Angel's Anime Rating Guide

Over the weekend, Mom and I saw the theatrical release of Frozen 2 ... Why was Elsa born with magical powers? The answer is calling her and threatening her kingdom. Together with Anna, Kristoff, Olaf and Sven, she'll set out on a dangerous but remarkable journey. In Frozen, Elsa feared her powers were too much for the world. In Frozen 2, she must hope they are enough.

Last week, Mom and I began watching the Mandalorian , a live-action series set in the Star Wars universe. According to Disney ... After the stories of Jango and Boba Fett, another warrior emerges in the Star Wars universe. The Mandalorian is set after the fall of the Empire and before the emergence of the First Order. We follow the travails of a lone gunfighter in the outer reaches of the galaxy, far from the authority of the New Republic.

I wasn't really thrilled with the default About Me section offered by Blogger that links to my profile, so, for a while, I simply didn't have an About Me section. Recently, I wanted to reorganize my sidebar and group some links into a custom  About Me section. Since the new section would, and really should, be at the top of the sidebar, I didn't want it to negatively impact the other sidebar sections below. So, I came up with a way to reuse the expanding and collapsing functionality that appears in the archive and labels sections. In this way, it was hoped that the new section could be collapsed and take up less space in the sidebar.

Sometime ago, I wanted a little something extra in the header to make the image pop a bit, so, I came up with a simple color-shifting mechanism for Contempo that could be applied to any header image. I had mentioned this technique a few times before, but, recently, I felt a little more detail was in order. Just add the following CSS code using Theme > Advanced > Customize > Add CSS :

A few years ago, Cartoon Network aired a pilot episode for Infinity Train ... Trapped on a mysterious train full of puzzles and perils, a headstrong 12-year-old girl must use her wits to uncover the train's many secrets -- and hopefully return home. Tulip's mind-bending journey will find her forging friendships with One-One, a robot with dueling personalities, and Atticus, the canine king of Corginia. But with new surprises awaiting them in every car, will Tulip ever find a way off the train?

I picked up Penguin Highway at my local big box store with an asterisk on the outside... Budding genius Aoyama is only in the 4th grade, but already lives his life like a scientist. When penguins start appearing in his sleepy suburb hundreds of miles from the sea, Aoyama vows to solve the mystery. When he finds the source of the penguins is a woman from his dentist's office, they team up for an unforgettable summer adventure!

Years ago, Blogger Introduced Dynamic Views , but, at the time, I wasn't entirely convinced to take the plunge as an early adopter. Recently, I decided to revisit the subject and create a modest Dynamic Flipcard Gallery by invoking a dynamic view in a frame. To get started, add the following HTML using the HTML view in the editor to the post or page where the Dynamic Flipcard Gallery  should appear. Substitute the highlighted text with your blog URL (i.e.: https://www.example.com or https://example.blogspot.com ):

Last week, I saw Primal on Cartoon Network ... Coming off an award-winning final season of Samurai Jack, Adult Swim reunites with creator Genndy Tartakovsky on a new animated series. Primal features a caveman at the dawn of evolution. A dinosaur on the brink of extinction. Bonded by tragedy, this unlikely friendship becomes the only hope of survival in a violent, primordial world. All Earth was but one thought... ...and that was death... Excerpt from the poem Darkness by Lord Byron (1788-1824).

After a visit to one of my favorite hangouts, I happened to hear about Dropkick On My Devil . According to Amazon ... Jashin-chan, a devil from Hell was abruptly summoned to the human world by Yurine Hanazono, a stoic college student who lives in a run-down apartment in Jinbocho. They're forced to become roommates since Yurine doesn't know how to send Jashin-chan back. But according to Jashin-chan, she could return by killing Yurine, so she takes action...?! A viperous roomie comedy that keeps you on your toes!

This weekend, I saw the theatrical release of Abominable ... When teenage Yi (Chloe Bennet, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) encounters a young Yeti on the roof of her apartment building in Shanghai, she and her mischievous friends, Jin (Tenzing Norgay Trainor) and Peng (Albert Tsai), name him Everest and embark on an epic quest to reunite the magical creature with his family at the highest point on Earth. But the trio of friends will have to stay one-step ahead of Burnish (Eddie Izzard), a wealthy man intent on capturing a Yeti, and zoologist Dr. Zara (Sarah Paulson) to help Everest get home.

As soon as I had heard about this feature, I couldn't NOT watch MFKZ ... Featuring the voices of Michael Chiklis (The Shield, American Horror Story), Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad, The Usual Suspects), Jorge Gutierrez (The Book of Life, Son of Jaguar), Dascha Polanco (Orange is the New Black, Joy), RZA, Vince Staples, and Danny Trejo (Machete, Predators). Genre-mashup MFKZ is the collaboration of French comic artist Guillaume _Run_ Renard and ultra-hip Japanese animation house Studio 4C, creators of Tekkonkinkreet, Genius Party and Mind Game. The Tekkonkinkreet dream team of Shojiro Nishimi and art director Shinji Kimura reunite to bring to life a dark but stunningly animated sci-fi vision that mixes anime, film noir, and Lucha Libre in an orgy of video game-inspired mayhem. The film centers on young Angelino and his skull-and-flame pal Vinz, who live in a seedy tenement in an LA-inspired dystopian metropolis -- a burnt-out, gang and cockroach-ridden neo-urban hell. Follow...

I saw the Case Of Hana And Alice ... When Alice transfers to a new middle school, she hears an urban legend about a student who disappeared the previous year and is suspected to have been killed by his fellow students. Even worse, Alice discovers that she lives next door to his former house, a supposedly haunted home now occupied by a reclusive classmate named Hana. Hana and Alice decide to investigate this murder case together, but soon find their lack of detective skills may be an obstacle, in this unusual and charming film from famed writer-director Shunji Iwai, in which a shaggy-dog mystery tale ultimately gives way to a wonderfully nuanced story of young female friendship, and the fantasies and thrills of everyday teenage life.

Yesterday, I took the time to see Familiar Of Zero ... Season 1 Louise Francoise Le Blanc de La Valliere's name is so long and her spell-casting skills are so poor that everyone at the Tristain Academy of Magic just calls her Louise the Zero. Louise's humiliation only increases during an important second-year test, where the other students summon up dragons and other mythological creatures as their familiars, and she inexplicably summons Hiraga Saito, a totally normal teenager from Tokyo. Now she's stuck with him and Saito's stuck with the lousy life of being a familiar. Except, maybe there's more going on than meets the eye, because Saito's not prepared to accept the social inequities that Louise and other aristocrats consider the status quo, and he may not be quite as normal as everyone thinks. And the reason Louise is so bad at magic might just be that she hasn't figured out what she's good at yet. In fact, they might even have the makings of a gre...

Not long ago, I waded out into the stream, yet again, to see ACCA 13: Territory Inspection Department ... ACCA is a giant organization formed long ago by the threat of a coup d'état. Now presiding over the thirteen autonomous regions of a kingdom, it has continued to protect the peace of civilians for almost one hundred years. One of the most cunning men in ACCA's history, Jean Otus -- nicknamed -- Jean the Cigarette Peddler -- has taken on the role of vice-chairman of the Inspection Department. Always smoking a cigarette, he wanders the thirteen districts, keeping an eye out for foul play. Little does he know that someone is keeping an eye on him. From peaceful daily snacks to threatening rumors, Jean's quiet life is slowly getting swallowed up by the world's conspiracies.

Today, I saw the theatrical release of Angry Birds 2 ... Red, Chuck, Bomb and the rest of their feathered friends are surprised when a green pig suggests that they put aside their differences and unite to fight a common threat. Aggressive birds from an island covered in ice are planning to use an elaborate weapon to destroy the fowl and swine way of life. After picking their best and brightest, the birds and pigs come up with a scheme to infiltrate the island, deactivate the device and return to their respective paradises intact.

Keystone Comic Con Guest Badge I went to the  Keystone Comic Con in Philadelphia this weekend. Highlights of this year's Comic Con in Philadelphia include: Nichelle Nichols, STAR TREK, Levar Burton, STAR TREK - THE NEXT GENERATION, John Carpenter, Filmmaker, Screenwriter and Composer, Tom Holland, SPIDERMAN. There were, of course, many other people of note in attendance and a whole list of panels and other events included in the cost of admission. And, there were paid events like autograph signings and photo ops, that I could go to, if that was the sort of thing I wanted to do.

I saw previews on Cartoon Network for Gen:Lock ... Featuring an all-star cast of voices from award-winning actors such as Michael B. Jordan, Maisie Williams, David Tennant, and Dakota Fanning, the science-fiction series Gen:Lock delivers an action-packed tale of mechanized warfare. Set in a dystopian future, Earth's last free society recruits a diverse young team of robot pilots in the hopes of saving the world. The story follows the Gen:Lock experiment as the members upload their minds to control giant mecha robots to do battle against the invading forces of The Union and its tyrannical leader.

Recently, I started watching Amphibia ... Inspired by creator and executive producer Matt Braly's heritage, family and childhood trips to Bangkok, Thailand, Disney's animated series chronicles the adventures of independent and fearless teen Anne Boonchuy after she is magically transported to a rural marshland full of frog people. There, Anne meets the excitable young frog Sprig Plantar; unpredictable pollywog Polly Plantar, the youngest member of the Plantar family; and overprotective and traditional grandfather Hop Pop. Stuck in this fantastical world of amphibians, Anne quickly bonds with the adventurous Sprig and discovers the true meaning of friendship.

While researching a handful of Dr. Seuss titles in my collection, I came across a live action trailer for Dr. Seuss' Butter Battle Book . I had to share... The Butter Battle Book, Dr. Seuss's classic cautionary tale, introduces us to the important lesson of respecting differences. The Yooks and Zooks share a love of buttered bread, but animosity brews between the two groups because they prefer to enjoy the tasty treat differently.

I'm not usually a fan of ninjas, but, of course, I had to make an exception for Batman Ninja ... Batman Ninja takes a journey across the ages as Gorilla Grodd's time displacement machine transports many of Batman's worst enemies to feudal Japan--along with the Dark Knight and a few of his allies. The villains take over the forms of the feudal lords that rule the divided land, with the Joker taking the lead among the warring factions. As his traditional high-tech weaponry is exhausted almost immediately, Batman must rely on his intellect and his allies--including Catwoman and the extended Bat-family--to restore order to the land, and return to present-day Gotham City.

Years ago, I saw a movie about aliens dressed in shiny outfits performing experiments on humans in what appeared to be a cheap motel. After poking around in the depths of the internet for a while, I came up with: Laboratory ... From Robert Emenegger (The Killings at Outpost Zeta), comes a tale of alien abduction. Six strangers from all walks of life are abducted from their homes by aliens and brought to a mysterious LABORATORY to be the subjects of gruesome alien experiments.

I waded back into the stream to see Angels Of Death . I couldn't NOT watch it with a title like Angels Of Death ... When Rachel wakes up in the basement of an unfamiliar building, she finds she’s lost all her memory. As she tries to get clear of the basement, she runs into Zack, a scythe-carrying serial killer wrapped from head to toe in bandages. A bizarre promise brings these two together, and they become irreplaceable partners to each other. The journey of life and death begins...

Hunter's Moon Enemy In Water [1] Hunter's Moon - Mancubus [2] Hunter's Moon - Pinky Variant [3] Hunter's Moon - Imp [4] Hunter's Moon - Common Pinky [5] Hnter's Moon - Chaingunner[6] Extra Credit [7] This is somewhat off-topic, but, I felt like sharing. It's summertime here and at this time of year, a dip in a pool is generally a good thing. Recently, I was playing a mod for Doom called Hunter's Moon and I thought it would be a good idea to see if it was possible to push an enemy into a pool of water in Onerium's Dungeon . And, as it turns out, YES, enemies can be pushed into the water. And, even better, quite a few enemies actually jumped into the water of their own accord. The first two images [1][2] show some of the more powerful enemies, including a Mancubus , in the water.

Death Parade seemed like something I might enjoy... When two people die at the same time, they're sent to a place that's neither heaven nor hell: a lavish bar between worlds where the stakes are high and the rules are simple: if you win you live again, if you die you're gone for good. Decim is the bartender charged with serving the souls who enter Quindecim. He may make a mean cocktail, but his true profession is to play the role of arbiter: a judge who determines whether or not a soul is worthy of reincarnation. To aid in his judgment, the bar's patrons are forced to play simple games laced with sadistic twists designed to bring their true natures to light. To Decim, judgment has always been black and white -- that is until he meets a mysterious young woman whose fate seems impossible to decide. His indecision shakes the very foundation of the games and raises the biggest question of all: who is fit to judge the dead?

Around the time that  Urusei Yatsura  was making a splash in the U.S., I had heard about  Dr. Slump ... Senbei Norimaki created Arale, the most precocious little girl robot... which means Penguin Village won't be so quiet and peaceful any more! Possessing super strength and being naive about the ways of humans, Arale explores life with her creator the only way she knows how - with lots of wacky hijinks, puns, and toilet humor! Whether it be searching for the ingredients to a love potion, rescuing Senbei's sweetheart from space, running in a grand race, finding treasure that makes dreams come true, or visiting a mechanical city, there's never a dull moment in Penguin Village with Arale and Dr. Slump!

I took the opportunity to watch Durarara!! ... Ikebukuro, Tokyo. Mikado Ryugamine is a young man who yearns for the city like no other. At the invitation of his childhood friend, Masaomi Kida, he leaves his hometown and enters Raira Academy in Ikebukuro. Masaomi warns Mikado about the mysterious organization of unknown origin known as the "Dollars" and some dangerous people in Ikebukuro to watch out for. In particular: the brawling champion Shizuo Heiwajima and hobbyist information broker Izaya Orihara. On his first day out in the city, Mikado, remembering another of Masaomi’s stories, sees a jet-black motorcycle being driven by the fabled Headless Rider. From then on, a series of random attacks and events begins to occur on the streets of Ikebukuro, and a group known as the Yellow Scarves arises as Ikebukuro begins to crumble!

Recently, I watched Bayonetta ... Twenty years after her awakening, Bayonetta is still searching for clues that could help unravel the mysteries of her dark past. Aided in her quest by the clandestine weapon smith Rodin - and his deadly creations: Scarborough Fair - Bayonetta continues to leave a trail of angel corpses in her wake. Her search for answers leads to encounters with a mysterious - and eerily familiar - little girl, a vengeance-obsessed journalist, and a deadly white-haired beauty that seems to know more about Bayonetta than the witch herself.

I've seen the entire first season and some of the second season of Attack On Titan on Cartoon Network ... Season 1 When the man-eating giants called Titans first appeared, humans retreated behind massive walls. After a hundred years of safety, a colossal-sized Titan smashes through the defenses, unleashing a flood of giants and carnage in the streets. Eren Jaeger watches helplessly as one of the creatures devours his mother. He vows to kill every Titan walking the earth.

I have to admit that Space Dandy is really one of my guilty pleasures... Season 1 Rocket into the outer limits with the one and only Dandy! This dreamy space case and his to-die-for pompadour jet across the galaxy in search of aliens no one has ever laid eyes on. Capturing rare species may pay the bills, baby, but Dandy would rather kick back and enjoy the scenery at the nearest Boobies. Joined by his misfit sidekicks - a rundown vacuum cleaner robot called QT and Meow the alien space cat - Dandy boldly goes where no dapper don has ever gone before. Hotly pursued by the chimp-faced Dr. Gel, the adventures of Dandy and the gang will make you laugh, then cry, and then laugh till you cry all over again. Buckle up for blast off, baby! You're cruising with the Dandy now, and he don't stop till the end of the universe. Season 2 Space Dandy is a dandy guy in space! This dreamy adventurer with a to-die-for pompadour travels across the galaxy in search of aliens no one has ev...

I've had  Behind Closed Doors for a while, but, for some reason that defies description, I didn't notice that it wasn't on the list until just recently... When the Master's Away, The Sex Kittens Play! Somewhere, there is a forbidden mansion, a house of unspeakable erotic pleasures. Behind each door, a beautiful woman lies in wait for a man's touch. But these voluptuous vixens have an appetite for pain and punishment that compels even the strongest to beg for mercy! What man can withstand the unbearable pleasure, and rule the harem as his own?

I picked up Belladonna Of Sadness aka Tragedy of Belladonna a while back, on one of my anime hunting expeditions out in the suburbs... One of the great lost masterpieces of Japanese animation, Belladonna of Sadness is the last film in the adult-themed Animerama trilogy produced by the godfather of Japanese anime and manga, Osamu Tezuka and directed by his long-time collaborator Eiichi Yamamoto (Astro Boy and Kimba: The White Lion). An innocent young woman, Jeanne is violently raped by the local lord on her wedding night. To take revenge, she makes a pact with the Devil himself who appears as an erotic sprite and transforms her into a black-robed vision of madness and desire. If Led Zeppelin had a favorite film, this would be it. In other words, Stairway to Hell.

Dimensions: 3000x500 I wanted an animated background in my header, but, I didn't necessarily want a movie playing in the header. While, I think it might be possible, with some sophisticated engineering, to place a YouTube video in the header, I didn't really want something as over-the-top as a YouTube video. Instead, I decided to focus my efforts on using CSS animation techniques to make a background that scrolls sideways.