Being a Philosopher, I see Philosophy everywhere and talk
about it all the time. But sometimes I am surprised by where I find it and in
what abundance. And rarely do I find in one body of work ideals that cover Aristotle’s
thoughts on friendship and justice (Nicomachean
Ethics), Confucius’ ideas of Right Association (Great Learning), Kant’s Deontological Ethics (law, duty, rules) of
the Categorical Imperative (universal laws without exceptions), and the Rule
Utilitarianism perpetuated by Sidgwick (merciful exceptions in extraordinary
circumstances) and embedded in our seminal national documents via Jefferson and
his cohorts, and even Plato’s The Republic.
Plus there are the metaphysical ideas such as how does memory define and/or
reveal us (a la Locke, Hume —
respectively) and how do the dead live on? Amazingly enough, it’s all in this cartoon
universe.

The Japanese franchise that is Bleach is vast: 40+ volumes of manga, 2 character books (Souls translated, Vibe not), one art book (All
Colour But the Black), 249+ episodes of anime, 2 OVAs, 3 movies, 4 rock
musicals and 2 Live Bankai shows, many
soundtrack and character CDs, 3+ video games for the Nintendo DS and Sony Wii,
and more merchandise than you can shake a Zanpakutou
at. And it is now a bonafide phenomenon in the US, as well, with 167 dubbed
episodes aired and 109 episodes, up to the first half of season 4: The Bounts,
released in deluxe DVD boxed sets, thanks to the folks at Cartoon Network and
Funimation, with 29 volumes of Tite Kubo’s (story and art) manga in English
from Viz Media and Shonen Jump where
it is serialized and translated, and 2 of the 3 movies now out on DVD here in
the States.

On a holiday break from new episodes since Thanksgiving
between seasons 8 and 9, CN gave the US premiere of the 2^nd movie: The Diamond Dust Rebellion (2007) on Adult
Swim on 12/5, and the 2-disc DVD with subbed and dubbed versions and some cute
little extras (including original trailers, behind-the-scenes, and an English
version of the Japanese movie premiere program booklet) was released in
September here in the States. It has not had any screenings in US theatres,
unlike the 1^st movie, Memories
of Nobody (2006), which had special NY screenings of the dubbed and subbed
versions 6/11-12/08. The 3^rd movie, Fade to Black, I Call Your Name, which premiered in Japan last
December, is not yet available legally in the States, dubbed, subbed, or
otherwise. The story told in DDR takes place after episode 167. The various
anime writers’ attention to detail and continuities in this vast and ever-expanding
universe is amazing. You will see tiny important details from this movie’s
story played out in later episodes that involve these characters. The Soul
Society is a busy place, full of conflict, most of the time being caused by
choices from its past coming back to haunt it.

(more…)

It’s official. Marvel Entertainment stockholders approved the company’s merger with Disney at a special meeting held last Thursday, December 31, 2009.  Under the agreement, which is valued at an estimated $4.3 billion, Marvel becomes a wholly-owned subsidiary of Disney.

But in addition to acquiring Marvel, Disney also furthered its existing relationship with Stan Lee’s POW! Entertainment (Purveyors of Wonder) by taking a 10% equity stake in POW! for $2.5 million.  Disney entered into a first look deal with POW! in 2007, and under the new deal includes enhanced rights to the creative output of POW! and certain exclusive consulting services.

The only hitch? Over the weekend, I was talking with a freelancer who was complaining about a recent job he did for a Disney subsidiary which still hadn’t paid him after many months, even after signing multi-page forms and four contracts, for what basically amounted to a lettering job.

One wonders what it’s going to be like for all the freelancers at Marvel who will suddenly find themselves thrust into Disney’s mammoth accounting system for dealing with outside vendors. If anybody has any experiences with the new regime, let us know.

It’s been a heck of a ride, hasn’t it?

Congratulations, we’re living in the future now.

(Incidentally, now that the old year is officially past, we’ll start doing those end-of-year/end-of-decade wrap ups, because we weren’t going to jump the gun. We have to have some rules around here, don’t we?)

So enjoy, have a happy, and don’t forget to watch 2010 on TCM later tonight.

It really is the year of the nerd, isn’t it?

Peter Jackson, the director of the Lord of the Rings trilogy and the executive producer of District 9, as well as the upcoming Mortal
Engines,
The Adventures of Tintin, and The Hobbit, has been made a Knight Companion of New Zealand, which entitles him to the honorific “Sir”.

The award was given in recognition of Jackson’s efforts in jumpstarting the New Zealand film industry as well as for his artistic achievements.