Racists are right about at least one thing (how’s that for a controversial opening statement): Other cultures are weird. The part that they miss out on is that weird can still be incredibly fascinating and cool. 47 Ronin is a story that doesn’t entirely make sense to Western sensibilities and yet exposes the underlying humanity that transcends culture. And if you aren’t interested in that, it’s got them samurai swords. Lots of ‘em.
Tag Archives: Samurai
Top 10 Animated Show Opens of All Time
Cartoons are awesome, and a big part of cartoons is that show open. Superman flies around, cheetara beats up some mutants and Ash tries to catch some pokemans, all while some rockin’ music plays. This is not a list of ‘the greatest animated shows’ just the greatest opening sequences! What follows is a list of animated show intros, each more awesome than the last.
FROM THE VAULT: Samurai 7
Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai is an extremely influential piece. It has spawned hundreds of other works. Some, like the Magnificent Seven are practically the same movie, transposed to a different time and place. Others like Oceans Eleven and the Three Amigos are send-ups or riffs on its structure. So when I first heard that an anime series had been made based on Seven Samurai my head filled with questions. How faithful would this be? How can you take an two-hour-long film and stretch it over twenty-something episodes? These were all intriguing questions. Of course as you can see from the date of this article, not so intriguing to cause me to drop everything and go watch it, but alas Netflix instant watch makes connoisseurs of us all.
Wolverine indeed headed back to theaters
Even though Wolverine has less than blockbuster success at the box office, H’Wood is sending the adamantium clawed hero back to theaters for a second outing.
The movie’s story line will take its cue from the early 1980s Chris Claremont/Frank Miller miniseries, which is set in Japan and features Wolverine dealing with ninjas as he struggles whether to follow his animal killer instincts or the life under a samurai’s code of honor and respect.
Hugh Jackman will return as the title character and will also serve as producer.  $180 million isn’t anything to sneeze at, and I bet Fox is hoping good word, and with the “Usual Suspects” scribe Christopher McQuarrie on board to write, the followup might be better than the original. I know there are some of the Major Spoilerites who liked the Wolverine movie, and I wonder how many will head back to the theater for the sequel?
Boom! Studios Sneak Peek: Swordsmith Assassin #1
Boom! Studios has sent Major Spoilers a ten page sneak peek of the upcoming Swordsmith Assassin #1 by Andrew Cosby and Michael Alan Nelson.
Wolverine Sequel in the Works
Is it any surprise that H’wood is already working on a sequel to X-Men Origins: Wolverine? The movie more than paid for itself over the weekend, prompting 20th Century Fox to begin development on the story that will be set in Japan focusing on the samurai/Yakuza storyline.
I think the biggest problem with this idea, is it’s a 20th Century Fox idea.  The best Marvel Comics movies that have come out in the last decade have been the movies produced and distributed through Marvel. I don’t know how much money 20th Century Fox would want in the deal, but Marvel really should be doing everything it can to get all of is properties back under the Marvel roof and do it their way – it may not be the best way, or the right way, but it would be the better way.
What say you, Major Spoilers Legion? Would you be willing to go back to the theater to see Wolverine II: Electric Boogaloo?
Major Spoilers Poll of the Week – the Web Series?
It was bound to happen sooner or later – someone has taken one of Major Spoilers’ brilliant ideas (he said tongue firmly in cheek), and turned it into their own money making venture. Milo Ventimiglia, of NBC’s Heroes, plans on taking the concept of Who Would Win style fighting, and turning it into a web series.
The concept is similar to Spike TV’s new series “Deadliest Warrior,” which reconstructs hypothetical matchups between, for instance, a Samurai and a Viking. Only “Ultradome” is played for laughs with pop culture-driven battles, and shows fans fighting instead of trying to re-create the iconic warriors themselves.
Ventimiglia and his co-creator Russ Cundiff will fight each other as Lord of the Rings takes on Star Wars in the first episode.
Top Cow Sneak Peek: First Born Aftermath
Top Cow has announced a new one-shot that fits between the events of Pilot Season 2007 and Broken Trinity called First Born: Aftermath. Top Cow has sent Major Spoilers a sneak peek of the issue that arrives in July.