Killer is Dead trailer screams Suda 51

Recently, Killer is Dead which is the next game from the crazy and insane mind from Suda 51 was announced! The same person who gave us other games like Killer 7 and No More Heroes among others.

The game follows 35 year-old Mondo Zappa, a suit-wearing executioner responsible for taking out heinous criminals with a katana. Kind of a long the lines of No More Heroes, except that Mondo's katana isn't a light sword.

There is a gun that can turn into a drill is embedded in Zappa's left hand—an augmentation he has no memory of getting. The weapon becomes increasingly powerful during the game, and it can be used to absorb enemies' blood for a powerful "Adrenalin Burst" slash attack. Also included in the blood is "dark matter", which can apparently be changed into energy.

The American born Zappa works at an "executioner's office", managed by Brian Rozen, who was also augmented, to become a world-class executioner.

Joining Zappa is his boss at Rozen's firm, the cat-suit wearing 25 year-old British born Vivienne Squall. Mika Takekawa, who is 20 years old, is Zappa's assistant. After an earlier incident, she met Zappa and then started living with him because she can make excellent soft boiled eggs, which is his favorite dish.

And then, there's the evil Victor, a criminal who is dressed kind of like Mozart—if Mozart had glowing eyes, skeletal features, and green skin. Victor manipulates human emotion through song and aims to bring evil to the world.

Besides the international characters, the game uses various backdrops, such as old Western houses and Japanese buildings. Previously Goichi Suda said that Killer is Dead isn't a sequel to Killer 7, but that it does take cues from the previous title. If you have seen the pictures from the article in Famitsu magazine, the cel-shaded artwork does have a Killer 7 vibe to it!

A trailer for the game was recently uploaded to the Famitsu magazine's Youtube channel, and it has English subtitles for everyone who doesn't understand Japanese so you can read along to get a better grasp of what's going on.


Killer Is Dead will be out this summer for the PS3 and the X-Box 360 in Japan! There are no plans for an international or North American release at this time, but we will let you know if and when an international release or release for North America is revealed.

Hikounin Sentai Akibaranger season 2 announced!

Last year, Toei decided to do something a little bit different by creating a show that was geared towards the adults who used to watch the Super Sentai Series as a kid by coming up with a parody of the Super Sentai Series itself called Hikounin Sentai Akibaranger (Unofficial Squadron/Task Force Akibaranger).

The basic premise of the show is this:

Three individuals (a Super Sentai otaku, a cosplay otaku, and a closet anime otaku) are chosen by a beautiful scientist to become the "Unofficial Sentai Akibaranger" and "protect Akihabara" from a powerful group of villains that exist in their delusions. However, the fight eventually gets literally real when the villains begin to materialize in the real world.

This is REALLY a show that you have to watch for yourself is the only way to describe it!

Recently, the second season of Akibaranger was announced at the tail end of a "Kamen Rider x Super Sentai Live & Show 2013" event which was held at the Tokyo International Forum in Japan on the evening of July 12th! Sorry, but there's no subtitles so you guys will have to make do with it.

Unfortunately, there was no other information was given but I will keep all of you updated when new info becomes available like the premiere date! If you are an American fan who loved the first season like many of my friends from RVT Entertainment have, then you will want to download the subbed episodes from TV-Nihon!

Update: The fine folks at TV-Nihon have subbed the season 2 announcement of Akibaranger so everybody who has watched the Youtube video that wasn't subtitled can now download the subtitled version of the announcement and watch it for themselves!

Sentai Filmworks licenses "AKB0048"

This has come as a bit of a surprise, but thanks to my former co-host Mike Maverick, I have recently learned that Sentai Filmworks, a successor to ADV Films which was a company responsible for dubbing anime into English for anime fans here in North America has licensed the rights to "AKB0048", the anime based on the hugely successful real life idol group AKB48!

It has also come to my attention that Crunchyroll has started legally streaming the 2nd season called "AKB0048 Next Stage". Why Crunchyroll didn't get the rights to stream the first season is unknown at this time, and it's currently unknown if  the first season will be dubbed into English with an English voice cast. If an English voice cast is announced, I'll let you know! But this is a step in the right direction for those of us who want to watch this anime legally without having to resort to fan-subs.

While I regularly don't condone downloading fan subs with tokusatsu being the only exception to that rule, you should go to http://evetaku.com/ and watch the first half of "AKB0048" there and then sign up for an account at crunchyroll.com and start a free trial for their premium membership service.

Here's the official press release!

HOUSTON, January 16, 2013 — Get ready to rock in the New Year with Sentai Filmworks’ newest acquisition: AKB0048!  This epic 26 episode series is directed by Yoshimasa Hiraike (Kaleido Star, Amagami SS) and features series composition by Mari Okada (Vampire Knight, Canaan), character designs by Risa Ebata (Macross Frontier), sound director by Jin Aketagawa (Samurai Girls, Canaan) and music by Hiroshi Takaki (Tytania).

The year is 0048, and in the wake of the great wars, all forms of entertainment have been banned by the dystopian and iron-gloved rule of the anti-music DES.  To combat this threat to intergalactic harmony, a group of bold young women have resurrected the legendary J-Pop band AKB48 and formed an all new Band of Sisters – AKB0048!  But these rocking rebels aren’t simply singers!  Trained in combat as well as choreography, these striking strike team members are equally at home in concert halls and in the trenches.  Under the leadership of the mysterious Sensei Sensei, they’re ready to lay down their lives in order to make the universe a safe place for getting your groove on!  And as a fresh new team of singer-soldiers join the cause and enter basic training, the batons and battle gear are about to be passed to a new generation of daring divas!  Get ready to polish your dancing boots and dive into danger with the latest hard hitting hits as the new recruits take the staging ground and the veterans provide the musical soundtrack to their own action epic in AKB0048!

AKB0048 will be available soon on select digital outlets and later this year on home video.

AKB0048 season 2 has begun!

Time sure has snuck up on all of us fans of AKB0048, the anime inspired by the hugely successful real life idol group AKB48 because season 2 of the anime entitled "AKB0048: Next Stage" has recently aired in Japan!

And to be very honest, I haven't been keeping up and have to watch the entire first season to get caught up because of the fact that the remainder of Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters and Kamen Rider Wizard as well as Choujuu Sentai Liveman and Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger have been keeping me busy among other things. (Sorry AKB0048 fans :(

What I will say based on the information that I have learned though is that I'm very glad that they worked Atsuko Maeda's departure from AKB48 back on August 27th of last year into the story which has also set up what I think to be a very good premise and story for season 2!

For all of us that don't understand Japanese and are fans of this anime and have been keeping up, you can download the premiere episode of season 2 here: http://evetaku.com/blog/2013/01/akb0048-episode-14-next-stage-01-released/

Power Rangers 20th Anniversary!

It's almost been 20 years since the Power Rangers franchise began which is very hard to believe!

I know, I know, the official anniversary isn't until August 28th of 2013 but still. Now, for those of you who may or may not know, I've had this idea brewing in my head to have a special edition of the Nerd Fortress podcast celebrating the 20th anniversary of the franchise here in America.

And this is also going to be a good way to try and come back to the world of podcasting I feel!

Granted, I'm going to need to find a way to learn some audio stuff between now and August 28th, but this has been something that I've had planned ever since the original inception of the podcast. (No pun or relation to the movie intended)

I might get some other people to join in for this as well so it won't be just myself and my new co-host Devin which I feel would definitely work out a lot better. I'll try and talk to some people and see what happens but I'm not promising anything. But I'd really like to get some other people for this very momentous occasion. If I don't get anybody else on board, at least I can say that I tried!

Nothing is really set in stone as of yet so this gives me plenty of time to brainstorm and what not! And if anything does end up happening, I want it to be a surprise to everybody. That means I'm not going to be letting any type of information out into the open at all whatsoever, so you will have to wait and find out!

But for now I'll leave you with this, the 2nd intro for season 1 of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers that was used from the finale of the "Green With Evil" mini-series up until the start of season 2! "May the power protect you!"

A little bit of an update on stuff....No good news

Hello everyone, it's been quite a while since I updated this blog!

I wish that I had some good news to give you, but I don't unfortunately. The podcast isn't moving anywhere and nobody's shown any interest in wanting to participate so I've been thinking about putting it on an indefinite hiatus instead of cancelling it outright! I hope that all of the listeners out there can understand.

If nothing changes by October, then I'm just going to delete the main page of the blog and leave the episode download page for anyone that would want to download the only 4 episodes of the podcast that were recorded!

I do have another blog that you can follow if you want to! http://otakunerd1983.blogspot.com/

Also, please be aware that I won't be uploading anything new in the terms of audio stuff on here at this blog. Anyways, I've got some ideas about just going solo and doing my own thing to help improve my podcasting craft if it were because I'm still brand new with this. I'll let you guys know if anything happens on my other blog, if anything!

That's the thing about life, it's always full of surprises and you never know where it will lead you! And speaking of which, if you ever feel like you have had enough and want to give up as well as take the easy way out, then watch this motivational speech from the host of Toonami here in America, T.O.M. voiced by Steve Blum and listen to his words of wisdom.





Thanks for listening to The Nerd Fortress podcast, it really does mean a lot and I greatly appreciate each and everyone of you who stuck with us through this unexpectedly short journey, especially to the international listeners as well that aren't from America and haven't been here before! Thanks again!

The long awaited and triumphant return of Toonami!

Since there's unfortunately some people out there on the internet who don't have a good understanding of what's going on behind the scenes or weren't paying attention, I decided to make this video which will hopefully make things more clear for everyone! Lets help out everybody at Adult Swim by watching the new Toonami so they can get the funding for more new anime like the Funimation dub of One Piece. Lets make it happen Toonami faithful!

My thoughts on the premiere of "AKB0048"

I just recently got finished watching the debut of the anime based on the very popular J-Pop idol group AKB48 called "AKB0048"! And to be quite honest, it is very different from your usual anime that you find watching nowadays. Like I said on the last episode of The Nerd Fortress Podcast before the hiatus, I have no idea what is is about stories with a post apocalyptic future with an oppressive government that feels like that they have to have control of everything or vice versa, but it just absolutely fascinates me!

AKB0048 tells the story of 4 teens who decide to audition to become members of the fictional group AKB0048 that are the successors to the real life popular Japanese Pop idol group AKB48  in a dystopian future where music is deemed illegal after an interplanetary war broke out where the Earth's ecosystem was damaged, and humanity was forced to flee the planet.

Not only does AKB0048 perform free concerts, they also take up arms to defend not only their careers, but their fans as well from the illegal ban on art and entertainment which also labels the idols as terrorists! And did I forget to mention that there are giant mechas in this anime also? 

Unfortunately, the only way for you to experience the anime for yourself is to download the first episode at http://evetaku.com/blog/2012/04/akb0048-episode-01-released/ since the Youtube video I previously had posted has been taken down because of a copyright claim!

Also, some of the members of AKB48 like Sumire Sato, Mayu Watanabe, and Amina Sato voice the 77th generation trainees of AKB0048 while popular voice actresses such as Mamiko Noto known for her work on the Japanese versions of Gunslinger Girl, Hell Girl, Witchblade, Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple, and many others voicing the real life AKB48 member Haruna Kojima, Yukari Tamura, known for her works on the Japanese versions of games like Soul Calibur II, III, and IV, NIGHTS: Journey into Dreams, and Star Ocean: First Departure, as well as animes like Ouran High School Host Club, Fullmetal Panic!: The Second Raid, and S-CRY-ed, as well as the voice of Navi on the 35th anniversary season of Toei's Super Sentai Series, Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger as real life AKB48 member Mayu Watanabe among others!

If your a fan of AKB48 or are a fan of action and sci-fi anime like the Gundam series, then this anime is definitely worth checking out! Sadly, I don't think this anime will be dubbed into English and given a North American release since AKB48 is mostly considered either underground or unknown in the American music market that is vastly different to the Japanese music market in Japan!

So don't feel bad about downloading fan-subs of this American AKB48 fans!