Earth-Two DCU

With Batman Inc coming up and Bruce totally giving the cowl to Dick this time, reminds me of Earth-Two.
You know Earth-Two? The home of Clark Kent, editor in chief of the Metropolis Daily Star. Where Batman married Catwoman and had a daughter, Huntress. Where Hawkman and Hawkgirl were reincarnated Egyptian royalty and the home of the Justice Society of America and Infinity Inc?


Well....it's nostalgic. When I read Grumpy Old Fans, The singularities of Earth-Two over at CBR.

I say all that to note that this was nothing new for Earth-Two. DC introduced a number of second-generation superheroes in the ‘70s and ‘80s, almost all of whom adopted code names and costumes different from their “parents.” Dick didn’t take up Bruce’s mantle. Helena didn’t become Batwoman, Bat-Girl or Catwoman. Superman’s cousin Kara wasn’t Supergirl, but Power Girl. Wonder Woman’s daughter took the code name Fury, Hawkman’s sons were Silver Scarab and Northwind, and Green Lantern fathered Jade and Obsidian.

Now, it would be a bit disingenuous to suggest that we can compare Earth-Two to the current DC-Earth, because Earth-Two, like any number of rogue cops with good intentions, played by its own rules. Chief among them, I imagine, was the dictum that Earth-Two not be simply an “older” version of Earth-One. There were already characters unique to each Earth — for example, Earth-Two’s Doctor Mid-Nite and Doctor Fate, and Earth-One’s Martian Manhunter and Elongated Man. Similarly, although both Supermen had blonde cousins named Kara, DC already had a Supergirl.

This pattern of significant distinction (if not outright uniqueness) continued until the mid-‘80s and the debut of Infinity, Inc. Although the initial Infinitor lineup included one real legacy character, Brainwave Jr., the rest of the group was made up of “significantly distinct” members, including many named above. During Crisis On Infinite Earths, the team gained three new legacies, Doctor Midnight, Hourman II and Wildcat II. (The Crisis also took the Earth-Two Huntress and Robin out of the greater DC picture.)

Over on Earth-One, main-line legacy characters like Robin II (Jason Todd) and Black Canary II (Dinah Laurel Lance) were similarly rare. There had been a couple of varieties of Manhunter, as well as two Mad Hatters, two Killer Frosts, and (I think) two Two-Faces, but good-guy legacies weren’t often developed. Instead, multiversal counterparts took the place of straight-line successors.

With all that in mind, it’s a bit odd to see the ex-Earth-Two characters incorporated into various lineages. Silver Scarab went on to become both a Sandman and a Doctor Fate. Nuklon, godson of the original Atom, is now Atom-Smasher. Jesse Quick, daughter of Johnny Quick and Liberty Belle, briefly adopted her mother’s code name and costume; and Jade has been a Green Lantern, albeit in the Oan mode (once unique to the universe of Earth-One). Still, just as their uniqueness wasn’t unusual in the pre-Crisis days, so their legacy status has become common today.

Enjoy.

Mazinger Angels

Mazinger Angels (マジンガーエンジェル, Majinga Enjeru?) is a manga series which began in 2004 and chronicles the adventures of four women who pilot giant robots in the Mazinger vein. The concept is a spoof on the late 70's and early 80's popular TV series Charlie's Angels. It was originally published in Kodansha's Magazine Z, starting in 26 June 2004 (#2004-08) and ending in 25 November 2006 (#2007-01).[1] It was compiled in four tankōbon.

Three of the robots, Aphrodite A, Diana A and Minerva X are from the original Mazinger Z series, while Venus A is from the Great Mazinger series. Their pilots are also traditional characters from Go Nagai's universe, Sayaka Yumi and Jun Hono from Mazinger Z and Great Mazinger respectively, and Hikaru Makiba and Maria Fleed from Grendizer.

The style of the manga highlights the sex appeal of both the characters and the mechas, sometimes similarly to the way Aika's female characters are shown.

There is a sequel, released in 26 December 2007 in Magazine Z as well [2], called Mazinger Angels Z (マジンガーエンジェルZ), which features the original design for Mazinger Z, called Energer Z, as well as Kikunosuke Abashiri from Abashiri Ikka.

Mecha Description and Pilots
Aphrodite, Diana, Venus and Minerva in their Mazinger Angels incarnations.

All four robots have a simplified color scheme compared to the older versions, usually reducing the number of colors to only two, but respecting the overall appearance of the robot. They sport heart shaped designs in different parts of their bodies as well as the Mazinger Angels symbol, a winged heart. They also become substantially more powerful and resistant, adding several weapons (many inspired by the Mazingers' ones) to their classic ones.

The mecha pilots wear their classic outfits plus the Mazinger Angels symbol.

* Aphrodite A: Aphrodite is piloted by Sayaka Yumi, her classic pilot from Mazinger Z. In this version, Aphrodite is now orange and white, in contrast to the anime version, which was orange, magenta and red. Her weapons are:
o Regular Chest Missiles
o Iron Cutter Missile: A weapon that resembles Mazinger Z's Iron Cutters.
o Megaton Hammer: A pair of flails attached to Aphrodite's chest.
o Snow White Aphrodite / Breast Heart Fire: Aphrodite is modified in one occasion and covered with an acid proof paint coat to face the attack of a monster. She is painted white and gold and also sports chest plates that rotate to form a heart that fires a powerful beam.

* Diana A: Diana's pilot is Hikaru Makiba, from Grendizer. She is now depicted in blue and white, and has the following weapons:
o Regular Chest Missiles
o Screw Crasher Missile: Similar to Grendizer's Screw Crasher Punch.
o Liquid Shooter: Acid shooting guns.
o Blizzard Smash: A freezing weapon.

* Venus A: Piloted by Jun Hono, her classic pilot in Great Mazinger. Venus is now painted red and white. Her weapons are:
o Regular Chest Missiles
o Finger Missile: The classic weapon from the anime.
o Drill Pressure Missile: Venus can fire two giant jet drills from her chest.
o Fire Tornado: Similar to the Blizzard Smash, but this weapon melts everything it touches instead of freezing it.

* Minerva X: Controlled by Maria Fleed, also from Grendizer. Maria has psychokinetic powers that allow her to control the robot thanks to a special helmet that channels her brain waves. At first she uses Minerva against the girls because she holds them responsible for the supposed death of her dog Duke, but later realizes thanks to Hikaru that this wasn't their fault. Duke is later saved and given a prosthetic limb. Minerva's purple color scheme is the most noticeable since it's completely different from the usual Mazinger-like one. She seems to be above the other angels in terms of power, and her weapons are:
o Rocket Punch: The same attack Minerva has in the anime, taken from Mazinger Z; Minerva can fire her fists.
o Breast Fire: Another classic attack from the anime, a powerful beam shot from her chest plates.
o Photon Beams: Optic rays.
o Sirene Mode: Minerva can shift from her regular form to a stronger one, able to fly thanks to wings placed on her head. When transformed she resembles Sirène, a character from Devilman.
o Thunder Breaker: (In Sirene Mode) similar to Great Mazinger's Thunder Break.

Aphrodite, Diana and Venus also have swords called Mazinger Blades.

Take your pick

I've been following 2 ongoing animes for a time now. Bleach and Naruto. Although, I still favor Bleach than Naruto because I sort of got tired of the plotlines.
Bleach is better. The only let down is the story gets halted at some points to be replaced by fillers due to lack of materials. The writer is a bit slow. In Naruto, it's the same thing although it is better managed.
Still lets see, both are from Shonen Jump and has similar animation. But still, if i have to pick it's Ichigo over Naruto for now at least.

Bleach: Memories of Nobody

Bleach: Memories of Nobody is a 2006 animated film adaptation of the anime and manga series Bleach. Directed by Noriyuki Abe and written by Masashi Sogo, the film was first released in Japanese theaters on December 16, 2006. The DVD was released in Japan on September 5, 2007. To promote the film, the opening and closing credits for episodes 106 through 109 of the Bleach anime use footage from the film. The film's theme music is "Sen no Yoru o Koete" (千の夜をこえて, Overcome the Thousands of Nights?) by Aqua Timez. The film had a limited theatrical release in America from June 11 to June 12, 2008, and in Canada on October 20, 2008[2] and was followed by the DVD release on October 14, 2008.
Plot

Unidentified spirits begin appearing in Karakura Town. A mysterious Soul Reaper who calls herself Senna appears and begins destroying the spirits. Ichigo Kurosaki and Rukia Kuchiki confront her about the situation, but she refuses to answer any questions and leaves. Ichigo follows her while Rukia searches for answers. Ichigo meets up with Tōshirō Hitsugaya and Rangiku Matsumoto at the Urahara Shop, who have been sent to earth to investigate why the real world is suddenly appearing as a reflection in the sky in Soul Society.

Kisuke Urahara explains that a dimension between Soul Society and the real world, the Valley of Screams, has expanded to the point that it is connecting the two worlds. The spirits seen earlier are "Blanks", souls without memories that were lost in the space between the two worlds and that comprise the Valley of Screams. The memories of the Blanks combine to form a single being, the "Memory Rosary." Upon further investigation, it is revealed that Senna is this being.

The Gotei 13 are sent to try to deal with the problem of the expanding valley, however the "Dark Ones", a group of exiles from the Soul Society seeking revenge for the past, appeared and captured Senna. They take her to the Valley of Screams and attach her to a device powered by the Blanks that will cause the Valley to collapse, resulting in a collision between the real world and the Soul Society that would destroy both worlds.

Ichigo travels to the Valley to rescue Senna while Rukia goes to get reinforcements from Soul Society. However, Captain Yamamoto wants to destroy the Valley before it collapses and refuses to order a rescue mission with only an hour left. In the Valley, Ichigo is overpowered by the large number of blanks, but he is saved by the arrival of his many friends from the Soul Society. While the group battles the Dark Ones and Blanks, Ichigo battles and eventually defeats their leader, Ganryu.

The process of the collapse has gone too far to be completely stopped. Senna sacrifices herself to push the two worlds back apart to save Ichigo. Senna asks Ichigo to take her to the graveyard so she can see her name on her gravestone. Though the stone is blank, Ichigo lies and tells her that her name is on it. Believing him, she expresses contentment that she once had a life of her own before fading away. Rukia notes that once the power of the Blanks fades away, so will all memories of Senna. After the credits, Ichigo is walking on the bridge where the portal was and sees a red ribbon, the one that he had bought Senna, floating down from the sky then sees a girl who looks just like her running past him, he smiles and continues on with his walk.

A night in Eastwood

I spent Sunday with my family including my brother's family and my parents. In the morning, we went to GCF-Sta.Rosa then we went to my aunt's at Marikina. In the evening we went to Eastwood. The kids played video games at Time Zone. My aunt who had no children played with her grand nephews and grand nieces.
We ate dinner at Il Pirata Ristorante & Pizzeria. Pastas and meter long pizza. My body is not used to eat like that anymore. Really was full. Service sucked by the way. But all in all, what counted was we met as a family. I hope we can do that again sometime soon.

Election time

The long wait is finally a few more hours to go. As people get ready to vote and COMELEC is rushing things to the last minute. May 10, 2010 will be at the record books as the 1st automated elections the Philippines have. Pinoys are divided in having so much trust in a COMELEC still with the stigma of Garci, Bedol and Dagdag-Bawas while others are not so trusting anymore. Saving face or not, tomorrow will be vindication day or doomsday.
Millions of pinoys will decide who will lead us for the next 6 years. I'm praying for a peaceful and credible elections but i'm keeping my fingers cross.
I still feel disappointed that our elections are still full of cheating, intimidation and bribery.
We have to stand our ground and be vigilant and watchful. We must not let others dictate what we the people want. Not the feudal lords, not the oligarchs. Not anyone but us. We the people. That's why we vote. Don't freaking sell your votes. Don't let anyone intimidate you.

Go out and vote!

Trinity Blood episode 1