a manga created by Mitsuteru Yokoyama from July 1956 to May 1966 by Kobunsha in their Shōnen magazine. It was later released in twenty-four collected editions.
The year 2022 had a lot of interesting game releases that gave players fun experiences and new conversations to be part of. Whether you were a big fan of action games, RPGs, or indie titles; there was something that could pique your interest in 2022. But with so many games that come out throughout 2022, what were five games you could dive into that showcased some of the best aspects of the year? Which are the ones you should make an effort to play at some point if you missed out on there beforehand? Don’t worry, we got you covered with games from 2022 that you need to play.
A few things to keep in mind before getting into this list of games. There are a lot of games that come out during the year, so not every game is going to get the most attention or shine from everyone. Even if you don’t see your favorite game of the year included, that doesn’t mean it’s any less enjoyable or relevant to the year 2022.
This isn’t a game of the year listing, but rather five games to highlight that everyone should try playing if they want to see some of the better offerings of the year, not an evaluation of their overall quality. With that being said, let’s get into the 2022 games that you need to play!
Horizon Forbidden West
Horizon Forbidden West is a good-quality sequel that builds heavily upon the foundation established by its predecessor. If you enjoyed meeting Alloy and exploring the harsh world she was born into during Horizon Zero Dawn, you’ll enjoy where the sequel goes in further developing her story. Not only are there multiple biomes to explore within the Forbidden West, but plenty of new and dangerous machines to face as well. Things looked tough during Alloy’s first outing, but they get even more so for her in the Forbidden West.
One of the best aspects of Horizon Forbidden West is the abundance of quality-of-life updates and changes to the gameplay. Many little tweaks to how you roam the landscapes you traverse, how you navigate the menus and upgrade Alloy, as well as how you approach battles with machines all to contribute to a solid experience. Small issues from the first game are practically nonexistent here, allowing you to go on a journey that not only expands the lore of Horizon as a series but appreciate the gorgeous visuals displayed before you.
Kirby and The Forgotten Land
It’s been a good while since we had a brand new adventure for everyone’s favorite pink puffball. Luckily for us, the next big Kirby game took what worked incredibly well from his 2D outings and dropped the little hero into 3D space. What resulted was a fun, charming, and very well-executed 3D platformer that is highly underrated in 2022, a year that was dominated by a few keynote games. But don’t miss out on the fun that Kirby and the Forgotten Land brings to the Nintendo Switch over that.
Kirby’s 3D adventure on Switch is a colorful and cute experience that can stand alongside some of the best platformers for the console. It’s a combination of a collect-a-thon, 3D platforming, light puzzle elements, and pure fun. Kirby is charming as always, but it’s the Waddle Dees that bring the bulk of the charm to this adventure and make the experience worth helping all the little puffballs out.
From beginning to end you’ll have a smile on your face with how fun this game can be, especially if you play with a friend and go through levels in co-op. At its heart, Kirby and the Forgotten Land is a must-own Nintendo Switch game that knows what it wants to be and does so beautifully.
Elden Ring
There were a few games that dominated gaming conversations throughout 2022, with Elden Ring being among them. If you’ve played any title made by FromSoftware, or Soulsborne style game, then Elden Ring will be right up your alley. While this is definitely not an experience for everyone because of how the difficulty and steep learning curve these kinds of games have, Elden Ring combines a lot of the popular and solidified elements of the genre and drops it into an open world. What results is one of the most detailed and open-ended Soulsborne games made to date.
Outside of the common things gamers praise it for as a Dark Souls-style game, Elden Ring has one of the most intricate and deep open worlds that you might explore. If you can handle the severe difficulty spikes and harsh punishments for failure, you’ll find a world that has secrets hidden among secrets and extra details that reward you if you’re clever enough to discover them.
Visually, the game looks great and has a lot of interesting designs for all of the characters, enemies, and creatures you come across within this hostile world. Though this isn’t an easy genre to really get into, many who have enjoyed the work of FromSoftware up to now agree that this it is among their best work yet and a big highlight of 2022.
SIFU
The most unique game of the year was heavily inspired by Hong Kong cinema and rogue-like action games. SIFU lets you become a kung fu master that turns the idea of failure on its head, letting you gain more power and wisdom when you die. While it’s not everlasting, death in SIFU ages your character and opens up new abilities and fighting power that mimics a lot of the interesting elements of kung fu action movies. It’s a tale of revenge and honor, pulling from many of the greats in the film genre, while also making for a very different take on many familiar gameplay elements.
The action in SIFU is top-notch, but the details in the presentation and design for everything you see are just as good. A lot of attention went into making every aspect of the game feel authentic to classic Hong Kong cinema, right down to the nuances of the fighting styles depicted.
Do you like hallway fight scenes? Then wait till you catch a glimpse at how SIFU lets you play through one your way. This is all complimented by how wild and crazy the fights in the game can get, especially group fights and boss battles that feel amazing to play through multiple times. In a year with indie games that all did very interesting things to garner attention, SIFU is the most creative in bringing together many elements that work off from one another. The result is a beautifully done action game you need to try out for yourself.
God of War Ragnarok
Arguably the best game of 2022 for some, both in terms of overall experience and execution. God of War Ragnarok continues to the ongoing story about Kratos and his son Atreus, taking us further into the Nine Realms of Norse mythology. The core of the game is still a tale about father and son, but it is wrapped up in the spectacle of Norse legends and incredible environments you get to explore even further. You get to revisit some places from the previous God of War game in a new timeframe, but there are so much more new things to see in Ragnarok that open up so much about this world.
And yet it’s the combat and cinematic storytelling that make God of War Ragnarok so darn good. Kratos is the powerhouse Greek god we know him to be, with new weapons and abilities to tear enemies asunder. Quality-of-life tweaks and new extra options make fighting with Kratos feel amazing throughout a nearly 20+ hour experience, with a few surprises along the way that take things even further.
Seeing Kratos interact with his son and many other characters you come across makes for an awesome story that lives up to the epicness this series is known for. Any PlayStation 5 owner needs to have God of War Ragnarok in their collection. You’ll definitely feel something during some of the bigger moments and know that something even crazier is right around the corner.
And those are five games from 2022 that you need to play when you can. Did you get to any of these games during the year, or do you need to catch up with them? Tell us some of your favorite games of 2022 down in the comments, let us know how you felt about the year in gaming!
The sad reality is that Henry Cavill is not returning as Superman. However, you can own a near-perfect statue of him as the Man of Steel for just a couple thousand dollars. The thing is, you’re going to have to wait until the second half of next year to get it.
JND Studios has started taking preorders for its 1:3 scale Justice League Superman replica. The starting price is $2,599, and for an additional $799, you can get an alternate “Heat-Vision” interchangeable bust and a pair of clenched fists. Each Hyperreal Movie Statue has rooted hair, glass eyes, and a head made of silicone to give it a more realistic look.
Superman will stand close to 36″ tall, including the base. As of writing this, the statue has sold out on JND’s website; however, it still can be preordered at the Big Bad Toy Store, but without the Heat-Vision option. Unfortunately, you’ll also be paying a bit of a premium, $2,999.99.
Photo Credit: JND Studios
Photo Credit: JND Studios
Photo Credit: JND Studios
Photo Credit: JND Studios
The price may be a bit of a shocker, but JND offers a payment plan. If you choose the base Superman statue, the payments are $260/month for eight months with an initial downpayment of $520. If you decide to get the Heat-Vision add-on, payments are $340/m and a $680 deposit.
We’d previously covered JND Studios when the company announced a 1:3 scale The Batman statue. If the latest version of Bruce Wayne isn’t to your liking, they also offer Christian Bale’s Batman, The Dark Knight’s Joker, TDKR’s Catwoman, Suicide Squad’s Harley Quinn, JL’s Wonder Woman, and even a pre-Joker Arthur Fleck. If you’re still a fan of Amber Heard, you can get a Mera statue, too.
I wonder if the Harley Quinn statue is anatomically correct. How many people do you think bought her figure and tried undressing it?
When I woke up on this first day of 2023, I was excited to see that GameSpot had uploaded a new official teaser trailer for the long-awaited Payday 3. However, those expecting to see snippets of gameplay footage may be slightly disappointed by what is shown.
The teaser starts with a shot of the Brooklyn Bridge looking towards One World Trade Center. Then, the camera pulls back to show Payday’s four heist members watching fireworks explode over the Chinatown area. A note at the bottom of the footage states that what we’re watching is “pre-alpha.” Well, considering there’s no gameplay in the teaser, this warning is inconsequential. The footage then fades to black.
Most of the critical information appears after the footage leaves the screen. What we do know now is that Payday 3 will launch this year. It can be wishlisted on Steam. Starbreeze Studios is developing the game with Prime Matter.
And that’s it. No gameplay whatsoever. Whatever there is to see is covered in darkness, giving us little info about how complex the world will be and how much of it we get to participate in during heists. The video is also only in 1080p, so digging for clues in the dark isn’t worth it.
Thankfully, the game’s Steam page gives us a bit more to go on, but not much:
“Step out of retirement back into the life of crime in the shoes of the Payday Gang, the envy of their peers and the nightmare of law-enforcement wherever they go. Several years after the crew’s reign of terror over Washington DC has ended, they assemble once again to deal with the threat that roused them out of early retirement.”
Minimum and recommended system requirements are still TBD.
Payday’s last installment launched in 2013 and is still going strong, thanks to a healthy amount of DLC on the PC version and decent console releases. The first sequel was ported to several platforms, including PS4, Xbox One, and even the Nintendo Switch.
