Last year's first of four new Evangelion movies has made it's way to DVD in Japan, and so via the evil powers of the internet you can now watch it.

For the most part it's a fairly faithful retelling of the first 6 episodes of the TV show, with better animation and a lot of the fat trimmed off. It's been almost a decade since I've watched the TV, so there's some scenes I'm not sure are new (some exposition between the adults, the reveal of Lillith), but there's plenty that clearly are - the final scenes on the moon and the new version of the battle with Ramiel.

I think they are suckering you in with familiarity before they start to change things around a bit (and judging from the trailer for 2.0, they start to change things a lot in the next film).

The good thing is so far the changes have all been for the better. It doesn't drag like the series did once it got past the Sachiel fight, some characters feel like they have more depth to their actions, there's less animation shortcuts and long silences, but all the iconic images from the series are intact.

Yay, Golgo 13 finally gets his own TV show in his 40th year in print.

For those who are living under a rock - Duke Togo aka Golgo 13 is the world's greatest hitman, a stoic individual with a penchant for fucking women around the world and killing men via the method of shooting them in the head with an M-16.

Viz recently published a 13 volume collection of some his best adventures - which included him fixing the 2000 Florida elections, being involved in the death of Princess Diana, teaming up with Nelson Mandela and dying himself black in order to kill a KKK member. It also had a variety of essays, interviews and fact packs that included such useful information as:



The first episode of the new TV series has been fansubbed and is a pretty much spot on adaptation of the style of the manga. Yay!

So, Rock Band was FINALLY, after 7 months since the US release, given a US release date, and its instantly failed in the market. EA have decided against infinite wisdom to price it at £180 quid with the instruments. £180 FUCKING QUID. Thats 2 and a half times more expensive than the Americans had to pay. Hell, you can buy the 360 for that price.

Actually, scratch that. You can't buy it for £180, since the instruments won't come bundled with the game. You have to buy them at £129.99 seperately, then spend the £50 odd quid for the game itself (OK, knock a tenner off since most places don't sell at RRP. Still makes it £170).

Just because the US economy is circling the shitter doesn't mean companies should be able to fuck over the rest of the world. I've been waiting for this game since it was first announced, and to have this happen is a kick in the teeth, but I'm not lining EAs pockets.

So yeah, todays the day Rock Band failed in the European market and its not even out yet.

This is the first show that GONZO are subbing themselves and distributing online simultaneously to the Japanese TV broadcast via Youtube, Crunchyroll and BOST.tv

And the first episode is now up.



http://www.druaga-anime.com/english/

Kanata Konami's cat based manga is being adapted into 3 minute daily episodes by Madhouse. And it's great, captures the manga pretty closely.

Boy meets girl. Boy builds giant firework to get girl to the moon.

THIS IS WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:



* Based on a play by the man who wrote Tengan Toppa Gurren Lagann, Kazuki Nakashima. Who even shows up as a character, and writes an episode.

* Directed by Fullmetal Alchemist / Gundam 00 director Seiji Mizushima

* Produced by Madhouse

* Adapted by FMA / Nadesico / Ayakashi Ayashi screenwriter Shou Aikawa

* Features voice talents of Kouichi Yamadera (Spike Spiegel), Romi Pak (Edward Elric), Rie Kugimiya (Alphonse Elric), Katsuyuki Konishi (Kamina).

* Features a great deal of Gurren Lagann-based gags in the last few episodes.

* Features a cruel but great jab at Mamoru Oshii in episode 12

* Features a lot fourth wall breaking. Want Youtube gags? You got it. Want nicovideo gags? It's got them too. Want rampant disregard for continuity in order to execute a visual gag and get the plot moving? IT'S IN ABUNDANCE.

* Despite rampant goofery, it still has a coherant plot, a strong theme about the place of populist entertainment in society, satire and A PROPER ENDING~!~!~!