I’ll make no bones about the fact that I’m a fan of the Muppets. I had a Kermit the Frog cake for my first few birthday parties and used to get up a full hour early for school every morning during my elementary school years just to watch the show. Hell, I saw a midnight screening of Muppets From Space and loved it.

I really like The Muppets and I leapt at the chance to catch the preview screening of this latest film with my kids.

Going in, I’ll admit that I was wary. Jason Segel, in my mind, comes from that Apatow school of comedy and filmmaking which usually kind-of funny movies than run an hour too long. The marketing campaign has been nothing short of brilliant, so that seemed to put a lot of my fears temporarily at ease. Then I read an interview with Frank Oz about how he wasn’t a fan of the script and he didn’t feel like they were giving the characters the proper respect and I got worried all over again.

That’s when I tuned out all of the marketing and just went to the movie, hoping I’d be pleasantly surprised.

Was I pleasantly surprised? That might be an understatement.

I had so much damn fun watching this movie I can’t even begin to describe it. And I brought my kids who don’t have as much nostalgia or affinity for the Muppets and they enjoyed it even more than I did. In fact, as I write this, this is the second day in a row that my son has listened to nothing but the soundtrack to the film on a loop.

The film itself revolves around Gary (Jason Segel) and his brother Walter who is a puppet. Walter is the biggest Muppet fan in the galaxy and is delighted to be invited along with Gary and Mary (Amy Adams) to their special anniversary trip to Los Angeles so he can visit the Muppet Studios. There, while sneaking into Kermit the Frog’s old office, he uncovers a plot by Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) to buy the Muppet Studios, bulldoze them, and drill for oil. Where else do they go for help but to Kermit the Frog? They need to raise $10 million in a short period of time to save the theatre so Kermit decides the best course of action is to get the gang back together and put on another show.

That’s pretty much it.

The plot is standard Muppets fare but it’s infused with such a love and incredible comedic touch that it’s too compelling to ignore. It was so full of love for the franchise that I found tears in my eyes more than a couple of times. And they were happy tears of joy and nostalgia. They were the same tears that used to get me during “Saying Goodbye” in The Muppets Take Manhattan. They were the same tears that made me cry the first time I saw a Star Wars film on the big screen. It’s just overwhelming.

Segel and crew did an amazing job replicating the feel of the old Muppets at the same time making it feel relevant. The entire movie is adorable and sacharine sweet and puts a smile on your face the whole damn time. In fact, the opening song (Life’s a Happy Song) puts that smile on your face and you never lose it through the whole movie.

It’s just that perfect.

And did I mention the music is fantastic? New songs were written by Bret McKenzie of Flight of the Conchords fame and you can tell. They’re all fantastic but the solos he gives Chris Cooper and Amy Adams stand out more amongst a crop of stand outs.

And did I mention that it’s funny? I don’t think I’ve laughed this hard in a movie in a long, long time. But it wasn’t just me laughing, my kids were dying, too. It mastered the all-ages comedy bit in a way that I thought only Pixar was capable of.

My only complaint about the film? Mickey Rooney had more lines than Rizzo the Rat. That’s it. That’s the only thing I found odd about this film.

If you’re even half a fan of the Muppets, you need to catch this new installment of their adventures ASAP. And if you’re new to the Muppets, this is also a perfect jumping on point. I can’t imagine someone going into this film and not coming away with a new appreciation for the characters that I’ve been in love with since before I can remember.

I hope it makes lots and lots of money so we can have more Muppet movies. And a show. Yeah…  we need a new Muppet Show. And since they built a damned near perfect replica of The Muppet Theatre, why couldn’t we have a show?

Seriously, there’s way too much to love about this film and I don’t want to talk too much about it because it’ll just turn into a list of jokes and songs I loved, which is basically just the whole movie. So go see it. Now.

…maniacal laugh.  Maniacal laugh. Maniacal laugh.

(Also, do yourself a favor and buy the soundtrack. Trust me. As soon as you get out of the theatre, you’ll need it.)

JJ Abrams is having a Super 8 contest where the prize is a walk-on role for the new Star Trek film.

From the Star Trek website:

To get in on the action, fans should visitwww.Super8Sweeps.com. Once there, they’ll be put to the test with Super 8 trivia questions. The “Super 8: Watch It & Walk-On” sweepstakes will run from November 20 to December 4. Participants must be at least 18 years old and can submit one entry per day; the sweepstakes is open solely to U.S. residents. The two winners will be chosen randomly in December from all entries received. And, in addition the non-speaking walk-on role in the Star Trek (2009) sequel, each winner will receive travel to the filming city and accommodations for two nights. You know what we say: Beam us up.

This could be a great opportunity for all involved. And what the hell, we should all enter right?

And it’s a great excuse to watch Super 8 again, that film was fantastic.

Still no word on the plot from Star Trek, though I’ve heard some compelling rumours about Benicio Del Toro and Klingons. I heard another one about tribbles, but that’s a different story altogether.

Star Trek 2 starts shooting in January and is set for release May 2013.

Though he seems a little old for the part already, Asa Butterfield (from the upcoming Scorsese film “Hugo”) has been cast as young Ender Wiggin in the Ender’s Game adaptation. (Deadline has the story.)

It was obvious that any live-action version of the story would have to be altered in a lot of ways to fit the logistics of filming that way and so this is really no surprise to me. I was hoping they’d get a company like Pixar involved (or have ILM get in on their second animated film after Rango) to bring the story to life, but no such luck.

I’ll be seeing Hugo soon enough to see if the kid has any acting chops, but he’s working with Scorsese so even if he didn’t it could seem like he does.

Ender’s Game is the riveting tale of a young boy drafted by the military to lead the world against an invasion from the Buggers. (Which makes a lot more sense when you take Orson Scott Cards irrational homophobia into account.) Despite patches of less than stellar writing, it’s a fantastic book and I would give it my highest recommendation for fans of science fiction. You can pick it up on Amazon cheap.

This movie is being produced by the Star Trek writing team of Orci and Kurtzman and is supposed to released MArch 15, 2013.

Editors note: This transmission was beamed to me by rebel spies in the midst of the night. Spybot 9000 (Adam McDonald) was forced to see Twilight and put together this review of the latest film in the series.

I’ll say, he was kinder to it than I expected we’d see. Without further ado:

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part One is a very hard movie to review. It’s not that the film doesn’t accomplish what it set out to do; it does, and Twilight fans will absolutely love every moment they spend in the theater. That said, there are a LOT of issues they will gloss over which I don’t think anyone else will be able to ignore. When the books came out, I read them based on the incredible word of mouth and did enjoy them for what they were — sugar coated young adult fantasy aimed at teenage girls. Once I finished Breaking Dawn, though, I set them aside knowing I would most likely not revisit them again in the future — one reading was enough. Unfortunately, the movies all paled in comparison to the novels, as they were hampered by bad acting, writing, special effects, etc. All of these things rear their heads in Breaking Dawn Part One, but the worst offense is that this is only part one and there is a part two to follow next year. The unfortunate idea to split the final book into two movies, while understandable from the studio’s standpoint, being the cash cow it is, leaves the non die-hard fan with a bad taste in their mouth as this decision causes the story to drag on and on, making the hour and forty minutes seem twice as long. While Deathly Hallows was able to pull off splitting the book for the movies, there just isn’t enough content in Breaking Dawn to do the same, and that is the film’s downfall.

I would say spoiler alert, but since this is based off a book that came out a few years ago, I assume the reader is somewhat familiar with what is taking place in the story, but if you’re not, you’ve been warned.

The day of Bella and Edward’s wedding has almost arrived, and while the two of them and the Cullens are busy prepping for the big event, not everyone is as excited as they are. Jacob is angry not only about the fact Bella chose Edward over him, but also because he realizes it won’t be long until she will be turned into a hated vampire. Freaking out on receiving the wedding invitation, he transforms and runs off, apparently to boycott the wedding. He does change his mind and show up to wish her well, but is horrified to learn they are going to engage in honeymoon activities before she has been turned. Sure enough, vampire/human sex is pretty rough on the human involved, and the bruises he caused makes Edward feel even guiltier than usual, so he refuses to touch her the rest of the honeymoon. Instead, they play chess (with red and white pieces, in a not so clever nod to the cover of the book) no matter what kind of lingerie Bella puts on, or how she tries to seduce him. Their first time did the trick, however, as it is revealed that Bella is impossibly pregnant. Not only is this hybrid child developing much faster than a normal fetus should be, but this accelerated growth is slowly killing Bella as it literally drains her of all her energy. Bella goes into labor and delivers via C-Section, only to die after seeing her daughter for the first time. Edward immediately begins the process of turning her in an effort to save her life, and the movie ends as Bella wakes up, a vampire. The credits roll, there is a short scene that sets up the next movie, and we get a ‘to be concluded’ message.

Overall, the story is interesting, unfortunately, the execution is much too flawed to be enjoyed. When I said earlier that the movie drags, it was almost an understatement. I would say a good half of the movie focuses on people staring into the camera, walking through rooms or up and down stairs, and doing absolutely nothing. Sure, when Bella and Edward honeymoon in Rio and on their private island, pull the camera back and focus on the grandeur of the locale and the flavor of the culture, but don’t do the same thing when walking through the forest around the Cullens’ house that we’ve spent hours seeing in the previous movies. Bella, we get that you’re confused that you’re carrying Edward’s child because you shouldn’t have been able to get pregnant with him, but the ten minutes you spend touching your belly and gazing into a mirror, jaw agape (and in slow motion, for some reason) jars the viewer out of the experience and reminds them they’re just in a theater.

It’s glaringly obvious the screenwriter was doing whatever they could to meet the producers’ demands, but there just isn’t enough in the book to warrant stretching the story over two movies. What I would have preferred would have been a tighter script and a movie that was about thirty minutes longer that encompassed all of Breaking Dawn. Considering where this one ended, I can’t even imagine how they are going to turn the leftover content into another two hour movie. The events shown could have easily taken place in a little over an hour, with the rest of the book wrapping up in about the same amount of time. But, no, the studio wanted to milk this for all it’s worth, so we are getting two sub par movies instead of one decent one.

In the end, though, I’m fully aware that this film was not targeted at me, but to the hardcore fans, and my thoughts and those of all the critics really won’t make any difference to the success of this movie. They will turn out in droves to see it (multiple times, most likely), and they will completely eat it up as the ones in the theater did. Unfortunately for everyone else who will be dragged along with their friends of significant others, be prepared to settle in for the long haul and understand that there is going to be a lot of nothing happening for most of the movie.

Get lots of snacks or sneak in a flask; you’ll probably need both to get through it all.

Press Release: 11/15/2011

Animate The Holidays With New PROFESSOR LAYTON, BLEACH, NARUTO SHIPPUDEN, POKÉMON, VAMPIRE KNIGHT And More!

San Francisco, CA, November 15, 2011 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest distributor and licensor of anime and manga in North America, offers fans and holiday shoppers a variety of new anime releases for some of the company’s hottest properties.

Holiday wish lists and shopping guides won’t be complete without BLEACH THE MOVIE: FADE TO BLACK (also offered in Blu-ray edition), NARUTO SHIPPUDEN THE MOVIE: BONDS (Blu-ray also available), and VAMPIRE KNIGHT GUILTY: THE COMPLETE SERIES, as well as the newest episodic DVD releases for each of these popular series.

Kids and the young at heart can also look forward to VIZ Media’s launch of PROFESSOR LAYTON AND THE ETERNAL DIVA, based on the popular video game, as well as the new POKÉMON – ZOROARK: MASTER OF ILLUSIONS feature film and the latest Pokemon DP Galactic Battles Gift Set.

BLEACH THE MOVIE: FADE TO BLACK · Rated “T” for Teens ·

© Tite Kubo/Shueisha, TV TOKYO, Dentsu, Pierrot © BMP 2008

MSRP: $19.98 for DVD (U.S. / CAN) & $24.98 for Blu-ray (U.S / CAN) · Available Now!

A strange disturbance in the World of the Living sends Ichigo and Kon to the Soul Society, where the Seireitei has been devastated by an explosion of reishi and Rukia is missing. Stranger still, none of the Soul Reapers remember Ichigo, and they think he’s the one responsible for the destruction. Now on the run, Ichigo is forced into a lonely battle in order to find Rukia and stop the real culprits!

BLEACH UNCUT DVD BOX SET, Vol. 11 · Rated “T” for Teens ·

MSRP: $49.95 U.S. / CAN · Available December 13^th

Ichigo and Rukia take responsibility for looking after Rurichiyo, a girl of noble birth who one day appears in the World of the Living. She and her two bodyguards transfer into Ichigo’s class at school, and Rukia decides to show her how to have fun. But the fun stops when first Rurichiyo disappears and then a group of assassins arrives and challenges Ichigo and friends to a fight!

NARUTO SHIPPUDEN UNCUT DVD BOX SET, Vol. 8 · Rated “T+” for Older Teens · MSRP: $49.95 U.S. / $43.24 CAN ·

Available Now!

Naruto’s new jutsuRasen Shuriken is unbelievably powerful—but because of the risks to the user, Tsunade forbids Naruto to use it! When Jiraiya returns to the village, Naruto seeks his guidance, and the two head off to a hot springs resort to work on a solution. Meanwhile, Kakashi leads a team in search of Orochimaru’s hideout, and when Naruto hears about it, he begs to join them. Set includes special “Kakashi Chronicles” story, featuring a young Kakashi on one of his early missions!

NARUTO SHIPPUDEN THE MOVIE: BONDS · Rated “T+” for Older Teens · MSRP: $19.98 for DVD (U.S. / CAN) & $24.98 for Blu-ray (U.S / CAN)· Available Now!

A group of mysterious flying ninja have arrived from overseas to launch a sudden attack against the Hidden Leaf Village, leaving behind a wake of destruction. The group is revealed to be the “Sky Ninja” from the Land of Sky, a nation thought to have been destroyed by the Hidden Leaf Village long ago. To save their village, Naruto and his friends set out to stop this new threat. During the course of the mission, Naruto crosses paths with Sasuke, his friend who has parted ways from the Leaf Village.

POKEMON – ZOROARK: MASTER OF ILLUSIONS · Rated “A” for All Ages ·

© 2011 Pokémon. © 1997-2010 Nintendo, Creatures, GAME FREAK, TV Tokyo, ShoPro, JR Kikaku. © PIKACHU PROJECT 2010.  Pokémon properties are trademarks of Nintendo.

MSRP: $19.88 U.S. / CAN · Available Now!

As Ash and his friends journey to Crown City to join the crowds watching the Pokémon Baccer World Cup, mysterious forces are in motion that could bring untold misfortune to them all! What secrets does Zorua, a Pokémon they befriend along the way, hide? Why is the powerful Zoroark rampaging through the city, and what does the appearance of the Legendary Pokémon Raikou, Entei, and Suicune mean? What has brought Celebi back to the city at this precise moment in time for the first time in 20 years? And what will happen when the paths of all of them come together in one time and place?

POKEMON DP GALACTIC BATTLES GIFT SET, Vol. 4 · Rated “A” for All Ages · MSRP: $24.97 U.S. / $24.98 CAN · Available November 22^nd

When it comes to Pokémon, the more, the merrier:  two new friends have joined Ash, Dawn, and Brock on their Sinnoh journey! Together, they’ll chase a rogue Gible and face off in a tag battle. Before long, however, things take a turn for the worse as Team Galactic and Pokémon Hunter J return with a vengeance. Now Team Galactic is poised to achieve its ultimate goal: summoning the Legendary Dialga and Palkia in order to destroy the world! Are Ash and his friends ready to face the biggest Galactic battle of all? Set contains PokÉmon DP Galactic Battles Vols. 7-8!

VAMPIRE KNIGHT GUILTY: THE COMPLETE SERIES · Rated “T+” for Older Teens · MSRP: $49.95 U.S. / $43.24 CAN · Available Now!

Zero is accused of Shizuka Hio’s murder and becomes the target of the Senate. When Kaname refuses to attest to Zero’s innocence, Yuki’s loyalties are torn between the two. Then Yuki meets a mysterious little boy whose seemingly innocent kiss on the cheek draws her deeper into the world of vampires. Zero, seeing Yuki struggle to recall her past, tries to help. Do the archives of the Hunter’s Society headquarters hold the key that will unlock Yuki’s memories? Set contains episodes 1-13, original & uncut!

For more information on VIZ Media anime titles, please visit: www.VIZ.com.

This landed in my inbox earlier this week. If you love Halo, and LEGOS, you’re in luck! Here is an entire Red vs. Blue capture the flag match in LEGO format. It’s about 30 minutes, but pretty fun if you’ve got that time to burn.

Disney and Pixar released the trailer for their next original film, Brave, today.

It’s a gorgeous looking film, but I get the sneaking suspicion that there’s far more to this than they’re letting on. Their stories are always complicated and rich and I expect this will be no exception.

Here’s the synopsis from IMDB:

Set in Scotland in a rugged and mythical time, “Brave” features Merida, an aspiring archer and impetuous daughter of royalty. Merida makes a reckless choice that unleashes unintended peril and forces her to spring into action to set things right.

The film features the voices of Kelly Macdonald, Craig Ferguson, Robbie Coltrane and Emma Thompson.

Comment below with your first impressions.

The marketing strategy for The Muppets has been nothing short of brilliant. I only hope the movie can live up to the hype and the legacy.

In their latest brilliant move, they have released these three Twilight themed posters.

After getting a peek at the The Hunger Games movie a few months ago, a full-length trailer has finally arrived!

This trailer gives fans of the young adult novel series their first look at some important characters like Effie Trinket, Cinna and Haymitch played by Elizabeth Banks, Lenny Kravitz and Woody Harrelson respectively. Personally, I think the trailer – while a bit short – was really well done. It was exciting without giving too much away, but gave just enough of the story to perhaps generate interest for those who have not read the books. Jennifer Lawrence looks pretty damn close to the Katniss that I pictured in my head as I read the books and Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth appear to fit the roles of Peeta and Gale.

The Hunger Gameshits theaters on March 23, 2012, is directed by Gary Ross and stars Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Elizabeth Banks, Lenny Kravitz, Woody Harrelson, Stanley Tucci, and Donald Sutherland.

You can check out the trailer below, or in glorious HD over at Apple.com!

The new Space Battleship Yamato 2199 trailer is here, Viz Media has debuted two Naruto volumes ahead of the print counterparts, and we’ve got another great video to share from Japan – Danny Choo has just shared Episode One from season two of his television series Culture Japan and you can watch it right at the bottom of this post.

First up this week:

It’s been confirmed that we’ll see the re-make Space Battleship Yamato 2199 come to Japan on April 12th, 2012, and I couldn’t be more excited!  At Anime Expo 2011 it was announced that this series will be the animated re-telling of the “Journey to Iscandar” storyline.  The project will initially launch in theaters as a fifty minute feature consisting of episodes one and two – and the rest of the series will soon follow on broadcast television in Japan. Yoshinobu Nishizaki’s adopted son Shoji Nishizaki is leading the project, and the trailer for the series was just launched yesterday on the new Yamato 2199 website:

-s

I don’t know about you, but I’m really excited about this series! I really hope we’ll get North American distribution soon after the release of the series in Japan this spring, but it’s hard to say with this title as only some of the Yamato properties have come to North America since 1974.

Next up this week:

Press Release: November 7, 2011

VIZ MEDIA DEBUTS TWO LATEST NARUTO VOLUMES AHEAD OF PRINT COUNTERPARTS ONVIZMANGA.COM AND THE VIZ MANGA APP FOR iPAD, iPHONE AND iPOD TOUCH

November Digital Manga Update Also Sees Debut of
Natsume Ono’s RISTORANTE PARADISO And GENTE,
As Well As Updates to 17 Popular Series

VIZ Media continues to lead the digital manga (graphic novel) revolution with a variety of new titles just announced for November that are available to read online on VIZManga.com and also for digital download on the VIZ MANGA App for the Apple iPad™, iPhone™ and iPod™ touch.

Among the notable new releases will be the two latest editions of NARUTO – Volumes 54 and 55 – which will be made available on VIZ Media’s digital platforms several months in advance of their print counterparts. This is part of the SHONEN JUMP DIGITAL WARP, a speed-up of selection titles to bring North American readers up-to-date with Japanese releases to prepare fans for the debut of the digital WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP ALPHA in January 2012.

NARUTO Vol. 54 · Rated ‘T’ for Teens · Available Today!

Viaduct to Peace: Naruto and his team engage in an intense battle with the Akatsuki organization as both sides seek the power to determine the future of their land. Internecine fighting weakens the Akatsuki, but will their dark forces sideline Naruto?! Print edition debuts on January 3^rd, 2012.

NARUTO Vol. 55 · Rated ‘T’ for Teens · Available November 21^st

The Great War Begins: Evil masterminds Kabuto and Madara instigate a skirmish with Naruto and friends on Turtle Island. The Allied Shinobi Forces prepare to attack, but are they ready for Kabuto’s horde of reanimated dead ninja?! Print edition debuts on March 6^th, 2012.

November also sees the debut of two titles from the critically acclaimed Natsume Ono. RISTORANTE PARADISO weaves a story around the lives of the staff of a restaurant in Rome, and in the follow-up manga, GENTE, continues to follow the character’s romances, heartaches, hopes and dreams.

RISTORANTE PARADISO · Rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens · Available Now!

At the age of 21, Nicoletta travels to Rome to find her mother, Olga, who abandoned her long ago. Nicoletta finds her at Casetta dell’Orso, a charming little restaurant owned by Olga’s husband. The staff of bespectacled gentlemen welcomes Nicoletta warmly, but Olga’s reception is not so pleasant. Olga has never told her husband that she ever had children–and he must never know.

GENTE Vol. 1 · Rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens · Available November 14^th

Buona sera! Welcome to Casetta dell’Orso, a quaint little restaurant in the heart of Rome. The food’s delicious, but the handsome staff of bespectacled gentlemen is the real draw. Follow these dashing men home and witness their romances, heartaches, hopes and dreams in this delightfully whimsical continuation of Natsume Ono’s beloved RISTORANTE PARADISO.

Additions to 17 popular VIZ Media series are scheduled for November, with over 30 new manga volumes scheduled to make their digital debut. Updates include the rock-and-roll romantic drama of AI ORE and the courtly royal intrigue of THE STORY OF SAIUNKOKU, as well as the supernatural adventure of BLEACH, the ongoing high seas pirate fun of ONE PIECE, and the kinetic sci-fi action depicted in new weekly chapters of NEON GENESIS EVANGELION.

New VIZ Media manga volumes launching include:

November 7^th:

BLEACH Vol. 32

DENGEKI DAISY Vol. 6

NARUTO Vol. 54

NEON GENESIS EVANGELION Chapter 14

OISHINBO Vol. 4

ONE PIECE Vols. 54 & Vol. 55

OURAN HIGH SCHOOL HOST CLUB Vol. 12

RISTORANTE PARADISO Vol. 1

November 14^th:

AI ORE Vol. 3

BLACK BIRD Vol. 11

BLEACH Vol. 33

CLAYMORE Vol. 19

D. GRAY-MAN Vol. 21

FUSHIGI YUGI: GENBU KAIDEN Vol. 8

GENTE Vol. 1

KEKKAISHI Vol. 17

NEON GENESIS EVANGELION Chapter 15

ONE PIECE Vol. 56

RUROUNI KENSHIN Vol. 26

November 21^st:

BLEACH Vol. 34

GENTE Vol. 2

NARUTO Vol. 55

ONE PIECE Vol. 57

NATSUME’S BOOK OF FRIENDS Vol. 9

NEON GENESIS EVANGELION Chapter 16

SATURN APARTMENTS Vol. 4

THE STORY OF SAIUNKOKU Vol. 5

November 28^th:

BLEACH Vol. 35

GENTE Vol. 3 – Final Volume!

INUYASHA VIZ Big Vol. 6 – Exclusive to the VIZ Manga App for iPad!

KEKKAISHI Vol. 18

NEON GENESIS EVANGELION Chapter 17

ONE PIECE Vol. 58

RUROUNI KENSHIN Vol. 27

VIZ Media’s digital manga platform allows for universal access for fans for reading manga from their iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, and now, VIZManga.com for desktop/laptop computers and Android-powered devices with built-in web browsers. With one account, registered users are able to view their purchases across even more devices than ever.

The free VIZ Manga App continues to be the top app for reading manga on iOS devices and features a rapidly growing library of the most popular manga series in the world, currently offering over 45 series and nearly 500 volumes, with new additions and free Chapter 1 previews added weekly.

For more information, please visit VIZManga.com or www.VIZ.com/apps.

Finally this week: I bring you another video for our Videos from Japan collection – Danny Choo has just shared Episode One from season two of his television series Culture Japan. For those of you who haven’t checked the series out yet, it’s definitely worth a watch for anyone hoping to learn more about Japan and Japanese culture (including fun tech. and geeky stuff). Some of you may have seen him on youtube as the Tokyo Stormtrooper, but he’s much more than that – he is a Japanese cultural expert and self-made, geek-culture powerhouse! This particular episode is a somber one – as it covers the recent earthquake and tsunami, but I highly encourage you to watch and learn a bit about Japan’s struggle to recovery.