Episode 26: Pre Japan Trip - What Do We Know?

Episode 26: Pre Japan Trip - What Do We Know?
Topic: Pre Japan Tip - What Do We Know

We're going to Japan.  We've mentioned this before, but Mom and me are heading to Japan in less than two weeks, and we're both super excited.  We've been preparing in different ways, from trying to learn the language, watching YouTube videos, to learning about the culture.  Come learn what we've been up to this past year.

Tutorial:

• Why we’re going?
• What we’re doing to get ready!
• Language understanding
• What we kind of know already?
• Special travel knowledge!

Useful Links we've been using:

Tokyo Creative YouTube Channel

Abroad in Japan YouTube Channel

Paolo From TOKYO YouTube Channel

Episode 25: Japanese Manga Review

Episode 25:Japanese Manga Review
Topic:  Manga (Japanese Comics)


This week, we pick up the discussion yet again on Japanese Manga, diving in to a list of various comics that you’ll enjoy.  There’s a bit of everything from just about everything, so we had a lot to discuss and a lot of thoughts.

Review

 Full Metal Alchemist 1 & 2

Death Note 1 & 2

Kuroko No Basket 133 – 135

Card Captor Sakura 1 & 2

Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun 1-3

Shokugeki no Soma 1 – 3

Bokutachi wa Benkyou ga Dekinai 1-3

Episode 24: Japanese Manga Tutorial

Episode 24: Japanese Manga Tutorial
Topic: Japanese Manga

In route to our trip to Japan in September, by special request, Mom wanted to learn more about Japanese comics, otherwise known and Manga.  To me, reading manga is one of my most favorite past times, so to share a few great titles, I figured was the least I can do.  I'm probably looking forward to our review episode, because just like our Anime one, this ought to be fun! 

Tutorial:

Manga dates back to old times, in which the term manga was used as early as 1798.

Grandfather of Manga: Osamu Tezuka

•  Created Astroboy, Black Jack, Kimba the White Lion, and many more.

Machiko Hasegawa created first female based manga “Sazae-san”.

•  A manga about a House Wife, unusual that the house wife isn’t necessarily Meek or obedient to her husband

Modern Manga

Typically manga falls in to one of five categories:

• Kodomo – Young children
• Shonen – Young Men/Boys
• Shojou – Young Women/Girls
• Seinen – Mature/Adult themed Males
  Josei – Mature/Adult themed for Women

Various varying Genre in-between

4 Panel/Yonkoma Comics

Volumes/Tankobons

Dōjinshi

How Manga is Made

Manga Magazines

Manga Scanlators/Translators

Homework:
Full Metal Alchemist 1 & 2

Death Note 1 & 2

Kuroko No basket 133 – 135

Card Captor Sakura 1 & 2

Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun 1-3

Shokugeki no Soma 2 – 3

Bokutachi wa Benkyou ga Dekinai 1-3

Episode 23: Dungeons and Dragons Adventure

Ep 23: Dungeons and Dragons Adventure
Topic: Dungeons and Dragons Adventure

This week, we have our long awaited Dungeons and Dragons Adventure with both my Mom and Little Brother.  We describe some of the rules along the way, but obviously it's a bit complicated for those that don't quite understand everything about the game.  I think we had a lot of fun, but you get to be the judge of that.

Adventure

Mom and John are a part of a local traveling caravan.  They are fairly popular and the caravan always makes a lot of money and throws great village/town parties.

Sapphire Review has seen a mother and son duo to check out the next town over to see if there is money to be made.  They’ve come across a town where the people itself seem quite out of money though. People seems to giving all their money to the local Noble, who is taxing the town far too much.  Without money, the people can’t pay the caravan, and the caravan can’t really move on until it makes atleast some money to pay for lodgings, food, and their own profit of their benefactor.

Quest:
Get rid of the noble so that the town will return to normal – Good
 Steal from the Noble in order to get some of their own money – Neutral
Kill the noble and steal all his money  - Evil


Characters:
Tavern keeper
Flint Baldrek – Owner of “The Pig Whistle Tavern”
Skeptical of Tieflings, but easily persuaded

Common folks
Curious about new folk, excited about an entertainment caravan to liven up the town.

Noble
Fredric Von Kepler, Human
Pompous, rude, and lecherous.

Noble’s Wife
Amafrey Von Kepler, Human
Married for money, doesn’t exactly care about her husband.

Noble’s chief butler
Mindartis – Wood Elf, Druid
A good butler, so it would seem.

Caravan’s Benefactor
Waywocket Turen, Gnome – Operator of the “Sapphire Review” Caravan

Settings:
Town
Village town, streets appear barely there, but about dozen building make up the town, with farmers and various fields lining the distance past the trees.  While the buildings look there, they appear to have had not had upkeep in sometime, looking shambled and perhaps a bit rundown.  The tavern still appears to be doing well, if not quite as well it used to do.

Tavern – Pig Whistle Tavern

Noble’s House
A rather unnecessarily gaudy looking house made of white stone and steps, upon the tallest hill in the village.  Guards are scattered about the house, but they seem like the kind of people who you could pay off perhaps.  Red velvet is the interior, along with various animal trophies and silver furnishing. 

Gladiator Pit
Located beneath the house in an abandoned gold mine, the Main pit is about 50 feet in diameter with a skylight created by rain and time.  The pit is lined with several cages, each with eyes looking back out from them, but not quite able to be seen.  The pit has stairs leading up and out of the pit, but are locked.  A trio of balconies intended for those looking down on to the pit, with the main one having no railing, designed to push people off and in to the pit. 

John's Character

Mom's Character

Episode 22: Spider Man: Far From Home Review + Marvel Comic Con 2019 Panel

Episode 22: Spider Man: Far From Home Review + Marvel Comic Con 2019 Panel

Topic: Spider Man: Far From Home & Comic Con 2019 Marvel Panel Impressions/Thoughts

So a viewer of ours reminded me that I haven't even mentioned the new Spider Man movie.  Which is true, I completely forgot it.  And he also wanted to know more about what we think the new stuff will be coming out thanks to Marvel's Panel at Comic Con 2019.  Okay, I'm up for some thought processes and what I'd like to see happen.

Tutorial:

Spiderman = Peter Parker

Bitten by radioactive spider that gave him his powers:

Spider-Sense

Enhanced Strength

Enhanced Reflexes/Agility

Enhanced Speed

Wall Walking/Stick

Web shooters – Invented by Peter Parker

Originally going to use powers for personal gain. Could have stopped a robber, but that robber ended up killing his uncle, which came the quote: “With Great Power, Comes Great Responsibility”. 

Peter Parker is a “Tragic Character”.  Most writers seek to put him in poor or uncomfortable situations to either torture the character or hinder him.

Review:

Spiderman Far From Home

Tom Holland as Peter Parker / Spider-Man

Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury

Zendaya as MJ

Cobie Smulders as Maria Hill

Jon Favreau as Harold "Happy" Hogan

Jacob Batalon as Ned Leeds

Marisa Tomei as May Parker

Jake Gyllenhaal as Quentin Beck / Mysterio

It’s been 5 years since the “Blip” occurred.

People are displaced, old people return to same home/apartment as before.

Former kids are now 5 years older suddenly.

Peter Parker travels to Europe for a vacation with his school, but is ignoring Nick Fury.

Peter wants to get with MJ(Mary Jane Watson)

While in Venice a water monster appears and tries to destroy the city, but a Mysterio comes to save the day. 

Nick Fury tries to recruit Peter Parker, but Peter just wants to enjoy his vacation.  Nick Fury gives Peter Parker glasses from Tony Stark that have advanced AI in them.

Nick Fury changes the vacation so that it goes where Nick Fury wants it so that Peter Parker will have to be recuited.

Mysterio & Spiderman defeat a Fire Monster.

Mysterio and Spiderman talk, and Spiderman Decides to give glasses to Mysterio, who he thinks will be a better Ironman.

Mysterio reveals that he is a former Stark Industries employee who built the holographic technology. Using drones, he manipulates the battles, but they never actually happened. He uses the Advanced AI to gain more drones and access to more power.

MJ reveals that she thinks Peter Parker is Spiderman they realize that Mysterio was a faker.

Spiderman tries to meet Nick Fury to give the information, but is tricked by Mysterio and sent to Netherlands.  Mysterio decides to go to London to kill anyone who might know about the drones.

Spiderman calls Happy Hogan to come and pick him up, gets new spider suit, and goes to London to save his friends.  Reveals that he sees Tony Stark everywhere and doesn’t know if he can live up to him.

Spiderman stops Mysterio and his drones, takes back the glasses, and stops the drones. 

Spiderman returns to New York and tries to figure out what his Aunt and Hogan’s relationship is.  He then takes MJ on a swing through New York.

Post Credit 1

Mysterio creates a fake video showing that Spiderman Killed Mysterio. J. Jonah Jameson(Reprised by J K Simmos) from the “The Daily Bugle” claims Mysterio to be a great hero and Spiderman a Villain, broadcasting all over the world(Assumingly).  It ends with Mysterio claiming that Peter Parker is Spiderman.

Post Credit 2

Nick Fury and Maria Hill revealed to be Skrulls from Captain Marvel movie.  Skrulls unable to figure out I was a fake? Nick Fury seen on a Space Ship.

Notes:

Spider-Man comic book villains Hydro-Man, Molten Man, Sandman, and Cyclone are re-imagined as Elementals

Mysterio quotes that there are various Alternate Earths; that this Earth is Earth 616, also known as the main Marvel Continuity.

Comic Con 2019, Marvel Panel

Eternals

Group of Immortals been on Earth for a long time.  Big names associated with project. Jack Kirby based, meaning it’s going to be weird.  Angelina Joley

Falcon & Winter Soldier

Coming to Disney streaming service. 

Shang-Chi

First Asian MCU Hero.  Known as the Kung Fu Master, no super powers, yet…

Wanda Vision

Coming to Disney Stream Service.  Might be Vision trying to create a family of his own, or Wanda reality manipulation to create a family with Vision

Loki

Coming to Disney streaming service.  Traveling to various places with Tesarac

Doctor Strange 2

Looking forward to this.  Included Wanda.

Watcher Animated series

Hawkeye Project

Thor 4 (Love and Thunder)

Lady Thor, Natalie Portman, Interested to see this.  New hammer?

Black Widow movie?

Prequel?

Blade Movie?

Still upcoming:

Black Panther 2

Captain Marvel 2

Guardian of the Galaxy 3

Fantastic Four

X-men project?

Spiderman 3