It was only a matter of time. The FTC has officially started legal action against Amazon, labeling the massive online retailer a monopoly.
The Federal Trade Commission is not the only one attempting to take Amazon to task. Seventeen state attorneys general joined in to sue the company.
Jeff Bezos’s business is accused of taking actions that “allow it to stop rivals and sellers from lowering prices, degrade quality for shoppers, overcharge sellers, stifle innovation, and prevent rivals from fairly competing against Amazon.”
The complaint attempts to make the case that the online retail space was once the great wide open “bursting with possibility.” This was true … until the Dot Com bubble popped. However, what does Amazon do in its day-to-day business that makes it more of a monopoly than other companies operating in this space?
The FTC alleges several violations. There are around forty points, but some of the more damning ones include:
Drastically rising fees are charged to sellers. Thus limiting profitability potential for the sellers because the smaller businesses have nowhere else to go.
Anti-discounting tactics are being used to limit the competitiveness of rival retailers.
It forces sellers into exclusivity deals, which keeps them from selling goods elsewhere.
The lawsuit also alleges that Amazon’s mysterious Project Nessie has “already extracted over[REDACTED]from American Households.
What the hell is Project Nessie?! Last I heard, it was a tool for tracking customer trends on Amazon’s website, but this sounds a bit more ominous.
In the complaint outlining Amazon’s various salacious actions, multiple heavily redacted sections may be related to Project Nessie:
Source: FTC
It will be interesting to see what becomes of this.
So, who all are taking a stand against Amazon? Here’s the list of the state attorneys general acting as plaintiffs:
The Castlevania Netflix anime series became very popular because of its gorgeous animation and mature handling of the franchise that inspired it. The first seasons of the show gave a new look into a classic video game franchise that was one of the cornerstones of action games, with a deep rich lore that fans loved to follow. And while this spinoff continues the Belmont legacy, it doesn’t manage to hit the same high points. Castlevania Nocturne still looks and sounds great overall, but its story is less impactful than its predecessor managed to be. But things only seem to be getting started with this new story, for better or worse.
Castlevania Nocturne takes place hundreds of years after the events of the previous season. The Belmont legacy has continued on with Richter Belmont being the next in line to uphold the family name. He hunts down vampires and other monsters with his sister-like companion Maria Renard in France, while the cloud of the French revolution looms over people who live there. Dark things begin to happen as more vampires gather within the area heralding the arrival of their savior, a vampire woman who fancies herself as a god. Teaming up with some unlikely allies, Richter and Maria must stop the growing threat before it unleashes the apocalypse on mankind.
The first season of Castlevania Nocturne has a lot of focus on the many side characters and their stories, despite Richter Belmont being the main selling point of the series. While Richter does have an impact on the overall plot, it feels like much of the time spent in each episode is used to flesh out every other character around him. And while in some cases this works well, in others it feels like wasting a lot of time drifting off on tangents instead of further developing the main plot. Characters like Maria are good to have subplots in progress parallel to Richter’s story, but there are many others that the series tries to give the same treatment. And in the end, it feels crowded.
Much of this is further hammered down by some of the creative decisions made for various characters from the original source material. Castlevania Nocturne takes a lot of inspiration from Castlevania: Rondo of Blood and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, as well as a few other spinoff games. But the majority of things it pulls from them are changed significantly or lightly mentioned.
Certain characters from Rondo of Blood and other games are heavily changed to something completely different from their video game counterparts, to the point that they feel like entirely new characters instead of who they are supposed to be. Another big difference is how Dracula is hardly mentioned in the season at all, which seems like a weird choice for a Castlevania-related story. Even in the games where Dracula isn’t the main antagonist, his presence and relevance are still felt throughout since it’s the struggle between Dracula and the Belmonts that make up the core of the Castlevania series.
All that being said, the animation and sound design of the show is still fantastic with its presentation. The battles that happen look awesome, with a lot of great action shots for each character that engages in battle. Both the heroes and villains we meet get multiple moments to showcase their powers and look spectacular in motion, even in the most gruesome sense. There are a lot of nods to the powers and attacks that some characters have in the games, and they look really good when given the anime treatment.
If you’re a big fan of the Castlevania games, you’ll be able to point out specific attacks you may be very familiar with. There are even a few music tracks that are remixes of classic tracks from Rondo of Blood that sound amazing, even though you only hear them for a very brief time. Both the original Castlevania series and Castlevania Nocturne could definitely benefit greatly from having more classic tracks from the games reimagined for the series.
Unfortunately, this season is only eight episodes and ends on a pretty big cliffhanger. While many Castlevania fans will be excited about who shows up and what will come next, the ending of the final episode of the season isn’t a great bookend. It almost feels like Castlevania Nocturne ends right at the point when it’s about to fully embrace its inspiration and kick into high gear.
It would’ve been so much better to get to the point where the season ends much earlier and spend more time with the characters in their element as they match up more to how they are in the games. The stakes are definitely high by the time the season finale ends, but it’s a shame there wasn’t another episode or two to give a stronger sense of a conclusion before setting up for what is next.
Castlevania Nocturne definitely gives fans more of the best aspects of the original anime series, but with a new cast and story to follow. Although the story isn’t paced as well as the previous one, the animation in Nocturne is still enough of a spectacle for everyone to check out and enjoy. It will be interesting to see if the next season of the show brings more faithful elements from the games, especially Symphony of the Night, to round off the story it’s trying to tell. It might allow the series to end off completely on a better note than what the first season does. If you’re a big fan of the franchise, then you’ll still have something to really love in here despite the few setbacks.
What do you think of Castlevania Nocturne? Are you a big fan of the games? Who is your favorite Castlevania character? Talk about everything related down below in the comment section!
The remake of Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic has been highly anticipated by many fans. The game was originally being worked on by Aspyr Media following their work porting over multiple Star Wars games. Unfortunately, after the announcement trailer appeared on PlayStation’s State of Play, the project fell into trouble. Multiple people left Aspyr Media and it was said the project was confirmed to have been moved over to Saber Interactive. But now a small change has a lot of people worried about the state of the KOTOR remake. Many Star Wars fans have a bad feeling about this.
As reported by multiple outlets, the official trailer for Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic remake was made private on the official PlayStation YouTube channel. This comes after multiple people online started to notice that they couldn’t view the trailer on the channel. Luckily, the official article posted on the PlayStation blog about KOTOR Remake is still live, but you can notice that the trailer for the game is greyed out and says it was made private.
I can confirm tweets about it from the Playstation Account were deleted and recently.
At the same time, tweets made about the KOTOR Remake from the official PlayStation Twitter account were removed as well. This caused people to start asking many questions and get worried about the possibility of the game being officially canceled. While there’s been no official announcement or statement about the status of Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic Remake, reports as early as last year from an Embracer Group conference call hinted that the game was still in development. That could have changed because Embracer Group is undergoing a restructuring with many of the studios it owns. With it, some studios are laying off multiple employees and shutting down studios in some cases.
For many, Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic is one of the best Star Wars games ever made. Set over 4,000 years before the events of the movies, the game and its sequel told a story about the Old Republic and the war between the Jedi and Sith. The announcement of the KOTOR Remake was very positive among Star Wars fans and those who love role-playing games. The announcement trailer didn’t show much of the game but was enough for fans to get incredibly excited to know the game was in development.
Since everyone began noticing the trailer being made private, no statement has come from Embracer Group or Saber Interactive about it. PlayStation has also not commented on the matter as well. On the surface, things aren’t looking too good for Star Wars fans who wanted to see this KOTOR Remake become a reality. While there are those holding on to some shred of hope about it, everyone may have to prepare for the worst news to come soon.
Do you think that Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic Remake was canceled? If not, why do you feel PlayStation made the trailer private? Should another studio pick up development for the game? Tell us your thoughts about everything down below in the comments!
HiDive has announced a slate of anime releases that will debut around the same time as their premier in Japan. Dark fantasies, horror, and isekai are all arriving on the streaming service for fans to enjoy.
RAGNA CRIMSON (September 30th)
Dragons reign terror over the earth, sea and sky. If sworn dragon hunters like Ragna are to have any hope of dealing death to these seemingly invincible, fire-breathing beasts, they must find a way to level the odds. Ragna teams up with a mysterious man named Crimson who has likewise sworn to stand against the dragons menacing the world. But although Crimson’s motivations may be mysterious, his goal and Ragna’s perfectly align, and together they’ll fight to vanquish the dragons once and for all.
DARK GATHERING Cour 2 (October 1st)
A horrific encounter with a restless spirit traumatized Keitaro Gentoga to the point of becoming a shut-in to avoid further disasters. But no man is a haunted island, and he eventually rejoins society by taking a part-time job tutoring the child prodigy Yayoi Houzuki. Yayoi isn’t just a genius, though. She’s a gifted medium hell-bent on finding the malevolent spirit behind her mother’s vanishing. And she’s gravely determined to drag Keitaro into her terrifying and grotesque supernatural world.
THE DEMON SWORD MASTER OF EXACALIBUR ACADEMY (October 2nd)
One thousand years ago, Leonis Death Magnus, undead sorcerer and the greatest of the Dark Lords, entered magical stasis during a climactic battle. When he awakens, he finds a beautiful silver-haired young woman named Riselia standing before him. More shockingly, Leonis has been transformed into a ten-year-old boy! Now he’ll have to adapt to this strange era and deal with the twisted monsters called Voids—all while keeping his true powers a secret from his lovely new guardian.
HELCK Cour 2 (October 3rd)
After suffering a crushing defeat at the hands of humanity, the demon kingdom is looking for a new king, and a human named Helck is about to win the tournament to decide their leader! But his campaign slogan is “Destroy all humans,” which seems a little… odd. Why would a human want to kill all humans? What secrets is he hiding? A world-shaking plot is afoot, and human hero Helck may just be the demons’ last hope…
THE EMINENCE IN SHADOW Season 2 (October 4th)
Everything has been going according to plan, but the hour of awakening draws near. Cid Kagenou and Shadow Garden investigate the Lawless City, a cesspool where the red moon hangs low in the sky and three powerful monarchs rule the streets. The true draw for Cid, however, is one who can draw blood–the Blood Queen, a vampire who has slumbered in her coffin for eons. Her awakening approaches, and Cid could finally face a day of reckoning.
THE VEXATIONS OF A SHUT-IN VAMPIRE PRINCESS (October 7th)
Three years into her life as a shut-in, vampire Terakomari Gandesblood (Komari for short), awakens to find she’s been appointed as a Commander in the Mulnite Imperial Army! The thing is, her new unit consists solely of belligerent ruffians who revolt against their superiors at the slightest hint of weakness. Although Komari hails from a line of vampires as powerful as they are prestigious, her refusal to drink blood has made her the picture of mediocrity—scrawny, un-coordinated, and inept at magic. With the odds stacked against her, will the help of her trusty (and slightly infatuated) maid Vill be enough for this recluse to blunder her way to success? Or will Komari rue the day she ever left the safety of her room?
Yes! Dark Horse’s ultra-violent anti-hero is joining Mezco‘s One:12 Collective! The Mask is coming!
The 6″ tall figure will feature loads of weapons, bombs, multiple portraits, and a striking blue suit. Aside from The Shadow, The Mask was one of those few instant purchases for me. The Mask is $112 and will arrive between June and August 2024.
The Mask, along with the Star Wars: Dark Empire comics, were my introduction to the grim comic books published by Dark Horse. Doug Mahnke and John Arcudi created the green-faced madman. Several characters donning the enchanted Mask starred in multiple mini-series in the early to mid-1990s. During that time, Hollywood optioned the character and became a less violent but excellent vehicle for Jim Carrey.
Aside from a series of toys based on The Mask animated series (a strange mix of the movie and comics), we didn’t see many officially licensed figures. Although there have been some high-end collectibles, they usually replicate Jim Carrey’s version.
With this move from Mezco, I hope we see Walter and Kathy (as The Mask) eventually join the One:12 Collective. Hell, I’d even like to see the militant version of Stanley Ipkiss made into an action figure.
If Mezco doesn’t want to do that, maybe just a few accessory packs with alternate Mask heads, whacky weapons, and some gruesome effects? The face-tearing panel from The Mask Returns is one of my favorite moments.
Photo Credit: Mezco
Photo Credit: Mezco
Photo Credit: Mezco
Photo Credit: Mezco
Photo Credit: Mezco
Photo Credit: Mezco
Photo Credit: Mezco
Photo Credit: Mezco
The Mask will come with the following:
Three (3) interchangeable head portraits, including a comical double-take expression
The gritty and harsh world of The Boys has shocked and intrigued audiences with how far the show was willing to go. Based on the comic series of the same name, it took the concept of super heroes and pushed it very far with how realistic it can be. The spinoff series from that show titled Gen V begins a new story set within the same world, but with a completely different cast of characters. If you loved how over-the-top and blunt the original show could be, then you’re going to feel right at home with Gen V. The first two episodes show its just as gritty and mature as its predecessor, but with an entirely new perspective that will keep you coming back to watch more.
Gen V takes place concurrently with the fourth season of The Boys, and set within the Godolkin University of Crimefighting. A young women named Marie Moreau, who is able to control and bend blood, is accepted into enrollment and is thrusted into the crazy community of young supes that are being trained. Students compete in battle royale challenges to gain a ranking at the university and hopefully one day become one of The Seven. But a secret related to Vought International begins to resurface and the supes in danger, forcing Marie to face the reality of being a superhero in this harsh world.
The best part about Gen V is that it unapologetically goes far with its subject matter in the same way The Boys does. People that are killed because of supes-related incidents will spill out blood and guts in all of its horrific detail. At the same time, the show doesn’t shy away of how grotesque some aspects of supe social norms can be within the university, with one sex scene being boldly graphic and messed up at the same time. Luckily, the plot is able to remain interesting and place building blocks for a larger issue that every character will have to face throughout the series moving forward. It doesn’t get too caught up on how gritty it can be, but instead uses it to keep the plot intriguing.
Marie Moreau is played by Jaz Sinclair, who delivers a great performance as a damaged character that tries to remain hopeful throughout her struggles. She has a wide-eyed view of being one of the supes at first, but eventually begins to become burdened by the harsh truths about what that really means for her and society as a whole. Her blood bending abilities look very cool, but have a very sad origin and mental toll on her when she uses them. She’s able to control her own blood when cut, but also the blood of others when its spilled.
We first see Marie as a young girl discovering her powers through a major tragedy, which establishes many interesting parts of her character and arc that will play out through the series. While she doesn’t always make the right decisions in the moment, her motivation to be a genuine good person and hope to do right by herself is what drives her actions and makes us empathize with her greatly.
Other characters in the show’s premiere have interesting backstories and traits that explore harsh issues while also highlighting interesting super powers. Lizze Broadway plays Emma Meyer, Marie’s roommate with the power to shrink in size, but through a horrific method that is tough to watch. She’ll defintiely be a character many grow to like, but will probably go through some very bad situations along the way.
She’s one of the few people who opens up to Marie when she arrives at the university and encourages her to embrace the culture there, and yet at the same time has immense personal struggles he suffers with alone. One scene has her interacting with another student that she opens up to, only to find out a devastating consequence shortly after. She doesn’t play a big factor in the main plot at the start, but will most likely do so as the series goes on and things begin to unfold more about the university and Vought International.
The rest of the cast have just enough layered aspects to their personalities and backstories to make them great to watch. The group of top ranked students that Marie meets at the university all have huge problems in their lives, despite being gifted supes with amazing powers. Londor Thor is a shapeshifter that can change their gender at will, Cate Dunlap is an empath that can make others do whatever she tells them, Andre Anderson has the ability to control metal, and Luke Riordan can ignite himself and use fire manipulation.
Each of them have a close relationship with one-another, but also deep problems individually that are hinted at throughout the premiere episodes related to family, legacy, and mental issues. While some major incidents rock the core of their relationships, their involvement with Marie and what’s going on with the university take each of them to dark places that will be fascinating to watch throughout the season.
The superhero grime of grit on display in Gen V will definitely make this a standout show to watch. While the premiere episodes give a very good idea of the tone to expect, it seems like there’s a lot crazier things to see in the rest of the season. If you loved watching The Boys and how far it pushed the line with its story, then you’re really going to like what Gen V brings to the table. The plot of the show will most definitely take viewers into some harsh territory that will continue to thrill, shock, and entice everyone to watch more. Regardless of how crazy things can get, we’re all here for it.
What do you think about Gen V overall? Are you a big fan of The Boys series and the story it tells about superheroes? Share your thoughts about everything in the comment section below!
IFC Films is partnering with Sentai Filmworks and the HiDive streaming service to bring the anime sci-fi drama ‘The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes’ to North American cinemas on November 3rd, 2023.
HiDive said in a PR release, “HIDIVE, AMC Networks’ fast-growing anime streaming service, and IFC Films unveiled today their U.S. theatrical release for the critically acclaimed anime film The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes. The highly anticipated romantic fantasy, which is based on the popular light novel and manga series of the same name by Mei Hachimoku, will open in theaters starting Friday, November 3 throughout the United States. The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes recently took top honors in the feature film category at the 2023 Annecy International Animation Festival in France where it was awarded the coveted Paul Grimault Award.”
“The film will be presented in both Japanese with English subtitles and English dub depending on date and theater location,” they continued. “As part of today’s news, the companies also revealed they will be hosting a special movie panel featuring the stars of the English dub during New York Comic Con (“NYCC”) alongside the earlier announced World English Dub Premiere. The premiere and panel will take place on Thursday, October 12…”
The movie is directed and written by Tomohisa Taguchi and is produced by the Japanese animation studio CLAP.
You can watch the trailer below:
HiDive President John Ledford said, “We are excited to team with IFC Films on the U.S. release of ‘The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes.'”
“This award-winning and critically acclaimed film is sure to wow audiences. Anime fans will not want to miss this limited theatrical release in November,” he added.
The film’s music is composed by Harumi Fuuki with pop star Eill performing the movie’s theme song “Finale.”
DC Comics is re-releasing the first issue of Wonder Woman from writer Tom King with a brand new cover from artist Jim Lee. Diana Prince will join Batman and Superman with solo covers from Lee, matching the distinct style.
“Wonder Woman #1 by Tom King and Daniel Sampere heads back to press for a second printing! The new “Dawn of DC” launch has everyone chasing the first issue of King and Sampere’s new series—and within days of release, all issues of Wonder Woman #1 have sold out at the distributor level! The Amazon Warrior’s action-packed new debut kicks off what will undoubtedly become a groundbreaking run on the character, where Wonder Woman finds herself an outlaw in the world she once swore to protect,” DC explained in a statement. “This second printing will feature new artwork by Jim Lee, Scott Williams, and Alex Sinclair…”
This cover joins the “Jim Lee Icons Series” which includes Superman #7 and Batman #608: Batman Day Special Edition.
You can take a look at it here:
DC said, “After a mysterious Amazonian is accused of mass murder, Congress passes the Amazon Safety Act, barring all Amazons from U.S. soil. To carry out their plans, the government starts a task force, the Amazon Extradition Entity (A.X.E.), to remove those who don’t comply, by any means necessary. Now, in her search for the truth behind the killing, Wonder Woman finds herself an outlaw in the world she once swore to protect!”
“Writer Tom King (Batman, Mister Miracle, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow) and superstar artist in the making Daniel Sampere (Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths, Action Comics) join forces for this action-packed relaunch and the beginning of what will undoubtedly become a groundbreaking run on the character,” DC Continued.
DC will be releasing a foil edition of the comic book cover.
Go for broke? The 1994 anime adaption of the hit Capcom video game ‘Street Fighter II The Animated Movie’ is arriving on home video release on 4K DVD. Discotek Media is handling the new edition and will feature a whole host of special features.
The movie was animated by Group TAC and released by the Toei Company when it was initially debuted. It was directed by Gisaburō Sugii who co-wrote it with Kenichi Imai.
The DVD will feature a host of special features revealed by Discotek:
Newly Restored 4K HDR Film Transfer, Uncensored & Uncut
Every English Audio Track, US & UK, Restored & Remastered
Original Japanese Version with English Subtitles
Complete HD Restoration of the US PG-13 Cut
English Version Opening & Closing Credits
SFII: The Animated Movie Japanese Game Footage
Trailers and Commercials
Isolated Score
Production Art
Liner Notes
While the movie has a planned release on November 28, 2023, it is currently available for pre-order on the Right Stuf Anime website.
They also revealed the box set:
Discotek describes the synopsis as follows,
“M. Bison’s plan to crush those who would oppose his evil Shadaloo organization is simple: brainwash the strongest martial artists around the world with his dreaded psycho power and turn them into living weapons! And now, he’s found his newest target: Ryu, a traveling vagabond said to be the strongest man in the world. In order to stop the dictator’s evil plot, Interpol agent Chun-Li forms a rocky partnership with Major Guile of the United States Air Force.
But they’ll have to put aside their differences and learn how to work together if they want to stop M. Bison; while the wandering Ryu is a hard man to find, M. Bison is closing in on Ryu’s eternal rival Ken in a bid to lure out his real target! Will Shadaloo succeed, or will the World Warriors beat M.Bison to the punch? See the action (and we mean all the action!) in Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie, presented on Ultra HD Blu-ray, in glorious 4k for the first time!”
Sony Music Entertainment composed the music for the soundtrack.
Not to be confused with Dungeons & Dragons, a new animated series is being created alongside a tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG) of the same name. French artist Clément De Ruyter, who is an animator and illustrator, created the TTRPG’s Dungeons & Kittens, having successfully crowdfunded the ttrpg earlier this year on a website dedicated to crowdfunding tabletop games “for gamers, by gamers”. Mélanie Duval is also credited as being the creator, having previously worked on the Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir animated TV series as one of the writers.
The summary of the story is: Precious, Fib, Ruffles and Suds are four little kittens who live happily between the high walls of the Kingdom of Cats. But when they get banished after an unfortunate series of events, they will have to face the perils of the wild world outside and find a treasure splendiferous enough to earn King Walter’s forgiveness. Adventure, meowgic and hairballs await in this RPG-inspired serialised odyssey!
See the trailer here:
In an interview with Animation World Network, De Ruyter explained the inspiration behind Dungeons & Kittens, saying, “I’ve always loved initiation stories, where characters who are far too small for their fate are pushed by fate to brave dangers. There’s undoubtedly a bit of “The Lord of the Rings,” “The Hobbit,” and “Okilélé” (a French children’s book by Claude Ponti) that have been constant sources of inspiration.”
De Ruyter added, “At the very beginning, I was thinking about a sci-fi project with cats in space, but after a while, I realized that I wanted to explore the “genesis” of this universe through the lens of young adventurers, and that became Dungeons & Kittens. And quite quickly, I wanted to make it into a role-playing game to “test” my stories and my universe with my friends. I wanted to create a contrasting universe that speaks of childhood and beautiful friendship but also of wandering and danger, a bittersweet fable, and that’s when the unfair quest of King Walter appeared to me. And then, as time went by, Watch Next saw the drafts of the game, and here we are!“
“After several successfully completed series, Watch Next has decided to develop an epic saga to accompany the rise of its broadcasting partners’ non-linear platforms and to allow its teams to showcase their talent in a new format and genre. With its unique aesthetic and endearing characters, Dungeons and Kittens has the qualities to capture the hearts of an entire generation of children – and their parents’ too!”
Philippe Alessandri
Watch Next head of development Sylvain Huchet pitched the project at Cartoon Movie showcase on September 19th, praising De Ruyter’s lush graphic style, as translated and brought to life on screen by director Jeremy Guiter.
Huchet also added that, “Beyond the gorgeous style, what really appealed to us was this idea of putting these tiny characters that feel a bit helpless in a world that seems way too big for them. And that’s really the main idea: Even if you’re a tiny kitten or a small kid, you can still make an impact and change the world around you.”
The new series will have 13 episodes at 22 minutes of length each, with the show having an adventure story from a child’s perspective, expecting “meowgic”, dangers, and secrets along the way with the kittens. The series is expected to begin airing somewhere around 2025.
What do you think of the new animated series and ttrpg? Will you be interested in playing with your friends or kids when it becomes available? Do you think they would enjoy the animated series as well? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
