Dark of the Display Case: DotM Deluxe Ratchet

Soldiers are not the only thing needed on the field of war. You also need scouts, mechanics and, most importantly, field medics. In the Transformers franchise, this role is played by Ratchet. While he mainly stays constant from series to series, with primarily white and red colors and turning into an ambulance, the movie version of Ratchet turns into a light green search and rescue vehicle. Despite the change in appearance his function as chief Autobot medic has been kept in tact across multiple universes. So does this deluxe version of movie Ratchet do the character's justice?

Dark of the Display Case: DotM Deluxe Sideswipe

One thing that stays constant with the multiple designs of the movie Transformers is their individuality. There are humanoids, insectoids and everything in between. One design choice that is used in the movies is the wheel placement on the legs or feet, which usually serves as a way for certain characters to move around. One of the best examples of these bots is the Autobot warrior Sideswipe. For day two of DotM week we'll be looking at the latest figure of this wheeled warrior and see if Hasbro has finally done a good job of translating his unique design ques seamlessly into physical form....

Dark of the Display Case: DotM Deluxe Bumblebee

What better way to kick off a week of Transformers-related reviews then by taking a look at one of the movie's most recognizable characters? It was thanks to the 2007 Transformers movie that the Autobot known as Bumblebee was brought back into mainstream TF media and was made into one of the most recognizable TF characters to date. While he may not turn into a Beetle or have little horns on his head, movie 'Bee is still a very characteristic robot and as a result has had a metric ton of toys. Today we'll be looking at one of the newest Bumblebee figures from the new DotM line. Will it be worth the money or worth a pass?

A Not So Small But Not Too Big Announcement

Ok, so yeah, for a semi-new blogger, I don't...well.....blog much. Well I plan to change all that starting next week, because next week is a very special one. What's so special about it? Well it's the release of the 3rd and final movie having to do with two warring factions of giant alien transforming robots, of course! So to celebrate, next week will be known as:

From Monday all the way through to Sunday we'll be looking at nothing but Dark of the Moon-related stuff. Monday through Friday will focus on a set of Display Case reviews covering 5 DotM toys. Saturday will finally see the second installment of "The Game Room" as we take a look at Dark of the Moon: The Game. Finally, we'll rap things up on Sunday with the first Movie Edition of Addict Overview as I share my thoughts on the film itself!

I'm really excited about doing this and hopefully it'll be the thing to get this blog back on track, so stay tuned...!

Nyoro~n: Transformers Edition

Addict Overview: Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica

Where young male anime fans have shonen anime, such as Naruto, DBZ, One Piece, etc, young female fans have mahou shoujo. Mahou shoujo, or Magical Girl, is exactly how it sounds; a show where a female character or a group of female characters use magical powers to fight off the forces of evil. Sailor Moon is the most common and popular example. At first glance a mahou shoujo series may seem cutesy, sweet and girly....and that's because a lot of them kinda are. There isn't much danger that the main characters could get in, the explanation for why they have these magical powers are simplistic and the opposing force they're usually up again don't really seem like they'd do much damage if they DID succeed. There isn't enough emotion, risk or characterization involved.....that is unless you're watching Madoka Magica, in which case you're in for a surprisingly intense ride.....

Miku Hatsune hits Stateside!.......in a Toyota!

I'm a big Vocaloid fan. Not only is the music really good, but the fact that it's all done on a computer without the need of a physical singer is amazing to me. I'm not the only one who loves it, too. If you know an anime or Japan fan, chances are they know what Vocaloid is and probably have a favorite song. Now Japan has gotten a ton of Vocaloid merchandise, games, programs and even two live concerts. We US fans, on the other hand, have to resort to imports. That may change soon, though, as there have been rumors of the program being sold in American stores as well as online, which could not only open up a ton of possibilities for composers but will also finally introduce our favorite group of musical robots to the rest of the country. In fact, just a few days ago we got our first taste of US Vocaloid....just, not the way we though we would have gotten it....