Manga Review: Bleach GN 56

Bleach volume 56
Author: Tite Kubo
Viz Media/Shonen Jump
192 pages

When a mysterious group of warriors calling themselves the Vandenreich attacks, Ichigo heads to Hueco Mundo to help his friend Nel. And when the Vandenreich takes the fight to the Soul Society, an all-out war between Soul Reapers and Quincies breaks out! (Source: Viz.com)

Spoiler warning: Review contains spoilers for the events of Bleach's 55th and 56th volumes.

I thought the 55th volume of Bleach was bloody. No, y'all haven't seen bloodshed like this volume - oh no, it's a straight massacre going on. People are dying in the hundreds and the only thing standing between the Quincies and the death of all Shinigami is a certain orange haired Deputy Shinigami with the impossible ban kai. In a book split between Soul Society and Hueco Mundo, the bodies are falling and every Shinigami is on call to protect their home in the afterlife from extermination.

Kyary Pamyu Pamyu Treks Into Darkness

The PV for Kyary Pamyu Pamyu's song for the Japanese release of Star Trek: Into Darkness has been released! The song "Into Darkness" actually features her and Yasutaka Nakata, best known as the genius behind the Japanese electro-pop group CAPSULE. You can watch the PV for Kyary's song below:

As some YouTube comments point out, it sounds very much like a CAPSULE song; Kyary's vocals seem more restrained than usual, less genki girl and more electropop princess. I wouldn't be terribly upset if Kyary and Nakata dropped an EP together! I'm still interested as to how this song sounds in full and how it plays into the latest Star Trek film.

News Round-Up: San Diego Comic Con Edition

For those who couldn't make SDCC 2013, here's a good idea of some of what went down and what you may have missed.

• Anime News Network did extensive coverage of SDCC from the otaku point of view, including panels by Kodansha Comics and Udon Entertainment and the fan-driven panel Best and Worst Manga 2013.
• Tom Hiddleston brought the house down at the Marvel panel, in authentic Loki gear no less. Also at the Marvel panel: news on the sequels for both Captain America and the Avengers (Age of Ultron!). Marvel has more info about SDCC at their website.
• Doctor Who: The trailer for the 50th anniversary special was revealed, and while actual video of it hasn't been released yet, the transcript alone is a bombshell enough. Spoilers, sweetie!
• Meanwhile, at The Black Panel, creators, artists, and actors of color discussed their work and bringing the truth about their experiences. And yes, there's video of it!
• In other comic news, yes, there is going to be a Superman/Batman film in 2015. I might actually watch it if they called it "World's Finest".
• Naturally, SDCC 2013 brought the best of cosplayers out in full force. So many great costumes, so little time! Do I spy an Attack On Titan character?

Manga Review: Loveless GN 9

Loveless volume 9
Author: Yun Kouga
Viz Manga
184 pages

Seimei is very much alive and has torn through the Seven Voices Academy like a whirlwind. As Septimal Moon struggles to right itself and keep its secrets from spilling out, a new enemy takes center stage: the unit named “Bloodless” wages a crippling psychological war, ending battles without spilling a single drop of blood. Yet Ritsuka and Soubi must emerge victorious against them—or lose Kio. (Source: Goodreads)

Spoiler warning: Spoilers for Loveless up to volume nine of the manga series. Read on with caution!

Oh, Loveless. It's been so long! The last time I had a chance to read this series, Tokyopop had just published the eighth volume, back when it was still a viable, relevant publisher of manga. Getting back in the groove with Ritsuka and Soubi and the others is like revisiting friends, albeit seriously screwed up friends with problems one cannot think of fixing, ever. Good thing Yun Kouga is so good at making oddly fascinating characters worth reading.

PR: Viz's Haikasoru Imprint Announces Several New Titles

HAIKASORU ANNOUNCES LATEST ACQUISITIONS, INCLUDING ALL YOU NEED IS KILL GRAPHIC NOVEL AND ‘REMASTERED’ BATTLE ROYALE NOVEL

ALL YOU NEED IS KILL Graphic Novel, Based On The Book That Inspired Upcoming Film EDGE OF TOMORROW;

BATTLE ROYALE: REMASTERED Novel Features New Translation; New Non-Fiction THE BATTLE ROYALE SLAM BOOK Explores The Novel’s Impact On Pop Culture;

San Francisco, CA, July 18, 2013 – VIZ Media’s Haikasoru literary imprint previewed an exciting trio of brand new publishing acquisitions slated for debut in Spring 2014 during the company’s panel at the recent 2013 Comic-Con International, the nation’s biggest comic book, science fiction and pop culture event.

The acquisitions include the imprint’s first original graphic novel: ALL YOU NEED IS KILL, based on the hit science fiction novel by Hiroshi Sakurazaka. The release will coincide with the upcoming film Edge of Tomorrow, starring Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt, also based on the ALL YOU NEED IS KILL book. Haikasoru’s other new acquisitions include BATTLE ROYALE: REMASTERED, featuring a brand new translation of the smash hit dystopian action/adventure story, and the BATTLE ROYALE SLAM BOOK: Essays on the Cult Classic Novel by Koushun Takami, both debuting on the 15^th anniversary of the novel’s first debut.

Haikasoru publishes some of the most compelling contemporary Japanese science fiction and fantasy stories for English-speaking audiences, and is the first imprint based in the U.S. dedicated to Japanese science fiction and fantasy in translation.