D23!!!!! Disney New Releases.

This past week was very big for anyone who loves all things Disney. Disney has released major news at its Expo: D23. So, I am going to say grab a few rice balls because we need to discuss.  For those that do not know.  Disney holds its own convention where it premieres all its new movies, games, and future plans for the theme parks or just anything Disney. I of course am not going to go into everything mentioned during the expo but there are somethings that are worth mentioning.

What good would a Disney Expo be if it did not talk about upcoming movies?  Pixar and Disney Animation showcased an overview of the many movies that will be coming out in the 2015-16 year. Working toward the idea of diversity and inclusion, Disney discussed in detail the movie, "Moana". This is the new movie introducing the first Polynesian Princess. YAY!!! POC!!!! This is big for anyone of Pacific Island decent. Disney ran with this idea in picking their actors. Why not get the #1 celebrity of Pacific Island blood to star in the movie. Yes, I am talking about, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. This obviously was not the only movie discussed. Pixar also gave detail to big names such as Star Wars, Gigantic, The Good Dinosaur, Zootopia, Pirates of the Caribbean, Finding Dory (Finding Nemo 2), Frozen 2, and Toy Story 4!!! Its gonna be a big year for Disney movies. Especially, "Finding Dory" voiced none to than  Ellen Degeneres. 

Notice none of those movies include whats going on at Marvel (which had a separate presentation.) Crazy!!! I know!! In the Marvel presentation the movies Captain America, Black Panther, and Dr. Strange were given more detail to the plot. Disney studios also talked about many of its short films and a particular short film showing the journey of Walt Disney himself.  I love short films!!! They have the best stories.  I am ecstatic to see what beauty comes from these new animated shorts.

 If your a Broadway fan like myself. the next big Disney on Broadway will be Frozen. This does not excite me as much as the lead up to this announcement. Having the Broadway actors "The Originals" come out and sing songs from all different plays and movies. The would have been a better announcement if you ask me. a Broadway of just The Originals. But I'm just a idealistic dreamer. Lol.


Other big news at D23. Disney will be adding a STAR WARS THEMED LAND to Walt Disney World!!!!! This is amazing for any nerd or fan of the Star Wars franchise. You will be able to engulf yourself in the force. Fight light vs dark. Its going to be Dope! The ride possibilities in itself are enough to get anyone of any age excited. This is huge, and I am sure that Disney will do it right. I am excited to see what Disney magic will add to the Star Wars universe. Here's some concept art for what the park will look like.

In the video game realm, big news for all Kingdom Heart fans. The most infuriatingly anticipated game is finally coming out for the PS4 & Xbox One. Yes, I am speaking of KH3. Finally, the third installment for the main console, Kingdom Hearts game is finally in serious production and Disney along with Square-Enix is doing big things with the game. Personally, Kingdom Hearts still remains to be one of the best games I have ever played. Do not get me wrong. Its does have its cons, along with its pros but overall the franchise continues to peak my interest along with many others. The story-line tends to get a little confusing. The transition to the handheld made the story-line all the more difficult to follow but overall the game play is still amazing and the game itself is fun. It looked to be well worth the wait. But, outside of what was already showed at E3, (fighting style, new Tangled world, and new powers and graphics) KH3 made a big announcement the other day.

Yes!!!! KH3 will be incorporating a BIG HERO 6 WORLD!!!!! OMG!!! I am a huge big Hero 6 fan. One of Pixar's gems in its treasure chest. So now both franchises are able to give fans the greatness of Kingdom Hearts and BAYMAX!!!! Check it out below. 

POC in Pop Culture and Anime. Hey, They Look Like Me!!!

For over the last few months, I have been discussing the craziness, the changes, and debates happening in pop culture with many of my friends and nerds alike. So grab a rice ball real quick and lets discuss. There has been a long lasting issue regarding people of color (POC), and their representation within comics, movies, books, and anime. There is an unsaid ideology, that if what is being illustrated is not a POC centered tale then they should not be envisioned in the role. Even though the genre being discussed is fiction. POC tend to not be depicted within the larger realm of these areas. This was best shown when Amandla Stenberg was casts in the Hunger Games as Rue. The uproar from Hunger Games fans around the world was enormous. Rue is not black. This was the anger poured in from fans. Twitter was unmerciful. Why is this a issue though? What is American pop culture really saying?

In recent months, Marvel has taken strides to shape the way POC and female characters are being viewed within their franchise. DC Universe has taken those same strides, but in a different sense. As times progress so do the faces of these companies. These franchises, marvel more so than DC, have always tried to create some type of realism to their world to reflect our reality. Marvel has always been a front runner in the idea of superheros in our world. While, DC has taken itself away from our reality, while still being present in issues revolving American culture.

A once white dominated arena of heroism is now beginning to show some new faces, darker faces. DC Universe has never been one to reflect our own world/reality. DC likes to make stories from different dimensions which sets it apart from other comic book streams. They can create any story they want without back story to origin. The origin story begins within that dimension. Using this strength, DC has create a the DC Multiverse more specific Earth 23.  An alternative dimensions where all the superheros are black. All of them!!  As much as I like the Multiverse and Earth 23, I just need to take a moment.... because I cant. DC Universe continues to aggravate me when it comes to the idea of inclusion and diversity among its hero's. In the main dimension (The DC Universe), all hero's of color are side characters or tend to have the same ability. (I.e. Black Lightning, Thunder, and Static Shock all black characters centered around lightning abilities) Even though I love all three characters. Creativity tends to lack when it comes to POC in DC.

Marvel continues to play with the idea to reflect reality, and the feel of its audience while staying true to its core of what marvel is. Marvel  universe continues to make great strides in its commitment to diversity by changing the faces of our most beloved heroes. What better way to do this than to transform the the most symbolic character that this nation has to offer, Captain America. This is old news for many, but it still is very interesting. Captain American is now Black. I had this conversation with many of my friends and at comic-con last year.The Captain American mantle will be taken on by his close friend, The Falcon.  In the comic book series,  Steve Rodgers faces a  foe who drains him of his superpowers, rendering him an old and frail man. He then pass his stars-and-stripes shield to Sam Wilson, an ally who goes by the superhero name of the Falcon. Many know this character from in recent films such as: The Winter Soldier and The Avengers 2.

This is crazy!!!!  Captain America (Steve Rodgers) was the face of a American champion. He was everything America is suppose to be. White, blue eyed, blond hair, patriotic, strong, and pure dawned with a shield to protect. This depiction shows exactly what America wants to tell its children that the country is but also to the greater world in itself. So what message is being sent now that that face is black? Yes, a black face is the face of America. This is a message that scares and excite many people within this country. With this image, that is the statement being made. Yes, it was a bold statement to make. Not only Captain America, but a hand full of superheros are now changed to better fit the ideas of diversity and inclusive America. The America of 2015. Many other big name heroes include: Spider-man, (who is now mixed, Spanish and black) and Thor, (Caucasian female, challenging the ideals of masculinity).  Marvel continues to be the front runner when it comes to reflecting our reality, to make their fiction believable. But, this does not come without debate or push back. Many fans, critics, and nerds alike are against the idea of changing so many pivotal characters. They do have reasonable grounds to dispute the topic as well. Many of these characters, fans have grown up with for decades. Comics are so ingrained in American pop culture that new generations of kids, and fans can see their parents favorite superhero growing up, but as a real person. So to change so many characters, so quickly, needed to be explained. Which marvel has done well. Each change has its own back story, a believable back story, that can be widely accepted by fans even if they do not like the change. Marvel still has a long way to go but the attempts being made are worth mentioning.

The lack of POC stems into the anime world as well. Many of the characters are of Japanese or Asian decent, but are drawn as white or Europeans, with fairer skin. This ideology behind that is crazy! White is beautifully accepted. SMH. This is not a new idea. Many of our TV shows cartoons and older run with this ideology. But, what interested me more is the fact that I have been seeing POC with darker skin, popping up in many different main stream animes. Whether new characters are being introduced in already established anime, or new animes are being created to have a POC as the main character, a change is being made. Representation is being shown in animes such as One Piece, Naruto, Bleach, Machiko & Hatchin, etc.. even Dragon Ball Z made that move to show better representation as the anime evolved. POC went from being drawn as to how American society envisioned us (the picture above),  to actual character embodiment (the picture below). Drawing different ethnicities similar to how the main characters are drawn in the show, this is a gain. lol.

Within anime there are still many stereotypes that tend to be reflected inside the illustrations. Physical attributes and personality characteristics like rapping black characters, (Bee from Naruto) or Chinese characters with only lines for eyes. (Brock from Pokemon) This is another aspect that needs to be changed. However, as the future continues to move forward, anime continues to progress.

This progression shows the correct representation that is necessary. I for one am loving it, being the blerd I am. It is nice to see different faucets of entertainment and pop culture reflecting myself and the world we live in. Breaking down stereotypical attributed that are not accurate but drawing/ depicting all bodies of people, equally within their context, as characters in their respect genres of fiction. I'm just say, its nice when a little boy or girl of color, can watch a anime, or movie; or read a book, or comic and say, "Hey! My favorite super hero looks like me." That is a privilege many of us never grew up with. And, if there was a possibility the options were limited. I think its a dope progression.

But what do you think?

- Amni-Flux

Arrow is Raw?

Sooo who seen lasts nights RAW? I am and have been a wrestling fan for awhile now. I got back into it once Brock Lesner came back to the WWE. Because, [paul hayman voice] BRRRROOCCCKKKK LESNERRRRRR, IS A BEAST!!!! Anyways, last nights edition of RAW was very interesting to say the least. If your are a avid Arrow fan and follow Stephen Amell on Twitter, or his Instagram, or even just watch WWE; you knew he would be the special guest on last nights show. Since the announcement on WWE the plot was set. STARDUST (GoldDusts' brother aka Cody Rhodes) has been building a plot line/ rivalry revolving around comic book heroes. Continually, asking the question, "who will be my hero?"  and stating the phrase "embrace the weird". Creating a very Joker-esc identity known as The Prince of Dark Matter. So here we have our villain. This gave way to a lovely rivalry with the new found "superhero" from NXT (a stepping stone show for new wrestlers trying to get into the main show) Neville aka Red Arrow. As Stardust continues to try to find his hero, this set the stage for Amell. There has been banter between Amell and Stardust building tensions between them via Twitter. This was done not only to set the stage but to also build relevance and popularity for the event last night.  The banter was nothing more than silly talk and threats more toward Neville and referencing Amell.

Now, the real shocker is what happens once he was there. Amell decided to sitting in the audience, with the fans as a fan for the whole night. While watching the King Barrett vs Neville (Red Arrow) match this is what happened.

 

Stephen Amell has hops!! Once this happened Twitter, social media, and the WWE Universe lit up.Amell jumping the rope, speared Stardust, then continually punched him the face. This was sports entertainment done well. After the altercation Triple HHH (the CEO) spoke to Amell. Setting up the stage for something both WWE fans and Arrow fans would enjoy. 

Yup, another event for SummerSlam. Stephen Amell & Neville vs King Barrett and Stardust. I think this was a successful crossover of both franchises. Using the WWE stage, to create a storyline that keeps to the ideas of the comic book heroes, and the concepts within the Green Arrow storyline. Having Arrow himself team up with his known sidekick, but WWE version, Red Arrow (in the Green Arrow franchise also known as Speedy or Arsenal). This past Mondays event, definitely had all WWE and Arrow fans going crazy. I know I was entertained.I also enjoy the fact slowly WWE is going back to its roots and having celebrities involved in the franchise and shows. In the past this has been done with many different celebrities including Floyd Mayweather, Donald Trump, and many more. It has been awhile since this has happened so bringing that aspect back to the WWE is nice to see. And, it couldn't have been done at a better time. Superheros are very popular right now among pop culture. So I give my kudos, to the WWE writers for incorportaing this fad into their franchise. I am sure children and nerds alike are entertained by the tale of, The Price of Dark Matter. But, there will still never be a WWE hero as super as my man: THE HURRICANE. But, lets see what happens at SummerSlam in two weeks. :::Side note:: Am I the only one that thinks Stephens Amells' voice is awkwardly high? lol. Just a thought.

Tell me what you think comment or hit me on twitter.

-Amni-Flux

Heroes Reborn? Wait, I just started Heroes!

In recent months, many things has been catching my attention. From social issues, to popular culture, and personal matters. My attention has been wavering so it has been awhile since I have been able to grab a rice ball and talk about whats going on.  So, to my nerds, blerds, and geeks alike we have much to discuss. This past winter during the Superbowl. I noticed a fan favorite that everyone has been talking about since the commercial aired.  HEROES REBORN. The Super Bowl showed a trailer to the return of such a great TV show. Yes, I know I am horribly late. But, there is a reason I am talking about this now.

 

:::::::::::::::::::::::SPOILER ALERT FOR THOSE WHO HAVE NOT WATCHED THE SHOW:::::::::::::::::::::::



Before the times of GOT, ARROW, The Flash, and the rise of Netflix original series there was Heroes. I for one was not into the show. Being such a nerd, it was weird to why I wasn't into it. However, the last turtle crosses the finish line. I have recently just began the series and its good. Finishing the season, what I find most interesting are the concepts int he show.  But, what is most interesting to this show (again only on season 2). The first aspect to the show I like is the abilities "powers". As, any superhero, sci-fic show you look at powers and think which ones you would have. But Heroes has taken a different take on this concept. Yes, you have your basic powers (e.i flight, mind reading, invisibility etc...) But what is most interesting is the type of new abilities that are introduced. The power to understand how things work and adapt that ability. This is what makes the main villain (Sylar) so interesting. Is he evil? Yes, that's basic. But, the type of evil he is is interesting. Why his power is relevant is even better. If your ability was to understand and adapt would you know to look at the brain to gain power? Concepts like this makes the show intriguing. Also, the show takes on a very real world view to super-heroism. A plus is the show is more gory than I thought it would be. Many superhero tales or people with powers has a very superhero-esc feel to the story base. This is not the case with Heroes. The symbolism used for different characters I appreciate. The roach with Sylar, or the fact that "Jessica"(Nikki) kills by splitting her victims in two halves etc.. its all very well done.

So far, the biggest the weakness I found in the show was that the main protagonist, Peter,  is only relevant due to the stories of the other characters. Yes, he has his own story base but his is the link to making the plot relevant.  A full circle kind of tale. As much as I wish they kept all the people with powers as individuals they all cross paths early in the show due to necessity. It would have been cool if each "hero" had their own story base and you seen their growth through the progressing storyline. Then in time unite them to a main plot. Another fun aspect to the show is guessing who is a  hero and who is a villain. This may be a basic idea, but the show does not tell which is which except for  selected characters:  Hiro, Sylar, and Peters' personal intention. The ambiguity to this leaves a open plot to shape almost any character any way. This makes the show entertaining as well. Overall so far I am enjoying the show. Hit me on twitter tell me what you think.

-Amni-Flux

Black Cosplay of White Characters? Cool or Nah?

So NY Comic-con is slowly creeping toward us and I have the slightest idea of who I should cosplay this year. Last year I chose to be Ash's Squirtle Pokemon and my sister and I rolled deep as Squirtle Squad! (FYI, this was Bryce's awesome idea. Can't take all the credit.) We loved it, the fans loved it. Literally, we were celebrities for a day. Check us out...

Since last year was such a success, I've got to start preparing my costume and getting things ready. It took ALOT of time to make that Squirtle shell (Yes, we made them from scratch!) and I'm no Martha S. Also, the glasses alone took 3 weeks to come in from Etsy. Crazy! If you want to look good, you can't do anything last minute.

Shout out to the professional cosplayers who do this stuff a year in advance!

I believe this was made at a makeup school. Impressive!

I've been thinking about who I should be for several months now (actually ever since the Comic-con gods blessed us with 3-day passes) and I'm still stuck. Partly because I feel forced to play a black fiction character. 

Is it me, or do many of us blerds have a dilemma with this? In my head, the nerd in me totally wants to represent the character as they should be. Whites play whites, blacks play blacks, asian plays asian. But then I'm also like, "Who the hell cares??? Let love live and play who you want!"

I feel like I struggle with this every year.  Mind you, I did play Batgirl one year, although, technically, it felt more like playing dress-up for Halloween since the effort for it was minimal. 

I remember going to a Heroes of Color panel at NY Comic-con a couple years ago to discuss this same topic and a plethora of other topics pertaining to the lack of diversity among superheroes. From the cosplay aspect, what came out of it was that people should be who they want, how they want without the negativity or the nerd bashing. People need to be less judgmental and more open-minded. It starts with you. 

This is all true, but yet I still struggle and feel inclined to cosplay a black character. I'm curious what other people's takes are on this? Are my feelings based on nerd character loyalty or purely my own prejudice?

While you think on that, let me tell you about the characters I've been thinking about. I haven't made any final decisions, these but have been floating around my head:

Yoruichi - Bleach

At first I was like, no, she is waaay out of my league, but I've been looking at pics and I think I can pull it off. (If I play her fully clothed. Ha!) 

Bumble Bee - DC Universe/Teen Titans

Bumble Bee is so easy for me to do. Wings? Easy, just go to my nearest Halloween store. Leggings? Got'em. At most, I'll need the shirt, yellow sunglasses and golden wrist-lets. I'll also have to lose about 10lbs for that shirt, though. Lol!

 Vixen - DC Universe

I haven't thought about Vixen until recently when The CW released the Vixen trailer at SDCC. It was so dope. Haven't seen it yet? Click here. I was thinking of probably doing the Justice League version as well. The other version might work out better for my hair, though.

All in all, I'm still deciding on what to do. I need to make a decision soon since I'm running out of prep time. 

As far as my racial dilemma with white characters, I'm not completely against cosplaying a white character, but like I said, I'd just rather not. Fiction characters of color don't get enough play as it is, so why not represent? Who else will? 

My TV Show Quickies

Hi my geeks and freaks! Did you miss us? I know, I know...it's been awhile. Almost a year, actually. Sorry about that. Life happened and we will never leave you again. Never. We are soo sawry.


So, let's talk about what we love best...TV! Is it just me, or has TV just been AWESOME lately. Like, really really awesome. Better than some movies out. (I blame Netflix.) Btw...does anyone else find pure joy in an all night (sometimes all weekend) Netflix binge? It's like the sour cream to my taco. Pure. Joy.

Instead of going through all of the TV shows I've watched and providing a long drawn out review, I've decided that I'm just going to give you guys a quick update about some of the shows without spoilers (because we absolutely hate them). And when I say quick...I'm talking barely sentences. Here we go...

Game of Thrones - Best. Show. Of. All. Time. Watch it, like, right now. Season 5 is beast.

The Blacklist - Pleasantly surprised at how entertaining this show is. Red is a funny dude.

Supernatural - Binged from Season 1 and enjoyed every moment. Dean can get it, ijs.

Orange is the New Black - Ehhh. Season 3 was blah. I already forgot what happened.

Sons of Anarchy - Finished Season 7 and I don't think I've ever been more angry and sad at a show.

Akame ga Kill - Please, please, please make a Season 2! Women assassins rock!

Graceland - My guilty pleasure. Very unrealistic but makes me want to hangout in Cali.

The Fall - Yo, this ish is cray. It's only 6 episodes but it's good.

The Walking Dead - Same type of ish but entertaining nonetheless. Carol is killin'em, literally.

Empire - Another guilty pleasure. Poor acting and plot lines, but Oh is there drama! Yes, please.

All right, I think I'll end here. If I think of more, I'll update the list. I'm pretty sure there are more but these are my top 10. I'll post another quickie soon. My TV stays turnt.

Beg to differ? Let me know on Twitter - @Riceball_NeeNee I'm a newbie so please be nice.

~Peace

A "Darker than Black" Saturday

So, this past Saturday was Laundry Day which actually means I either do a month's worth of laundry or just go naked....ugh! I. Really. Hate. Laundry. I had to do about 10 loads! It really, really, sucked. (Ok, you can stop playing your damn small violin now.) Anyways, the good part about Laundry Day is the fact that while I'm sorting through mounds of dirty clothes and taking my time folding, I can binge through TV shows!

For awhile, I've been on the lookout for new anime to watch that's interesting yet action packed. Recently I came across a comment on FB mentioning "Darker than Black" to be a pretty awesome show. So, I gave it a chance. 

Here's my review after watching all three seasons: 

Honestly, I'm still confused about this show. Bones, the creator, leaves you with so many unanswered questions and open-ended conclusions. I hate doing this, but I actually had to look through forums just to make sure I actually understood what was going on! And even after all the blog reading and comment trolling I still don't really feel like I get it. But the funny thing is...I want more!

To give you a sense of the plot without giving away any spoilers, the show is set in the future where from out of nowhere a gate called "Heaven's Gate" arrives in South America and a gate called "Hell's Gate" arrives in Tokyo. When the gates arrive they remove the current sky and put in place a "fake" one where each star represents the life of a Contractor. Contractors are humans who were given psychological powers when the gates appeared. Also, the presence of the gates caused some humans to turn into Dolls; unemotional beings used by Contractors who are able to track the whereabouts of others by projecting themselves through physical objects, such as water or glass. Contractors are currently being used by the government and other high powered organizations as weapons. They have no emotions and can only think rationally. Because of their powers, they make great assassins. They are called "Contractors" because in order to use their power they must fulfill a "contract", also known as a "remuneration", which requires them to do very odd tasks, such as flip shoes over, smoke a cigarette, or give someone a kiss. (Yes, very weird show so far, right?)

The main character of the show is Hei. He is an assassin working for a team called "The Syndicate". He has several team members who help him with his missions, my favorite being Mao.

Hei is sooo badass! I loved his moves and how quick he was (even though for the life of him he could never keep his mask on...like honestly what was the point of it?) There is also a perfect mix of gore to go with the action. It isn't overbearing as I've seen in some other anime shows. The action sequences though are pretty dope, and music to go along with it was rightly chosen. Check this out...

 Action aside, the point of the show, I guess, is to follow Hei as he goes through life as a Contractor tackling his internal demons and memories from his past. You also try to learn about the gates and why all this happened. This is the part I'm not really clear on but some forums helped me get a better understanding. You also learn about how humans, overall, especially in Tokyo are dealing with this phenomenon.

I loved this show! Hopefully, Bones comes out with another season. I mean, he really has some explaining to do. As I could tell from the reaction in various forums, we're just all too confused. Reading through all the philosophical interpretations hurt my head!

The action was great and the plot was moving. Season 2 is my favorite because of how they showed Suou's transition into being a Contractor. Plus she had awesome chemistry with July which was too cute!

I don't want to give away too much, but hit me if you want to chat about it. Otherwise, check it out. It's definitely worth the time.

Other anime I'm watching:

Sword Art Online II
Akame ga Kill!