Home Blog Page 204

Activision Investigated Itself And Found Nothing Wrong … Of Course!

Mike Phalin
-
0
Activision Investigated Itself And Found Nothing Wrong … Of Course!

When an entity investigates itself, do you think it will find anything that could jeopardize itself? Do you believe the investigative team is swayed by their peers, shareholders, CEO, or other factors? Nah, it’s all on the up and up. For example, Activision investigated itself and found zero evidence that the company’s culture breeds harassment.
This news was found over at Ars Technica. Aparently a team within the company dug deep and found nothing that would substantiate the claims that Activision is rife with issues. Never mind, the company is embroiled in multiple ongoing lawsuits, and employees walked out demanding the company’s CEO Bobby Kotick resign.
The board of directors for the embattled game developer and publisher filed the conclusions of the findings with the SEC. Unfortunately, while the company does admit that there have been occurrences of harassment, they failed to substantiate that there was an ongoing issue the administration failed to stop:

Contrary to many of the allegations, the Board and its external advisors have determined that there is no evidence to suggest that Activision Blizzard senior executives ever intentionally ignored or attempted to downplay the instances of gender harassment that occurred and were reported. That work also has not unearthed any evidence, directly or indirectly, suggesting any attempt by any senior executive or employee to conceal information from the Board.

Apparently, those in charge at Activision Blizzard responded promptly whenever any issue arose. However, it’s hard to believe this when an independent party was not brought on to research the claims. It also raises the question about Blizzard’s board possibly playing word games. Perhaps the board thought the problems were being taken care of, but on the middle management level, they were not, and the powers that be did not follow up? Who knows. We may never know, at least not until certain lawsuits work their way through the courts.
What do you think of Activision’s self-diagnosed innocence? Let us know below.
[Source: Ars Technica] [Source: SEC.gov]

Could The US Be Next To Make Cellphone Chargers Universal?

Mike Phalin
-
0
Could The US Be Next To Make Cellphone Chargers Universal?

A trio of Democratic senators wrote to the Secretary of Commerce to get the US to make a similar decision the EU came to last month. Where the EU targetted Apple to make USB-C standard over the Lightning Connector,  Ed J. Markey, Elizabeth Warren, and Bernie Sanders appear to want to standardize chargers across the board to limit e-waste. In the letter, the senators target common complaints echoed by many consumers:

“The economic and environmental harm inflicted by the consumer electronics industry’s failure to establish uniform charging accessory standards — a shortcoming that requires consumers to frequently change their charging accessories. This planned obsolescence is expensive and frustrating for consumers, and drives the proliferation of electronic waste.”

The letter, which we found thanks to GameSpot, focuses on the amount of e-waste the disposal of cables amounts to, 11,000 tons of it annually, according to a press release from the European Commission in 2021. The goals the senators look to achieve could be a slippery slope regarding how companies remain competitive through proprietary equipment. It may start with chargers, but other company-only parts could be targeted in the future in the name of “environmental health.”

“We urge you to coordinate with offices and agencies across the Department of Commerce to develop a comprehensive plan that will protect both consumers and the environment by
addressing the lack of a common U.S. charging standard. We cannot allow the consumer
electronics industry to prioritize proprietary and inevitably obsolete charging technology over consumer protection and environmental health.”

My gripe isn’t precisely with having to change chargers, but the build quality of these products, mainly from Apple. Where my USB-C and USB micro cables have lasted for years, a Lightning Connector may work for about 18 months before fraying to the point of being an electrical hazard. Rather than buying a new cable, I use my heat gun and heat shrink sleeves, but this isn’t a common practice for the average consumer.
What do you think about universal chargers or allowing the government to tell companies what proprietary equipment they can or cannot have? Let us know below.
[Source: GameSpot]

Those Blasted Turtles Need Some Krang Snuggle Buddies!

Mike Phalin
-
0
Those Blasted Turtles Need Some Krang Snuggle Buddies!

June is also Pride Month in Dimension X. Pride of the angry little Utrom known as Krang, that is! He may have failed repeatedly to rid Earth of those blasted Turtles, but you won’t hear him say a negative word during a good snuggle.
Toy Snobs has announced that they are now taking orders for what they call a Krang Buddy. Yes, this is a licensed Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle piece of merchandise. So if you’ve ever wanted a pillow crafted after the likeness of the 1987 version of Krang, this is for you. He’s about 18″ in diameter and ready to squeeze!
Toy Snob’s website is, as typical, very light on details. We know Krang will be $34.99 and what the brainy little buddy will be made of. That’s it.
 

Toy Snobs
Toy Snobs
Here are all the details we’ve got about the pink pillow:

  • Approx 18″
  • Soft-touch print
  • Polly filled

Too bad he doesn’t have a voice chip inside. Randomly in the middle of the night, Krang would insult you. Maybe a timer so the alien overlord would berate you awake? What could be added to these little Buddies to make them even better?
If you think it’s weird for a franchise like TMNT to have pillow-like buddies, it was widespread in the 1980s. Back then, we had “Buddies” themed after things like professional wrestlers and even the New Kids On The Block.

These were aimed at two different demographics for sure. The twin sisters who lived next to me back then had all the boy band ones, but I never met anyone who had the WWE buddies. However, over the years, it has become common to come across the Hulk Hogan and Ultimate Warrior ones at flea markets.
What do you think of the Krang Buddy? Let us know in the comments section below.
[Source: Toy Snobs]

Super7 Announces Toho Godzilla ReAction Figures! Jet Jaguar Included!

Mike Phalin
-
0
Super7 Announces Toho Godzilla ReAction Figures! Jet Jaguar Included!

The first wave of the Toho collection includes 1954’s Godzilla (Gojira), the unreleased American Godzilla ’57, the first version of Mechagodzilla, the original Rodan, the original Mothra, and the best one of all JET JAGUAR! Each kaiju is $18 and feature limited articulation.
The original Godzilla is molded in gray plastic to replicate the original film’s look. I hope these get a re-release in the typical ‘Zilla green.

Super7

The original King of the Monsters! The Kaiju that started it all is immortalized with this Godzilla 1954 ReAction Figure! Standing 4” tall, this Toho ReAction Figure of Godzilla ‘54 is in grayscale as a nod to the original film.

Super7

The Godzilla that never was! The Godzilla 1957 ReAction Figure pays homage to the unmade American film, The Volcano Monsters. Standing 4” tall, this Toho ReAction Figure of Godzilla ‘57 features a grayscale color scheme, and has three toes and a narrower face that set it apart from the earliest versions of Godzilla.

Super7

Jet Jaguar: heroic size-changing robot, self-aware, fan of handshakes. This 3.75” articulated Toho ReAction Figure of Jet Jaguar features detailed sculpting and paint detail based on his appearance in the 1973 Toho film, Godzilla vs. Megalon.

Super7

Don’t lose your head! The aliens from Black Hole Planet 3 have unleashed Mechagodzilla upon the world! This 3.75” scale articulated Toho ReAction figure of Mechagodzilla ‘74 features a menacing appearance inspired by this monster’s movie debut in 1974’s Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla.

Super7

Feel like you’re on a vacation on Infant Island! This 3.75” scale articulated Toho ReAction Figure of Mothra, based on her appearance in the 1964 Toho film, Mothra vs. Godzilla, measures almost 4” wide and comes with an egg accessory.

Super7

Emerging from Mount Aso, Rodan is here to take flight! This 3.75” scale articulated Toho ReAction Figure of Rodan features outstretched wings measuring over 5” wide, with prominent chest-spike detail and brown coloring inspired by its appearance in Toho’s 1964 film Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster.

I’m hoping the final Mechagodzilla figure is a bit shinier. He looks flat in those mockups. The inclusion of the ’57 Godzilla is an interesting choice, considering he is pretty obscure. I hope we get some ’70s and ’90s versions of him in the next wave. Of course, whenever I get to write about Jet Jaguar, I need to include his song:

[Source: Super7]

‘Iroduku: The World in Colors’ Is Getting An English Dub

Jacob Airey
-
0
‘Iroduku: The World in Colors’ Is Getting An English Dub

‘Irozuku Sekai no Ashita kara’ is anime developed by the Japanese animation studio P.A.Works that is known in English as ‘Iroduku: The World in Colors.’ It ran for thirteen episodes from October 6, 2018 to December 29, 2018, with HiDive announcing they were casting an English voice cast for a dub.
“Hitomi Tsukishiro may be the child of a family of witches, but after losing her ability to see color, she also lost her sense of magic. Nothing has helped her regain that gift until Hitomi’s grandmother sends her back in time to 2018! There, Hitomi meets her grandmother’s younger self and discovers fascinating drawings of a young man named Yuito Aoi. The moment Hitomi lays eyes on his work, colors flood back into view. But why do his drawings have this effect on her,” they said on their website.
They listed their cast as follows:

  • Hitomi – Alyssa Marek
  • Yuito – Nathan Wilson
  • Kohaku – Cat Thomas
  • Sho – Adam Gibbs
  • Kurumi – Allison Sumrall
  • Asagi – Brittany Karbowski
  • Chigusa – James Marler
  • Older Kohaku – Wendy Powell
  • Ruri – Luci Christian
  • Yuhuza – Rachel Brownhill
  • Haru – Shelley Calene-Black
  • Gen – Jay Hickman
  • Ichika – Olivia Swasey
  • Sanami – Patricia Duran
  • Ichiyanagi – Scott Gibbs
  • Vice Principal – Joe Daniel

John Swasey will work as the ADR Director.
HiDive also posted the announcement on social media:


MyAnimeList describes the synopsis as follows,
“Despite the kaleidoscopic magic ingrained in everyday life, Hitomi Tsukishiro’s monochrome world is deprived of emotion and feeling. On a night as black and white as any other, amidst the fireworks spreading across the sky, Hitomi’s grandmother Kohaku conjures a spell, for which she has been harnessing the moon’s light for 60 years, to send Hitomi back in time to the year 2018 when Kohaku was in high school.
Hitomi’s mission seems unclear, but her grandmother assures her that she will know when she gets there. Following a trip through time aboard a train driven by a strange yellow creature, Hitomi finds herself in stoic artist Yuito Aoi’s room, and his drawings flood her world with color. What is Hitomi’s purpose there, and why do Yuito’s drawings return such breathtaking color to her drab world?”
Yūko Kakihara wrote the show while the music was handled by Yoshiaki Dewa.

Fantasy Comedy ‘Vermeil in Gold’ Anime Picked Up By Sentai

Jacob Airey
-
0
Fantasy Comedy ‘Vermeil in Gold’ Anime Picked Up By Sentai

The Japanese animation studio Staple Entertainment is developing an anime adaptation of the fantasy comedy ‘Vermeil in Gold,’ a manga written by Kōta Amana and illustrated by Yōko Umezu. The show is written by Tatsuya Takahashi and directed by Takashi Naoya. The anime is set to premiere in July 2022 with Sentai announcing they had picked up the license for a North American release.
“Sentai announced today that it acquired exclusive rights to Vermeil in Gold, the anime adaptation of the cheeky fantasy-comedy manga of the same name published in Square Enix’s Monthly Shonen Gangan magazine,” they said on their website. They added that it will stream exclusively to the HiDive streaming service.
Japanese voice actor Yuya Hirose will handle the role of Alto Goldfield with Maaya Uchida voicing Vermeil. The rest of the cast includes Wakana Kuramochi, Yū Okano, Sakura Nakamura, Kana Hanazawa, Kazuyuki Okitsu, Riho Sugiyama, Yurina Amami, and Takehito Koyasu.
You can watch the trailer below:

TV Tropes describes the premise as follows,
“At a Wizarding School, Alto Goldfield must summon a Familiar or else be held back a grade. Having failed to summon one each try, he finds an old grimoire and tries the summoning spell inside. He ends up summoning a powerful, seductive devil named Vermeil. He asks her to pretend to be human to not scare anybody, as she can conceal her horns and tail, but this causes them to come under scrutiny as humans have never been summoned as familiars before. The two must get through the school year amid several people picking fights and Alto’s jealous childhood friend, Lillian Kudelfelt.”
The music for the anime is composed by Ken Itō and Kenichi Kuroda.
‘Monthly Shōnen Gangan’ publishes the manga series for Square Enix since August 2018 and, as of the writing of this article, has run for six volumes.

A New Trigun Anime Series is Premiering in 2023

Sarah Leone
-
0
A New Trigun Anime Series is Premiering in 2023

On July 8th, a rumor started to swirl around Twitter from an account claiming Trigun is getting a new anime adaptation, and that the announcement and more information will be coming soon. However there were no sources given so everyone was very cautiously excited at the possibility. Wednesday night, a new Twitter account popped up without a profile picture, with only a single tweet photo hinting at an announcement coming on the 17th, Japan time. On the very next night, Thursday, that same account had a profile picture with several new tweets in English and Japanese, formally announcing an original new animation of the Trigun series, with all-new staff and cast, set to start airing in 2023.

The tweet that started the firestorm last week:

The tweet that looked mysteriously official:

The formal announcement, complete with an official profile picture by this time and a main website link:

Trigun Stampede will be produced by 3D animation studio Studio Orange, the company who did other works including Beastars and Land of the Lustrous. How much of the series will be CG is up for questioning. Crunchyroll has already announced they will be streaming the series on their platform when the anime airs next year. They will also be hosting a panel at Anime Expo 2022 on July 2nd, where more information will be revealed about Trigun Stampede. Series creator Yasuhiro Nightow, designer Kouji Tajima, Orange producer Kiyotaka Waki, Orange producer Yoshihiro Watanabe, and Toho producer Katsuhiro Takei will all be attending the event.

The schedule for the Anime Expo panel:
Date: Day 2 – July 2 at 8:00 PM PT
Location: JW Marriott Hotel

Studio Orange will be hosting a panel at Anime Expo at the following time:
Orange Presents: Studio Panel
Date: Day 3 – July 3 at 4:15 PM PT
Location: 403AB

Trigun started as a manga series that ran in Monthly Shonen Champion from 1995-1997. Followed by a sequel called Trigun Maximum, which ran in Young King OURS from 1997-2007. Dark Horse released an English version of the manga series. The original anime, produced by Madhouse, aired in 1998, followed by the anime film Trigun: Badlands Rumble in 2010.

Following the then-rumor that came out last week, original English voice actor for the main character Vash expressed great interested in reprising his role. Here’s hoping!

Prime Videos Releases ‘Paper Girls’ First Look Images

Jacob Airey
-
0
Prime Videos Releases ‘Paper Girls’ First Look Images

Amazon Studios released some “first look” images for their upcoming sci-fi adventure series ‘Paper Girls.’ The show’s production is handled by Amazon Studios, Legendary Television, and Plan B with Christopher C. Rogers working on the series as showrunner and executive producer.
They also published the images on their official social media account:


Rogers said in a statement, “As fans of the comic already know, this story seamlessly interweaves deeply personal character drama with the kind of high adventure and action that is truly rare on the small screen.”
“That said, this show is for everyone (even those who’ve never picked up a comic book!) who has ever wondered what it would be like to meet themselves at a different stage of life — to compare what you know now with what you thought you knew then… It’s been a genuine thrill to get to play in Brian and Cliff’s world, and I’m humbled to have worked alongside this incredibly special group of artists and collaborators to bring it to life,” he added.
Amazon Studios describes the synopsis as follows,
“In the early morning hours after Halloween 1988, four paper girls—Erin, Mac, Tiffany, and KJ—are out on their delivery route when they become caught in the crossfire between warring time-travelers, changing the course of their lives forever. Transported into the future, these girls must figure out a way to get back home to the past, a journey that will bring them face-to-face with the grown-up versions of themselves. While reconciling that their futures are far different than their 12-year-old selves imagined, they are being hunted by a militant faction of time-travelers known as the Old Watch, who have outlawed time travel so that they can stay in power. In order to survive, the girls will need to overcome their differences and learn to trust each other, and themselves.”
‘Paper Girls’ is based on a comic book series by Brian K. Vaughan and Cliff Chiang. The first season has a total of eight episodes.

MCU Star Chris Hemwsworth Slams The Hammer On ‘Thor: Dark World’

Jacob Airey
-
0
MCU Star Chris Hemwsworth Slams The Hammer On ‘Thor: Dark World’

It is no secret that ‘Thor: Dark World’ had a tepid response from critics and audiences when it premiered. While the interaction between Thor and his half-brother Loki was praised by fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the movie was criticized for various plotholes and some editing mistakes when it reached theaters.
Thor actor Chris Hemsworth himself does not seem to look back on the film with fond memories, according to a Digital Spy article. “I wasn’t stoked with what I’d done in Thor 2,” he said in an interview.
“I was a little disappointed in what I’d done, I didn’t think I grew the character in any way,” Hemsworth told Vanity Fair. “I didn’t think I’d shown an audience something unexpected and different.”
The 2013 sequel to 2011 ‘Thor’ was the eighth film in the MCU. Despite the poor reception, it made over $600 million against a $170 million budget. It also starred Natalie Portman as Jane Foster, Tom Hiddleston as Loki, and ‘Dr. Who’ actor Christopher Eccleston as the villain Malekith.
The ‘Snow White and the Huntsman’ star may not have looked back on the second Thor outing, but it was not the same with the third movie ‘Thor: Ragnarok.’
“And when Ragnarok came along, out of my own frustration over what I’d done – and this is not on any other director or anyone, this was my own performance – I really wanted to break the mold,” he said. “And I said this to [director] Taika [Waititi]. I think the conversation we had was, I said, ‘I’m really bored of Thor’. And he said, ‘Yeah, I’m really bored of Thor too’,” Hemsworth went on to recall. “And then we decided not to be bored. And any time that feeling came into play, we’d go in a different direction.”
Chris Hemsworth is set to reprise the role in the upcoming film ‘Thor: Love and Thunder.’

“The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim” is Being Made into an Anime Film

Sarah Leone
-
0
“The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim” is Being Made into an Anime Film

Over the past several months, concerns over Amazons’ treatment of J.R.R. Tolkiens’ Lord of the Rings lore has been met with mostly skepticism, shock and disappointment. With its’ premiere coming up fast in September, it might be worth knowing they are not the only ones making an adaption of the Lord of the Rings story. Warner Bros. Pictures just announced yesterday cast member news and production updates on an adaption of a Lord of the Rings story.

The movie, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, centers around the fate of the House of Helm Hammerhand, the mighty King of Rohan, a character from the book’s appendix. Directed by Kenji Kamiyama, the movie is set 183 years before the events chronicled in the original trilogy of films. A sudden attack by Wulf, a clever and ruthless Dunlending lord seeking vengeance for the death of his father, forces Helm and his people to make a daring last stand in the ancient stronghold of the Hornburg – a mighty fortress that will later come to be known as Helm’s Deep. Finding herself in an increasingly desperate situation, Hera, the daughter of Helm, must summon the will to lead the resistance against a deadly enemy intent on their total destruction.

Concept Art

Brian Cox (Braveheart, The Ring, HBO Max Succession series) will be voicing Helm Hammerhand. Gaia Wise (A Walk in the Woods) is voicing Hera. Luke Pasqualino (Snowpiercer, Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome) will be voicing Wulf.

Miranda Otto, who originally played in Peter Jacksons’ The Lord of the Rings movies as Éowyn, Shieldmaiden of Rohan, will reprise her role and serve as the narrator.

Other cast members include Lorraine Ashbourne (Netflix’s Bridgerton), Yazdan Qafouri (I Came By), Benjamin Wainwright (BBC One’s World on Fire), Laurence Ubong Williams (Gateway), Shaun Dooley (Netflix’s The Witcher), Michael Wildman (Fast and Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw), Jude Akuwudike (Beasts of No Nation), Bilal Hasna (BBC’s Sparks) and Janine Duvitski (ITV’s Benidorm).

Concept Art

There are several members of the people behind the trilogy movies returning to work on the anime movie. One of the screenwriting team members of the Jackson trilogy, Philippa Boyens, is on as executive producer. Other creative collaborators returning from The Lord of the Rings trilogy also include Alan Lee and Richard Taylor, along with Tolkien illustrator John Howe.

Joseph Chou (Blade Runner: Black Lotus TV series) is the producer. Phoebe Gittins and Arty Papageorgiou have penned the screenplay from a script by Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews, based on the book The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien.

Concept Art

Director Kenji Kamiya is best known for directing other anime works including Moribito – Guardian of the Spirit, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Eden of The East, and the 5th episode of the Star Wars Visions anime, The Ninth Jedi.

The animation is currently underway at Sola Entertainment. The film will be distributed theatrically around the world by Warner Bros. Pictures on April 12, 2024.

Source: Deadline

1...203204205...355Page 204 of 355
Clownfish TVAction FiguresToysAnime NewsRetroMoviesVideo GamesComic Books

Copyright © WebReef Media, a subsidiary of Clownfish Studios LLC.

Close Subscribe Card
Clownfish TV

Clownfish TV

6,771 Videos

Subscribe 621.0K