PandaDestroy.Com will be at Long Beach Comic Expo Feb.28th – Mar. 1st!
By: Von Jared Omo
We’re going to be at Long Beach Comic Expo 2015! It’s going to take place at Long Beach Convention Center (Hence, why it’s called “Long Beach Comic Expo”) from February 28 – March 1st! It’s a little small convention, but if you’re going though Con-Withdrawal (like I am!) then this convention should hold you over until the next big one!
Tickets Prices are:
– Weekend Pass: $45
– Saturday Pass: $30
– Sunday Pass: $20
You save $5 by getting the Weekend Pass! Also, you can get the Lifetime Pass for Comic Expo which is $299. Don’t know if it’s worth it, but hey…it’s a lifetime’s worth of passes for a Con. And if you definitely love going to Conventions like these, the Lifetime Pass will pay off in the long run!
Guests inlude:
– Art Adams (Legendary Comic Artist, Longshot, The Uncanny X-Men, Excalibur, X-Factor, Fantastic Four, Hulk)
– Chris Claremont (Legendary writer including X-Men’s Days of Future Past & The Dark Phoenix Saga)
– Joel Gomez (Warhawks, Detective Comics, Flashpoint, Authority, The Lost Boys, Wetworks. Upper Deck Sketch Cards)
– Stan Sakai (Creator of Usagi Yojimbo)
– Beth Sotelo (Creator of Grump, Aspen Comics; Colorist on Fathom Vol. 4, Soulfire Vol. 2 & Shrugged)
– LeeAnna Vamp (Cosplayer & Host of ILoveNerdGirls.com, Appearing in Cosplay Corner)
AND MANY MORE! Check out the Long Beach Comic Expo website by clicking on the link below for more info! Can’t wait to see you guys there!
Panda Review: Kuroko No Basket Season 3 Premiere
By: Von Jared Omo
I’m a fan of basketball. Wait. Let me re-phrase that. I’m a HUGE basketball fan. Hence, why Kuroko No Basket is getting much love today (Yes, I know the OG basketball anime SLAM DUNK is more of a fan favorite, but I’m enjoying Kuroko!). So, want to hear what I have to say about it’s Season 3 Premiere? OF COURSE, YOU DO!
Right off the bat, the episode begins with a quick flashback with the last basketball game between Seirin and Yosen High with the last scene depicting Kuroko blocking Atsushi Murasakibara (as seen above). The episode then transitions to what happens post-game with Seirin High being interviewed by interviewers who work for basketball magazine company.
Scene then switches to the Seirin Team walking down the hallway and Kuroko stops Taiga. As you may remember in last season, Kuroko was tasked by Taiga to throw away the ring and chain that symbolized the brotherhood between Taiga and Tatsuya Himuro, however, Kuroko gives Taiga the whole spiel about being able to be opponents and brothers at the same time which then causes Taiga to run like a chicken with its head cut off in search of Tatsuya.
The scene switches to outside the arena where Alex is talking to Tatsuya about losing the game to Taiga and Seirin. Just then, some douchebag by the name of Shogo Haizaki appears out of no where and begins to hit on Alex. Tatsuya, being the guy that he is, decides to step in and stop the nonsense and protect his former coach. Little does Tatsuya know that Shogo is a HUGE DOUCHEBAG and begins to initiate a street fight.
Shogo (in red) giving a swift kick to Tatsuya.
Told you Shogo is a douche!
I’m not going to spoil the rest for you guys! So, if you want to know what happens during and after the fight scene, you’re going to have to watch it yourself! I’m excited to see how this season goes and if Seirin can take the Winter Cup!!
Panda Trailers: CHAPPIE (2015) Trailer #2!
By: Von Jared Omo
NOW, THAT’S MORE LIKE IT! I love watching Neil Blomkamp’s films. Why? Because his movies have a great balance of action, story, and character development that just draws you in and keeps you in your seat with your eyes glued to the screen until the ride is over. Chappie is no exception. This will probably be Blomkamp’s next greatest film next to District 9 (although I did enjoy “Elysium”, I feel like it didn’t have that certain element in which I could relate to the character. Sorry, Matt Damon!). Check out the new trailer for “Chappie” below!
“Chappie” is set for a March 2015 release.
Panda Review: Tokyo Ghoul Season 2 Premiere!
By: Von Jared Omo
WHOO! There’s nothing more stimulating than finding out that one of my favorite animes from last season just premiered their new season this year! And yes, I’m talking about Tokyo Ghoul Season 2! If you’re reading this and you haven’t watched the episode yet, I’ll try to be as spoiler free as possible and not ruin anything for you. But I’m going to tell you right now that it’s going to be damn, right HARD! Let’s do this!
The episode starts off where the last one ended, which Kaneki walking out of his torture room (after doing some damage on Jason) and slapping on his ever-so-creey Ghoul Mask. We see his descent into his infamous Ghoul identity, known as the Centipede. Right off the bat, you can tell this season is going to be dark and gloomy (more so than the last season) and up the ante a bit as well. And that’s pretty much all I can tell you about the good stuff I experienced (in my opinion) with the Season 2 Premiere without spoiling anything for you guys!
I did find, however, some things that bothered me and bummed me out a bit from watching this episode. First off, the OP theme (“Munō” (無能; Incompetence) by österreich) isn’t as catchy and didn’t portray the same energy the first OP Theme had (I miss the whole “O Shiete, O Shiete yo” part in the beginning). I am an avid anime music lover, and although I found this new OP Theme to be very somber and soft to the ears, the OP scene does go along with the song and after watching and listening to it a couple of times, I can only feel and believe that it is a foreshadowing of things to come and I do have my hopes up that things will pick up in the next 2 or 3 episodes.
Secondly, the fight scene I wanted to see SO BADLY was watered down. Yes, I’m talking about the fight between Kaneki and Touka’s brother, Ayato aka BLACK RABBIT. Let’s just say, I didn’t get to see Kaneki beat the sh*t out of Ayato and give him 103 broken bones.
I have high hopes for Season 2 of Tokyo Ghoul (aka Tokyo Ghoul Root A). Will it follow the manga as closely as possible for the upcoming episodes? There’s only one way to find out and that’s only by watching the anime!
Panda Lyrics: “LET ME HEAR” By Fear, and Loathing in Las Vegas (UPDATED as of 1/9/2015!)
By: Von Jared Omo
[UPDATE: I found the full version of the song along with the music video for it! I switched out the old video at the bottom for the NEW MUSIC VIDEO for “Let Me Hear” as well as the LYRICS! Enjoy!]
SO…I’ve been hooked on this anime called “kiseijuu” aka Parasyte and to tell you the truth, it’s pretty damn good. As of right now, they’re 10 episodes in, so be on the lookout for the review in the upcoming days! Not only am I addicted to the anime, the OP theme is pretty bad ass, if you ask me. It’s called “LET ME HEAR” by the band Fear, and Loathing in Las Vegas (named after that one Johnny Depp movie).
The band has discovered a new genre of music called “DigiCore”, mixing two genres of music. And yep, you guessed it…digital and hardcore. And to be honest, it’s quite catchy. The vocals are auto-tuned ALL OVER and it’s hard to decipher what the hell he’s singing sometimes due to the lack of clarity in the way he pronounces his words. Oh, did I forget to mention that 80% of their lyrics is in English? Pretty dope, huh? Not only can I not clearly understand the clean vocals, but the screams are even harder to decrypt. Seriously, it’s harder than listening to a padlock and figuring out its combination.
All that aside, I wanted to see if anyone on the “internetz” had figured out the lyrics since the single is out in January 7 of 2015. Turns out, the lyrics I found are even worse than I thought. Some of it doesn’t even make sense, let alone, incomplete sentences. And yes, I know you’re thinking to yourself that it’s a Japanese band and that their English isn’t that good. Well, I did some research and listened to their older songs and it turns out…THE BAND CAN WRITE ENGLISH LYRICS THAT MAKE SENSE! So, I took it upon myself to listen to the song for 2.5 hours at variable speeds, such as slowing it down and at regular tempo, to see if the lyrics make sense. I’m not saying that the lyrics I deciphered myself to be the “end all, be all” lyrics, but for now…they will have to do as they make more sense than most of the lyrics out there for the song. Check out the video/song after the jump along with the lyrics posted below that I came up with myself. Enjoy!
PS: If you guys have any input or what you think the lyrics sound like to you, feel free to leave them in the comment section! Thanks! I want to see what lyrics you guys came up with, too!
You guys do not notice that we are gifted just by being humans
We are absolute predators we do not even have any enemies
Maybe there are other animals watching us and thinking that someday “we will beat them down”
Oh, we have the brains to think hard wear our favorite clothes
We are at no doubt human beings many small lives
(There were born) with the fate (with the fate) of dying for someone (for someone a human baby)
A human baby when will they find out (when will they find out the true fact yeah)
That at the point they were born, we are (we are winners) (the) winners of Earth
Aa hitori naiteita Tonari no kimi ga toikakeru Dakara bokura yorisoi ikiru Kirameku made
For what have i been living for? When will i find out the answer? An answer that is only for you what will myself and (the) first scenery i saw It’s my face, my face
Shut up! I read this inside the book i read before (the book i read before)
According (to) maslow (According (to) maslow) there are five steps (in a) human’s desire
To live in long long life to stay safe and to receive (baby) love from others
To get respect from (baby) others, to get closer (yeah) to your ideal (yeah)
That’s what it said (yeah) No matter how hard other animals try, they probably can’t go over the first step
That is how intelligent we are and, (an animal) filled with greed
But that is probably why we can still alive on the top of food chain in this blue planet
Although, we have weak bodies
Aa mata kimi no mehi Itsumo no asa ga utsuri komu Nagareru namida ga kiete yuku
For what to live for Think deeply as you live, yeah Cuz you humans are (the) only ones that can do this on Earth
Atarashi kotae o what is it that you want to get in your right hands? Let me hear Tell me your new answer Prove that you are different from monkies if that is nothing to crave for, Humans will die in a way Don’t you think so too? Let Me Hear, Let Me Hear,Let Me Hear
Convention Coverage: Stan Lee’s COMIKAZE 2014!
By: Von Jared Omo
Pictures by: Ron Estevez
WHOO! This weekend was a blast up in LA for Stan Lee’s COMIKAZE 2014! The convention is ever growing and this year was no exception to the increase of attendants this past weekend. Let me break it down for you on how it went for me and my experience this year!
COSPLAY
The cosplay at this year’s Comikaze up the ante a bit and it seemed like everyone who cosplayed brought their A game like they did last year. However, this year showcased more dynamic and complex cosplays from comic books, such as one person sporting Groot that was to scale from the movie/comics (at least, I think it was seeing that the pieces of the cosplay had to be carried by other people), and cosplays NOT from comic books, like Slenderman (which the cosplay required stilts to actually make him a to scale Slenderman). Cosplays influenced by the manga/anime industry were present as well, although, I did not see much Attack on Titan as much as I did last year. But, it does make sense seeing that this convention was more about comic books despite Crunchyroll being present with their booth and live streaming. Nonetheless, the cosplay never ceases to amaze me and did not disappoint!
SPACING
Don’t let the pictures fool you! You may be thinking to yourself “Hmm…it doesn’t look as crowded as Comic-Con/Anime Expo, therefore, it must not be that fun.” ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! It was packed! But, there was still space for people to get around and breathe and (do I dare say it? Hell, I’m going to say it) you can actually WALK AT A DECENT PACE around the hall compared to walking like a zombie at San Diego Comic-Con (there, I said it! Hate me if you will, but you cannot deny it! Walking the exhibit hall at SDCC is a pain in the ass!). One of the best parts about Comikaze is the Hot Topic stage located center and rear of the the exhibit hall with the black carpet (yes, BLACK CARPET) leading from the entrance of the exhibit hall towards the stage. The two big screens on each side of the stage made it easy for the attendees to see what panel was going on and which actors/actresses were on stage during the panel. This is what makes Comikaze so unique and so easy to navigate through and makes the experience all the more refreshing compared to other conventions.
Not to mention they have an old school arcade located at one end of the exhibit hall
GUESTS/EVENTS
I enjoyed the guests they had this year! Including the original Black and Blue Ranger and James Hong! Not to mention the Mad TV Cast Reunion and the celebration of Stan Lee’s birthday which all took place on the Hot Topic Stage! It was awesome seeing the guests at their tables signing autographs as well as the panels taking place throughout the day. It felt like I couldn’t miss a thing. To be honest, you could spend the whole day in the exhibit hall and enjoy both panels and the exhibit hall without having to sacrifice time and energy waiting in line (unless there’s a specific panel you’re looking forward to that requires it’s own room). This Comikaze was truly one to remember and I am certainly looking forward to next year’s Comikaze!
[Comikaze is held every year during the last weekend of October/first weekend of November at the Los Angeles Convention Center. ]
For more pics and coverage of Comikaze, visit Ron Estevez’s Flickr page right here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/rone/sets/72157646813858243/
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson to Play BLACK ADAM in DC’s SHAZAM Movie!
By: Von Jared Omo
Do you smell what The Rock is cookin’? You damn well better be! I got the word today through Comicbook.com that Dwyane Johnson aka The Rock will be playing the anti-hero BLACK ADAM for DC’s live action adaptation of Shazam! I also read that this movie will have HUMOR and not be part of the Justice League Universe that Batman v. Superman will eventually set up. What do you guys think of this? Will this be a downer? Do you guys want Shazam to be a part of the Justice League?
As for me, I would certainly like it to be. Dwayne Johnson is one of the biggest action stars in this generation and I’m glad he’s finally gotten a big break into comic book movies. With Batista coming from the WWE like how The Rock did and getting his big break from the successful Guardians of the Galaxy, it’s a bit hard to understand why The Rock didn’t get his break first into comic book movies. All I know is, The Rock will definitely make this movie worth the wait and I’m excited to see how he’ll look in that Black Adam get up! For now, we’ll just have to enjoy some fan art!!!
Source: http://comicbook.com/blog/2014/09/03/the-rock-confirms-black-adam-role-the-antihero-in-shazam/
Panda News: First Pictures of Bat-Fleck and the Bat Mobile Revealed!
By: Von Jared Omo
Yesterday, Zack Snyder unveiled a ph0to of Ben Affleck in the Batsuit standing next to the newly designed Bat Mobile. If you ask me, Affleck is looking BUFF in this suit! Looks like he’ll be able to hold his own against Supes in the next installment of the Man of Steel OR…as everyone thinks it is: Batman Vs. Superman. I’m also digging the suit. The texture looks different than any Batsuit we’ve seen before and the symbol is a BIG CHANGE from the previous movies. It’s big enough to fit an “S” in there (if you know what I mean). Also, click on the source link below to see a glimpse of the new Bat Mobile as well! I don’t know about you guys, but I’m excited to see further news and new pics from Zack Snyder dealing with this new movie!
Source: http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/05/13/new-batman-ben-affleck-costume-revealed
Panda News: CHANNING TATUM is GAMBIT!
By: Von Jared Omo
GAMBIT! TATUM! WTF?! Haha, I’m going to admit that I was a little excited to hear that Channing (on your) Tatum was confirmed to play Remy LeBeau, AKA, Gambit in the next X-Men films. According to IGN, we’ll get to see Channing debut as Gambit in the next X-Men film, which is planned to be “Age of Apocalypse”, and then star in his own stand-alone movie after. Plus, X-Men producer Lauren Shuler Donner said Channing being from the South also played a factor in her casting him. So, it’s OFFICIAL! Channing Tatum is the Ragin’ Cajun! I can’t wait to see him in action and use that Louisiana accent! Here’s to hoping he does an awesome job as GAMBIT!!!
Source: http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/05/13/channing-tatum-confirmed-as-gambit
