5. TSUKI GA KIREI

With the continuation of Yowamushi Pedal into the spring I still do consider it a spring anime. While not new, Yowamushi Pedal’s first season was incredibly enjoyable. You always want to cheer on Sakamichi through his struggles and can identify with him as an otaku. While a bit long for some, it is an entertaining sports anime that deserves some recognition.

Yet another second season anime has appeared! Uchouten Kazoku is an interesting series combining both Japanese folklore with modern-day dynamics. The first season being relatively short is a bit more enticing, but you will find yourself drawn in either way. While it did a premiere in 2013, it was a title I instantly recognized when I saw it again.

Natsume and Nyanko-sensei are back again with Natsume Yuujinchou 6. Yet another spirit related anime, there is a reason why this series keeps on coming back. When I saw the firstNatsume Yuujinchou I was still in High School. Even now, I find myself coming back to it though. While not action packed, its smooth storytelling and calming music will always be a hit in my book.

Both Tsuki ga Kirei and Fukumenkei Noise are the only true new releases from spring.Fukumenkei Noise however, had that “It” factor for me. It drew me in, wanting me to ask for more as I find myself still yearning. A music based anime (K-on club/Light music) as well as romance based, it does well at showing both aspects. Will it maintain the balance and be a true masterpiece or become bias to one-side, sinking the ship? Either way, I will continue to watch and enjoy the ride while I can.

Yes, Chris Hemsworth builds on his Ghostbusters comic turn to bring a little levity to Mr. Mjolnir Risin’. Yes, the Ragnarok trailer begins with the churning riff of Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song.” While the classic rock anthem functions as a punchline of sorts, with its Thor-adjacent lyrics about battles royale and “the hammer of the gods,” though, it also calls back to something far bigger. You may recall that in 2014, Marvel’s first trailer for Guardians of the Galaxy used Blue Suede’s “Hooked on a Feeling” and a strong dose of goofiness to accomplish the impossible: getting people excited to see a movie about Star-Lord and a bunch of other obscure characters. The tactic succeeded so handily, in fact, that many an ensuing film has tried to copy it—and now, Marvel has realized that it can apply it to all of its MCU heroes, even the ones who have been kicking around the multiplex for years.

And in Thor’s case, that might actually be for the best. Even though the first Thor was one of the earliest installments in the Marvel Cinematic Universe—and the one that introduced audiences to Marvel’s non-Earthbound heroes—his standalone movies have always been the least vital. He doesn’t have the political intrigue of Captain America or the swagger of Iron Man. He’s just this preternaturally handsome god, you know? This trailer gives him a whole new look and cohort to go along with franchise stalwarts like Heimdahl (Idris Elba) and fan-favorite Loki (Tom Hiddleston). Not only does Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) make a surprise appearance, but we get our first looks at Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) and Hela (Cate Blanchett), the MCU’s first female primary villain.

Marvel has clearly taken a few other notes from its Guardians of the Galaxy strategy this time around, including something that the Thor movies have traditionally lacked: fun. Sure, the movies had laugh lines here and there, but by the time The Dark World came around in 2013, things had gotten a little self-serious. For Ragnarok, though, Thor seems to be heading to quirky-town, particularly when it comes to the trailer’s crescendo, a gladiator face-off with Hulk that prompts the Norse god to hoot, “We know each other! He’s a friend from work!” That move—upending an exceptional situation with day-to-day banality—is one of director Taika Waititi’s greatest strengths, and shows exactly what Marvel was thinking when it hired the guy behind vampire mockumentary What We Do in the Shadows. Couple that sensibility with Guardians moves like brilliant tertiary casting (Jeff Goldblum as the Grandmaster is the Ragnarokversion of Glenn Close and John C. Reilly being in Nova Corps) and a little retro pop culture (Star-Lord’s ’80s mixtape, meet Ragnarok‘s new retro-game-influenced neon logo), and all of a sudden the prospect of a third Thor movie isn’t just tolerable, it’s straight-up exciting.

Marvel has always succeeded in part because of story-first institutional oversight, similar to that of other Disney holdings like Lucasfilm and Pixar. Like them, Marvel is a well-oiled machine. And now, like any good machine, it has finally become self-aware. It knows what you want, and it’s no longer holding back on delivering it. Even if it takes a little Ragnarok and roll.

Picking up immediately after the events in Resident Evil: Retribution, Alice (Milla Jovovich) is the only survivor of what was meant to be humanity’s final stand against the undead. Now, she must return to where the nightmare began – The Hive in Raccoon City, where the Umbrella Corporation is gathering its forces for a final strike against the only remaining survivors of the apocalypse. 

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2

Set to the all-new sonic backdrop of Awesome Mixtape #2, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 continues the team’s adventures as they unravel the mystery of Peter Quill’s true parentage. 
 official plot version from marvel.com

THE FATE OF THE FURIOUS

Now that Dom and Letty are on their honeymoon and Brian and Mia have retired from the game—and the rest of the crew has been exonerated—the globetrotting team has found a semblance of a normal life. But when a mysterious woman (Oscar® winner Charlize Theron) seduces Dom into the world of crime he can’t seem to escape and a betrayal of those closest to him, they will face trials that will test them as never before.

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES

Thrust into an all-new adventure, a down-on-his-luck Captain Jack Sparrow finds the winds of ill-fortune blowing even more strongly when deadly ghost pirates led by his old nemesis, the terrifying Captain Salazar (Bardem), escape from the Devil's Triangle, determined to kill every pirate at sea...including him. Captain Jack's only hope of survival lies in seeking out the legendary Trident of Poseidon, a powerful artifact that bestows upon its possessor total control over the seas. 

TRANSFORMERS: THE LAST KNIGHT

The Last Knight shatters the core myths of the Transformers franchise, and redefines what it means to be a hero. Humans and Transformers are at war, Optimus Prime is gone. The key to saving our future lies buried in the secrets of the past, in the hidden history of Transformers on Earth. Saving our world falls upon the shoulders of an unlikely alliance: Cade Yeager (Mark Wahlberg); Bumblebee; an English Lord (Sir Anthony Hopkins); and an Oxford Professor (Laura Haddock). 

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Dracula, played by Adam Sandler, is secretly worried that his half vampire half human grandson is not turning out to be vampire. When his daughter, Mavis, played by Selena Gomez, and son-in-law, Jonathan, played Andy Samberg, paid a visit to their human parents, Dracula secretly solicited the help of his friends Frankenstein Frank (Kevin James), the mummy and one of his closest friend Murray (Keegan-Michael Key), the werewolf Wayne (Steve Buscemi), and the invisible man Griffin (David Spade) to put his grandson Dennis through a "monster-in-training" boot camp.

However, things become intense when Dracula's grumpy old father pays a surprise visit to the hotel for an impromptu family reunion. The get together becomes eerie when grandpa Vlad, played by Mel Brooks, finds out that his great grandson is not a pure blood. Add to that, the closed door policy of Hotel Transylvania has been lifted, making it open for human guests as well. Transylvania can expect the chaotic collision of old school modern ways.

The photo call of Hotel Transylvania 2 was held last Sunday at Ritz-Carlton in Cancun graced by the movies' stars. Selena Gomez, portraying Mavis in the movie, joined the press release with her ruby red Katie Ermilio crop top and a slit which went all the way up to the top of her leg. She was the only one formally dressed, while the rest of her co-starts like Adam Sandler and Kevin James were in plain shirts, denim pants or shorts, and sneakers. Still, Selena does not seem to mind as she went with the flow and modelled with her movie character mascot.

Hotel Transylvania 2 is the sequel of Hotel Transylvania released three years ago where Jonathan wanders to their hotel and falls in love with Dracula's daughter, Mavis.

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Never underestimate Marvel Studios and their marketing team as tracking numbers for Ant-Man have improved significantly in just over a week.

Initial tracking had Ant-Man pegged for a soft $55 to $60 million debut in North America, but now The Hollywood Reporterbelieves it could open as high as $65 million.

That's significant because no Marvel film has opened below $65 million since 2008's The Incredible Hulk, which grossed $55.4 million in its domestic debut. A $65 million debut for Ant-Man would be on par with Marvel's 2011 films Captain America: The First Avenger ($65M) and Thor ($65.7M).
Of course Ant-Man could overperform because it is considered one of the more family-friendly Marvel films, but don't expect it to even sniff Guardians of the Galaxy $94.3 million stateside debut.

Armed with the astonishing ability to shrink in scale but increase in strength, con-man Scott Lang must embrace his inner-hero and help his mentor, Dr. Hank Pym, protect the secret behind his spectacular Ant-Man suit from a new generation of towering threats. Against seemingly insurmountable obstacles, Pym and Lang must plan and pull off a heist that will save the world.

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Pixar is known for making animated movies that pull at your heartstrings. Whether it's toys coming to life, a fish looking for independence or monsters trying to figure out their purpose, it's always wise to come to the theater with a pack of tissues. 

"Inside Out" is no exception to that standard, but it takes it one step further. Since emotions are the film's main characters, the movie does more than just make you feel things -- it attempts to explain why you feel them, which might make it the most important movie the company has ever made. 

Riley's age is an important piece of the "Inside Out" puzzle. It's a crucial time in growing up where you're no longer a child but you haven't officially started becoming an adult yet either. It's a time of transition. 

For Riley, that means maturing from simple emotional reactions to being able to process mixed feelings about the events in her life. That's only possible if Joy (Amy Poehler) and her other emotions can learn to work together. 

"At the end of the film, we wanted [Joy] to go back and do something that she could have never done at the beginning of the film, based on what she'd learned," Docter says. "The central theme of this film is coming together and finding the most important thing, I think everyone would agree, is relationships with our family, with our friends."

Pixar's previous films have also dealt with the theme of growing up. Andy grows out of his toys in "Toy Story." Nemo goes out on his own in "Finding Nemo" and Boo stops needing Mike and Sully in "Monsters Inc," but "Inside Out" delivers the message more frankly. 

"Inside Out" technically doesn't have a happy ending. Riley doesn't get to go back to Minnesota. She doesn't get her best friend back. She still has to grow up. Instead, the ending translates more accurately to "Sometimes everything isn't OK, but that's OK" -- which is a lot more honest and more likely to relate to Pixar's young audience so they know they aren't alone when life starts to get difficult. 

The movie is an isolating experience for Riley as she feels displaced and forgotten by those that matter most to her, but she's providing solace for many kids -- and adults -- who are watching. By using animated emotions to explain why Riley feels the way she does, it gives adolescent kids a way to understand their own confusing thoughts and feelings. They don't have to feel as alone as Riley does, because they have her to prove they aren't living a singular experience. 

"Pixar doesn't patronize their young audience and they don't underestimate the intelligence of their audience every time so they keep raising the bar and also they assume that you and your big brain is going to show up and your big heart," says Poehler at the press conference. 

"They assume you're gonna take all those things with you when you go see their movies; and you're so rewarded when you do." 

"Inside Out" is in theaters now. 

Photo/Video credit: Disney/Pixar

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