Back in 2008 Warner Brothers released a straight-to DVD movie called Batman:Gotham Knight in 2008 at about the same time they released the feature Dark Knight in theaters. Gotham Knight is an anthology of six short movies exploring Batman's world from the perspective of Anime. Each story is different. Even the art is different in style for each story. The only thing that really connects all the stories is the voice of the late great Kevin Conroy as the voice of Batman/Bruce Wayne.
One of the best stories is found in the fifth story. What I liked about it was that in the story we get flash backs of the time in Batman's life when as a young man he travelled the world learning all the skills he needed to learn. The story was about when Batman is injured and needs to call Alfred, his Butler, to pick him up. As Batman made his way to the point in the sewer he would rendevous with Alfred, Batman has flashbacks to the time he went to a woman somewhere in Asia to learn how to control pain. While Batman was interested in learning how to control physical pain but his teacher's goal was trying to teach him how to handle and heal the trauma that drove him to become Batman. When he had learned what he came for, Batman's teacher sent him away but she said that she failed to help him.
Below is a clip of the last two minutes in the story when Batman reaches the point he is supposed to meet Alfred he finds a bunch of illegal guns strewn about the sewer tunnel. Batman tries to gather the guns in his arms when Alfred reaches down from the street level so Batman can take his hand and be saved, Batman says "I can't." Why? Because he cannot let go of the guns. The guns represent the trauma that birthed Batman - the death of the Waynes, his parents gunned down in front of him as a child. That is great illustration of how in the depths of emotional pain we sometimes hold on to the pain instead of letting it go and being free of it.
One of the best things about art like this is that it lends itself to multiple interpretations and views. Feel free to leave yours in the comments. Also check the links below to stream the movie and the Wikipedia article for more information.
SYNOPSIS
Set in fifteenth-century West Africa, Malika: Warrior Queen follows the
exploits of Queen and military commander, Malika, who struggles to keep
the peace in her ever-expanding empire. Growing up as a prodigy, Malika
inherited the crown from her father in the most unusual of
circumstances, splitting the Kingdom of Azzaz in half. After years of
civil war, Malika was able to unite all of Azzaz, expanding it into one
of the largest empires in all of West Africa.
But expansion would not come without its costs. Enemies begin to rise
within her council, and Azzaz grabbed the attention of the most feared
superpower the world has ever known: the Ming Dynasty. As Malika fights
to win the clandestine civil war within the walls of her empire, she
must now turn her attention to an indomitable and treacherous foe that
plans to vanquish her entire people. From dragons to mythical relics, a
feuding royal family and magical swords, the story of Malika: Warrior
Queen stays true to the fantasy genre while adding something new by
setting familiar concepts in an awe-inspiring African setting.
I realize that some people may be offended by a movie based on Jesus, especially one done animated in Japanese style. I don't have a problem with it, personally. I don't see a film or an animated film as profane or evil any more than live-action "Passion" plays. Such films help ground our understanding by giving us something to see. In the first century, Christians were so close to actual events they understood what Jesus actually went through. Some of them had family and friends who had been crucified. It was a reality for them - not just history. I'd like to see the rest of this film. So I'll post more information about it as soon as I get more information.
I am so going to buy a copy of this DVD. I do want more episodes made. In this article there is a short interview with Reginald Hudlin. He answered some questions about the production that I had wanted to know. He even revealed that the show was made in the United States and not animated in Taiwan, China, or Japan like most animated series these days. If you missed the series you have the chance to go get a copy and do your part to get more episodes of this series made.
From time to time, I like to mix it up on this blog and add posts and reviews of television programs. I wanted to call attention to this post for two reasons. One, the debate between Chris Sims and Chris Haley on the merits of the pilot for the show Young Justice is not just funny and insightful but also show how two men can disagree and yet be friendly. Second, the show may have little cognitive value but it was fun and yet it still managed to deal with questions like: As a young person, how do you know when it's time to go on your own? As a mentor and/or parent, how do you know when it's time to let go? Also do your origins - say a clone - give you the same right to be free as a person who isn't a clone? (I know not a new question, but given the current advance in genetics we need to have answers quickly.) Is it ethical to clone a person without their consent or knowledge? The show does not really definitively answer these questions but it does raise the conversation. Also to weigh-in on the debate, I think Haley is right, the show was great! My only complaint is that we won't see any new episodes until January!!! IT was fun to see Robin, Aqualad, Kid Flash, and Superboy learning how to be a team without their mentors and trying to find their own way....and to see them beat a lot of bad guys.
I admit I wasn't sure which blog to put this this link, but I finally decided to put it on my main blog. It's a primer on the background for The Last Airbinder movie. I've seen most of the animated series on which the movie is based. I like the article from G4TV because it doesn't give any spoilers for the movie or the animated series and yet gives a lot of information I did not know. I've seen almost every episode and it's well done. The only thing is that it does speak from a pantheistic worldview and incorporates many religions. At the same time it does have a lot of good moral and interesting ideas for children. I don't think the show was good for children at all. All the characters grow and change and much character development is done right. There is plenty of humor and action and adventure. If the movie makers stick to the source material this movie will be one of the best movies ever! If they play too fast and loose it is gonna suck. I'd like to do some posts comparing the animated series and the movie and what they have to say about the world as well as comparing the movie with the animated series. I'm not going to believe the critics until I see it for myself. They probably didn't understand the animated series either. So far the only complaint I think holds weight without seeing the movie is casting the movie with all white actors while in the animated series all the characters are people of color and all the nations are modeled on Hindu, Buddhist, Eskimo, Native American, Chinese, and Japanese cultures.
In last night's Simpsons opening the show commented on the controversy of the creators of South Park being threatened by Muslim extremists who are unhappy with how the program depicted Muhammad in an episode Comedy Central refuses to air.
James White posted the following video to showcase the idea that Muslims are calling for censoring of the South Park animated series for making fun of Muhammad. I thin free speech is important even if things are said or depicted that I disagree with. South Park does not not just insult Islam but all religions. If someone says something you disagree with, instead of shutting them up...answer them. Explain why they are wrong.
Here is an interesting video I found on YouTube. An animation of Jesus walking on water using a Japanese animated (Anime) style. So why did Jesus walk on water? Was He showing off? Was He just trying to get to the boat? Jesus was validating his deity. Job 9:8 says:
He [God] alone stretches out the heavens
and treads on the waves of the sea.
I found this video on YouTube and while I commend the author for his "enlightened" view about televised violence - especially - at 17 years of age, I must respectfully disagree. To be fair, the young man is not real familiar with the Black Panther character and based his whole opinion on this trailer that has been rolling round the internet since 2008. He also told me that he has not read the 6 issues of the comic book on which the animated series is based. All that being said I'd like to comment on the animated series now that I have seen 2 episodes in their entirety.
Both the books and the show make it clear that Wakanda (Black Panther's nation) was
under attack by a hostile tribe. What happened was violent yest, but needed. The Wakandans handled the situation with finality and left one alive so he could spread the word: Leave Wakanda alone. The story contains must political intrigue
and social commentary - that isn't politically correct but historically correct for a work of fiction. The Black Panther is the fist black superhero in all of fiction to be solo and not not connected to an established white character. He is iconic. The animated series' choice to adapt Hudlin' first 6 issues was genius because it's a great jumping on point for anyone who knows nothing about the character and establishes that Storm (yes, of the X-Men) will eventually marry him.
Now about the violence. The young man remarked that in the X-Men cartoons, Wolverine does not kill, however anyone who knows Wolverine from the comic books know that he crosses the line repeatedly. In the cartoon, it was for children and back then you could not show blood in children's programs. Same thing is true for the Batman and Superman series. Batman does not kill either but he toes that line. Remember when he threatened to drawn a suspect in the Gotham Bay while he dangled him by one hand from the Batwing? That was from the animated series' first season. Superman gives it a much wider breadth. The reason why those series worked was that they stayed with source material. The producers for Black Panther are doing the same.
What about the morality of the Panther's actions? I'll table the discussion of Superman, Batman, and Wolverine for later. I don't see a problem with the Panther's actions in the Who is the Black Panther story arc because the Panther is never shown killing anyone. Even in trying to avenge his Father, it's not about murder. Remember killing and murder are not the same thing. The men in the clip below came to steal, kill, and destroy Wakanda. There is nothing in the Bible against self defense. If someone starts a war with you, it's perfectly moral to end it. sometimes that mean ending them. I want to end with a quote from Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
1 There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:
2 a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
6 a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_t4kaAHvw2kLIijorcVJtULhqUS84pQk2sPbt1BMRG2noeiE5FFiE9r9vfbjNmzYFFhGBEn5UQezmlnP0U1r6ji9ZXaYSkEbyJlolI-1oU1RGKTSXMwB3MPs3vMTKs1kagRse3TrofPPQcXuxYp99_l=s0-d)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_ts50DiJnDKYhFl0TDh5ePLlU4V-gZJ0u-L36DUYdfMfcXTqXRGF0q-PtMn5aYDgTyCU8jN6uE3ot1Ak9-OrOi2subYMaxQz2o8TtdaGZpzoksqL9kaYVNS8iEshTEH6v_JemWiMn4jEC12oMkV8_XG=s0-d)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_u8qYV_v6rKHWcfpKDnDBa2_QJfpe7KU4Orj8Fzt7Cy-iZDVss1xIsZjsx-jUx0yn27GLQRntx9UYizUiRJUiXQpa4VtwyfuhCVIBo6W5RyI3AEoTPsp0QO1u1XUIZiGW64viYAuDIW9C2G-nMiMndI=s0-d)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_uwOta8lOoOCoWJ199bz7T4WaE9zMDTpoAC3oo4Jx4yct3LC1ReQICcSX7NIvd5U87VYXWnWkGQWHXJ0TZqnEM2SVIt41-NFRMVOptGaLODBAIRm_lICBQyL9ZavWI4MdIp_3a-EpDRa5jIDWLLLAs=s0-d)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_ttQLdEprlwpGrg_8hwL7Q2hg9bMCnFIELLeZyPogUYnSXc1qOo_Q6GDQ3b7ZDTqtBGotO-Rjq2sf6xbeW692NMxPtC3wf3uioM2w8tVvvwZsvigBV4V1qSfoZ6oxsSAyKrpSKknwdg0Uwnc9WTVa7h=s0-d)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_t-LjtiHgQC4lD3tzPEtfSD7Lmy-STLNRAcM_m9peT0Bf90IZVdUKDP9Ez3-XR6EMUl1RaazJeH6q-tx23nu5oFcl5gEjL6oxf_jjUL9M6TvihVTxqBiPoPJAmPV_EJc1z6pF4dj_5FNRhGmRVeJlI=s0-d)