11.3.11
22.2.11
On Kung Fu Cult Cinema
As I sit here chugging coffee and listening to Geto Boys, naturally my mind starts to drift toward thoughts of Kung Fu Cult Cinema. Not the genre specifically, but the website of olde that covered everything related to Asian flicks, however remote. It's where I got my start writing and, like many things born and raised online, it's now floating in a ghoulish shipyard with other similarly abandoned ephemera.
KFCC's front page circa 2007
I wouldn't necessarily say the collective level of writing on KFCC was "excellent"—mine certainly wasn't—but the site fostered a strong sense of community over the course of its existence, such that even when I was long separated from the actual work, I was bummed when it slammed down its virtual shutters for good. I did a lot of work on that site, and it also gave me my first significant taste of "getting free shit," which can be a strong motivator when you're a young, broke college student.
What makes KFCC more than just a footnote in my so-far relatively brief and kind of weird career as a writer is the frankly astounding amount of my life—both in terms of work and friendships—that have their origin rooted there. It's a veritable rogues gallery I'm tellin' ya*, and that's just scratching the surface of people who have had a great effect on my life in some way since meeting them via KFCC.
There's also the not insignificant fact that, well, the entirety of my work since has come as a result of writing for free about this stuff on that very site. It seems like an eternity ago now, but I once took the opportunity to interview this dude some of you may know about both PULP and this little book he wrote, Tokyoscope. Because of this bold meeting of the minds Patrick has been my editor-slash-wise-but-unfortunately-not-bearded-mentor in some capacity since ~2004.
Unfortunately one can only access KFCC now via waybackmachine, which is far from ideal. In fact, it's downright pointless. However, in the interest of "keeping the dream alive," I'm going to dig up and post some of my reviews on this blog; not because they're great writing samples, but because the movies themselves are awesome. I also hold the power to slightly alter them in subtle ways so as not to make myself look like a huge idiot. Stay tuned.
*if I didn't link you here, it's probably because I don't know what the hell site you have anymore, if any!
I wouldn't necessarily say the collective level of writing on KFCC was "excellent"—mine certainly wasn't—but the site fostered a strong sense of community over the course of its existence, such that even when I was long separated from the actual work, I was bummed when it slammed down its virtual shutters for good. I did a lot of work on that site, and it also gave me my first significant taste of "getting free shit," which can be a strong motivator when you're a young, broke college student.
What makes KFCC more than just a footnote in my so-far relatively brief and kind of weird career as a writer is the frankly astounding amount of my life—both in terms of work and friendships—that have their origin rooted there. It's a veritable rogues gallery I'm tellin' ya*, and that's just scratching the surface of people who have had a great effect on my life in some way since meeting them via KFCC.
There's also the not insignificant fact that, well, the entirety of my work since has come as a result of writing for free about this stuff on that very site. It seems like an eternity ago now, but I once took the opportunity to interview this dude some of you may know about both PULP and this little book he wrote, Tokyoscope. Because of this bold meeting of the minds Patrick has been my editor-slash-wise-but-unfortunately-not-bearded-mentor in some capacity since ~2004.
Unfortunately one can only access KFCC now via waybackmachine, which is far from ideal. In fact, it's downright pointless. However, in the interest of "keeping the dream alive," I'm going to dig up and post some of my reviews on this blog; not because they're great writing samples, but because the movies themselves are awesome. I also hold the power to slightly alter them in subtle ways so as not to make myself look like a huge idiot. Stay tuned.
*if I didn't link you here, it's probably because I don't know what the hell site you have anymore, if any!
3.2.11
JLR: The Virtual Magazine
If you're reading this right now, you probably have some fancy equipment like an iPad or an iPhone. Congratulations, because that's the only way to view my blog now, as I'm moving past what one would even consider a "blog." In fact, that will be the last time I refer to this as such, because going forward the JLR is a virtual magazine.
What kind of content can you expect from a "virtual magazine," you ask? Well, certainly pictures of butterflies will not suffice. The JLR will heretofore only serve the most elegant of content, which you may literally peruse with your fingers as you would a real magazine. Now, touch your screen to read on.
Alright now, on to more of the features. Thanks to a fully integrated system of content, you can actually access all of this site's old stories just as easily as you would the new. All you have to do is flip your thumb over to the sidebar and choose from various dates and subjects. It's a pretty hefty backlog, but the JLR's engineers had little trouble putting everything together.
If you have any questions about the way this all works, don't hesitate to ask. Below you'll find a drawing, which you can pinch and pull to zoom in and out for a better view.
Best,
Joseph Luster
EIC, The JLR
What kind of content can you expect from a "virtual magazine," you ask? Well, certainly pictures of butterflies will not suffice. The JLR will heretofore only serve the most elegant of content, which you may literally peruse with your fingers as you would a real magazine. Now, touch your screen to read on.
Alright now, on to more of the features. Thanks to a fully integrated system of content, you can actually access all of this site's old stories just as easily as you would the new. All you have to do is flip your thumb over to the sidebar and choose from various dates and subjects. It's a pretty hefty backlog, but the JLR's engineers had little trouble putting everything together.
If you have any questions about the way this all works, don't hesitate to ask. Below you'll find a drawing, which you can pinch and pull to zoom in and out for a better view.
Best,
Joseph Luster
EIC, The JLR
18.9.10
Now for Something Completely Different
Our neighbors have a butterfly plant. I don't know the scientific name but let's just call it planticus butterflyum, because butterflies and bees hold it in high regard, coveting its many treats. Anyway, I took some pics with a Canon 7D + 70-200 mm lens. Click to enlarge.
16.9.10
Mandragora Punk: Zyuranger Episode 26
This is hands down the best episode of Zyuranger I've seen yet. If someone hadn't realized this before me and put it on YouTube, I would have found a way to do it myself. It doesn't have subtitles, but you don't need them.
Dan and Mei eat some spiked shaved ice and turn into punks. What follows is a wild trip through a delinquent's underworld, yakuza, screaming mandragora plants and a very hungry Dora Monster with an appetite for sentai. So good they didn't even have time to bust out the big bot.
Dan and Mei eat some spiked shaved ice and turn into punks. What follows is a wild trip through a delinquent's underworld, yakuza, screaming mandragora plants and a very hungry Dora Monster with an appetite for sentai. So good they didn't even have time to bust out the big bot.
12.9.10
Mystical Arcade Magic and Megaranger
Denji Sentai Megaranger is a sentai series that follows one of my favorite story setups. Frankly, it's not used often enough, and the easiest parallel to make would be to 1984's The Last Starfighter. Just as Alex Rogan discovered when playing Starfighter at a local arcade, Kenta Date learns that not all "games" are what they appear to be on the surface.
As episode one begins, Kenta defends the honor of some young arcade rats by besting the tough guy pictured below at the game Megaranger, which is kind of like that old 3D FMV arcade blaster Time Traveler.
You see, Kenta is an ace at this game, so he has no trouble whuppin' up on this ne'er-do-well. Itagaki here isn't the only one that takes notice, though, as Kenta is approached by some suits from INET labs who claim to be the creators of this earth-shaking game. Turns out it's a training simulator, and Kenta fits the bill perfectly.
And so it is through this steel-sturdy premise that Kenta ends up being introduced to the base of the Megarangers, but his deployment into action's going to come sooner than expected. Rather than wasting a lot of time drafting other players via this game, the rest of Kenta's pals in the "Cybernetics Club" are simply invited to tour the lab and end up thrown into the same wild situation as Kenta when the evil Neijireijia attack.
Before you know it we're thrust into space with our new sentai crew. I've only watched a few episodes so far, but Megaranger really falls into a comfortable time period as far as tokusatsu aesthetics are concerned. It originally aired in Japan in 1997 (and was used as the basis for Power Rangers in Space the following year), so it's not too advanced to be overrun with mediocre CG. In fact, what CG there is is so crude it circles back around to charming, kind of like early movies and shows about "the 'net."
Cool badguys (like li'l dude above), some rad mecha and the look of early '90s sentai masquerading deceptively under the slightly slicker hood of '97. TV-Nihon has subbed some of the series, or you can just get started by watching the beginning of episode one below. At least stick around for Kenta's exciting induction into the tights-clad service of the world's greatest heroes.
 |
| I imagine this is what Tomonobu Itagaki was like back in the day |
And so it is through this steel-sturdy premise that Kenta ends up being introduced to the base of the Megarangers, but his deployment into action's going to come sooner than expected. Rather than wasting a lot of time drafting other players via this game, the rest of Kenta's pals in the "Cybernetics Club" are simply invited to tour the lab and end up thrown into the same wild situation as Kenta when the evil Neijireijia attack.
 |
| "That's total bullcrap! I had to be awesome at games to get here!" |
Cool badguys (like li'l dude above), some rad mecha and the look of early '90s sentai masquerading deceptively under the slightly slicker hood of '97. TV-Nihon has subbed some of the series, or you can just get started by watching the beginning of episode one below. At least stick around for Kenta's exciting induction into the tights-clad service of the world's greatest heroes.
8.9.10
And Now a Word from Nintendo in 1991
The following letter may be about as canned as could be, but I'll never forget Mr. Stephenson's wise Battletoads protip:
July 29, 1991
Dear Joseph,
Thanks for sharing your great tip with us! Our Game Play Counselors enjoy reading about the discoveries players make. Every week re receive thousands of hints from readers all over the country, so choosing only a few to print in the magazine is a difficult task.
Thanks also for sending your super artwork. We love to see our readers' creativity. We've forwarded your artwork to our Publications department. Since we receive hundreds of drawings each month, we can only print a few samples from talented fans like you. Keep watching Nintendo Power to see if your tip or artwork is selected for the magazine.
Read on for tips that will give your scores an energy boost. We know that even Power Players need a jump start now and then!
The Turbo Tunnel is one of the most difficult sections in Battle Toads. To conquer it, practice jumping and landing in the middle of the islands. It requires excellent timing and patience. If you have a controller with Slow Motion, you might want to try using that feature. Keep working at it, though. I'm sure you can make it!
Good luck, Joseph! For more game play help, call our Game Play Counselors at 1-206-885-7529 between 4 a.m. and midnight Pacific time, Monday through Saturday, or 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Sunday. We look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
NINTENDO OF AMERICA INC.
Tom StephensonConsumer Service Representative
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