Streetfighter Legends: Ibuki Announced!


The super-cute kunoichi finally gets her due.

What a treat!!! Udon Comics just announced the next title in their Streetfighter Legends line; Streetfighter Legends: Ibuki is a 4-issue limited series that stars the mega-popular ninja girl from Capcom's Streetfighter 3 games. The comic will take on Ibuki's adventures as she juggles her ninja training, battles with rival Geki Ninja and high school hi-jinx all at the same time. All this, PLUS a crazy karate girl named Makoto! Will she even make it to lunch hour?

Man, it's no exaggeration for me to say that this is a dream come true. Ibuki is easily my favorite character in the Streetfighter games, and was the primary inspiration for my own Ninja Girl KO! Having her in a comic of her own is beyond awesome. This is surely a sideways confirmation hopefully of Ibuki's appearance in the upcoming Super Streetfighter IV game, which is also set for Spring next year. Man, lotsa Ninja Girl awesomeness! I gotta lie down. Hahaha!

Streetfighter Legends: Ibuki, with story by Jim Zubkavich and art by Omar Dogan, is set for launch in March 2010.

Inuyasha: The Final Act



I've been a fan of Inuyasha: A Feudal Fairy Tale, ever since the first anime episode. That was YEARS ago, and 140++ episodes later, the first anime series ended in a status quo. Several years later though, the inevitable finally happened. With the end of the manga version, the epic adventure of the sword-wielding Dog Boy continues to it's conclusion in animated form with Inuyasha: The Final Act.

I have to admit, I was kinda lukewarm to the new series at first- the animation and characters weren't as good as the original anime (particularly the earlier, really awesome eps)- but now I am eagerly awaiting every new installment. Even though inevitably the episodes took on what I feared so much- the death of my favorite character in the title, Kagura, seeing it finally in animated form though was a bit of a release for me. It was sad, definitely, but it was also wonderfully portrayed, which satisfied my inner softie. Definitely and thankfully, the series has been hitting the emotional chords perfectly.

This is shown particularly in the recent episode where another major character, priestess Kikyo, meets her final end as well. Though I'm not particularly a fan of the character, the moment of her end was exceptionally directed; powerful and moving- the scenes building up to it, the choice of music, Kikyo's contented smile and her final words... gloriously sad and wonderful.

At the end of it, I found myself itching to move forward into the next ep, and the wait is killing me. That said though, with Kikyo's end, there's pretty much no surprises left as there are no major deaths left aside from one- and that one is someone who's end is something that's been long coming- yep, big Bad Naraku himself. I'm hoping his demise is as satisfying as Kikyo and Kagura's were emotional and affecting.

Inuyasha: Final Act and Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood have really gotten me back into anime again. Who knows, maybe I'll find myself going back to caring about what happens in Bleach and Naruto Shippuden again... heheh.