Bleach 308: Mega Mush

Face mush

n. v.

                An ultimate act of insult by placing one’s hand on the face of another and pushing off. The action may be quick, or slow and enclosing.

Mega mush

n. v.

                The act of face mushing someone with a hand and arm that is amplified with power while simultaneously lifting and taking them from one location to another.

"If you haven't been watching Bleach, do it! Now." That is a quote from my brother to me, which I will now pass on to you. Bleach is a Japanese manga series on Cartoon Network about Soul Reapers, like Ichigo, who protect humans from evil spirits and guide departed souls to the afterlife. I'm fairly new to the series, but now that I'm in...I'm in. The only hindrance that keeps me from seeing it when it initially airs during Adult Swim on Saturday nights is my 26-year-old body's inclination to age about 50 years after the street light comes on, rendering me comatose by at least 9 o'clock. 

I introduced this post with two definitions of face mushing because in Saturday's episode, 308, Aizen, empowered by the Hogyoku, is chasing Ichigo's friends intending to kill them. Ichigo returns, imbued with new power of his own, after tapping into his inner hollow and Zanpakutō. Ichigo calmly tells Aizen he wishes to continue their confrontation elsewhere, but Aizen cockily resists. 

What followed can only be described as the greatest act of disrespect from one man to another. It hurt my pride. Ichigo proceeded to grab Aizen by his face, mushing him for many miles and many minutes. Aizen was in so much shock after Ichigo released him that he just crouched with his own hand up by his face in disbelief. I was so flabbergasted that I couldn't help but shout at the screen, "HE JUST GRABBED YOUR WHOLE FACE!" But you can't say Ichigo didn't calmly warn him first. Ichigo then continued deflecting and breaking through each and every one of Aizen's attacks and his incantation. If I were Aizen, I'd just hang it up and call it a day and hope that none of Ichigo's friends share with anyone else the story of me getting manhandled and mushed beyond belief.

Reader's Choice

Hello blogosphere friends!!

i've been in quite the bloggin' mood these past couple months, so if there are any specific topics or posts you want to read on my blog, just drop a note in one of my comment sections and i'll be happy to get to bloggin' about it. :-) Take care!

DC Comics: Past, Present, and Future

In DC Comic’s effort to get on the above par level of Marvel Comics’ billion dollar success of The Avengers and individual CBM hero movies, a Justice League movie is being slated for a 2017 release. Unfortunately, DC has ridden so long and hard on the success and hype of the Dark Knight series, with only the recent addition of a Man of Steel film, that the likelihood that a Justice League movie won’t just be a jumbled, rushed mess is slim. Marvel’s formula was smooth and well executed:

·         Marvel broke down its film plans into 3 phases
·         Individual hero movies were released that built up back/origin stories
·         The movies connect with one another through scenes, characters or bonus footage
·         The Avengers are then able to reasonably assemble for the good of the human race

Unless DC is planning on releasing some individual hero movies between now and 2017, the characters will appear lost and the audience will consequently be lost. By that time, 2 Avengers movies will have come out putting all eyes and immense pressure on the success of a Justice League film. To speed up the process (no Flash pun intended) DC may want to consider tag teaming some of its characters together like Wonder Woman and Aquaman; reboot Green Lantern and team him up with Martian Manhunter. They’re bound to bump into each other out in space anyway. An Aquaman pilot episode was created on the heels of the character’s appearance on Smalllville, but that didn’t pan out. Barry Allen's Flash is also set to make an appearance on the CW's Arrow which will hopefully then zoom straight into his own origin story series. This would be the second Flash series to grace the TV airways since 1990s CBS series starring John Wesley Shipp. A Wonder Woman TV series saw the light of day from 1975-1979 starring Lynda Carter, but plans for a 2011 reboot starring G.I. Joe Retaliation’s Adrianne Palicki fell through when NBC opted not to buy the series. A pilot episode was made which television critic Alan Sepinwall described as "embarrassing ... [I]t was all I had feared, and more". There are talks that Wonder Woman will also appear on Arrow, have her own CW show entitled Amazon, and have her own Warner Bros’ live-action film. The Newsroom actress Olivia Munn expressed desire in the cinematic role of Wonder Woman but felt that her Chinese-American heritage would be a hindrance in her casting; along with her competition with other A-list, more well-known actresses. Honestly, though John Carter wasn’t a box office hit, I thought that Lynn Collins’ portrayal of Dejah Thoris was wonderful. I think she would be the perfect Wonder Woman.

However, there is often a toss-up of whether a movie starring and revolving around a woman warrior prevails successfully at the box office.

The Good:
·         Kill Bill
·         Underworld
·         Resident Evil
·         Alien
·         Tomb Raider

The Bad:
·         Ultraviolet
·         Aeon Flux
·         Sucker Punch
·         Elektra

As you can see, Milla Jovovich struck gold with the Resident Evil series but flatlined with Ultraviolet. Sometimes an equally commanding male counterpart is included as in Batman Returns with the sassy minx, Catwoman and Terminator 2: Judgment Day with Sarah Connor. I hope to see a Wonder Woman live-action film because I think, with the right writers and director, it could be truly awesome. It would also be a good intro and transition for the character into the Justice League. I’d hate to see a JL movie where the heroes all just kind of bump into each other (on Earth most likely) and ask, “Hey, so do you want to team up and save the world?”

Comic-Con Cuteness

In honor of Comic-Con 2013, I wanted to post a quote from comedian Simon Pegg on the beauty of being a geek:

"Being a geek is all about being honest about what you enjoy and not being afraid to demonstrate that affection. It means never having to play it cool about how much you like something. It’s basically a license to proudly emote on a somewhat childish level rather than behave like a supposed adult. Being a geek is extremely liberating.” ~Simon Pegg

Having said that, this past week’s Comic-Con 2013 was jam packed with celebrities, fans in costumes and capes, TV show and film panels, goodies, and spoilers. Simply, awesome. But did you know that it was also jam packed with super cuteness?! Check out the link below to see Yahoo’s 20 Best Baby Superheroes at Comic-Con 2013. (There’s even a super pup in there, too. ;) Simply, adorable. J

http://movies.yahoo.com/photos/then20-best-babies-in-superhero-costume-at-comicon-1374430278-slideshow/#crsl=%252Fphotos%252Fthen20-best-babies-in-superhero-costume-at-comicon-1374430278-slideshow%252Fbaby-robin-photo-1374427201688.html

R.I.P. Dennis Farrina

Farina, 69, passed away Monday morning after suffering a blood clot in his lung. A veteran of the Chicago Theater, many may remember Farina from his role as Detective Joe Fontana on Law & Order. I was just watching Paparazzi yesterday and loved his role in that film. Definitely a sad loss of a great actor. 



Photo courtesy Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Dennis_Farina_2011_Shankbone.JPG

Drop Dead Diva 5.5 “Secret Lives”

*Sap Alert*

 

This Monday morning I had a residual smile on my face because last night’s “Secret Lives” episode of Drop Dead Diva left me with happy thoughts. Considering over on HBO a popular character met his death on True Blood, I’m glad I stuck with DDD this week. It appears that Owen is finally opening back up to Jane and reconciliation between the love birds may be in the works. I hope the writers don’t fudge this up and instead take time with their relationship. I wouldn’t expect two people to rush back into something after all they’ve been through, but their mutual love and respect could help them mend fences. #TeamOwen

 

After working together on a murder case of a high-profile baseball player, where Owen was initially rude and abrupt again, Jane and Owen had a moment where he reluctantly let her know that her eyes still hypnotize him. Awww! Also, Owen has always loved the way Jane’s mind works, and you could see that admiration conveyed as he watched her represent their client. The episode ended on a high note for me as Owen unexpectedly stopped by Jane’s home and let her know that the success of their case was all on account of her. He then proceeded to apologize for acting like a jerk and allowing his personal feelings to intrude on his business feelings and actions. He asks her if she can forgive him and she tearily responds back of course she can forgive him. He smiles a big smile and Jane smiles back and tells him, “I miss that smile.” I’ve missed it too! Their chemistry is dynamic. Warm and fuzzies here, people.

 

Meanwhile, in Reboundville, Grayson is having frequent drinks and swapping spit with Kim’s new, younger assistant. Grayson is forever bouncing around from woman to woman (remember when he was engaged to the cute red head and then dated the eeevil Gina Blunt?) which is fine, I guess, if you’re a bachelor, but it is also one of the reasons I never wanted to see him with Jane. (Along with the fact they’ve all resembled Deb, not Jane.) I appreciate Jane and Owen’s relationship because though it has had its ups and downs, I believe their hearts always gravitate to one another. After Jane’s rejection I get that Grayson’s lonely and needs an ego boost, but seriously dude, don’t s**t where you eat. I have a feeling his new office hook-up is going to cause trouble.

 

The casting for this show is wonky to me because they removed the character of Parker due to what I heard were budget reasons, but added on Paul the angel who is barely ever around. This casting change immediately painted a seemingly well-liked Parker as a deadbeat who left his current, pregnant girlfriend and unborn child for his ex-girlfriend and son. Also, the need for an angel at this point is a bit played out since their main job is to keep Jane away from Grayson or from revealing her secret. Luke definitely dropped the ball on keeping Jane and Grayson from kissing, but considering Jane rejected Grayson’s subsequent desire for a relationship, I’d say she’s doing ok, but what do I know? What I do know is that the caliber of Jane’s angels have gone down since Fred, and since Stacy now wants to be a mom, it makes me think of Fred even more. (However, putting aside the fact that he’s an angel, I always thought Fred was too good for Stacy’s cheating ways.)

 

Also, has anyone ever wondered, since guardian angels are unsuspectingly walking around, that evil beings could be walking around, too, causing trouble? I was certain Gina Blunt (Mädchen Amick) from season 4 was some sort of devil wearing Prada considering she seemed to know and detest the angel Luke, she squirmed her way into Grayson’s love life, and she attempted to crumble the law firm of Harrison & Parker to the ground. They didn’t touch anymore on that storyline, but I certainly think it’d be an interesting one. 

What did you think of Drop Dead Diva “Secret Lives”? Are you happy to see Owen warming back up to Jane? What do you think of Grayson’s new love interest?

Summer Blues

It's a cruel, cruel, cruel summer, folks. No offense to those who love summer, but it is my least favorite season. You can never take off enough clothes to get truly cool outside of AC buildings without being arrested. The sweltering heat fries my brain; I've spontaneously exited several conversations out of sheer fatigue and the inability to form the words and phrases I desire. Speaking of spontaneity, getting into my car after 8 hours of it sitting outside in the sun makes me feel as if I'm about to spontaneously combust all over my steering wheel. I also end up moving at the speed of a zombie. I'm not talking World War Z zombies, I'm talking old school, dragging my leg an inch at a time type zombie. Summer brings with it three of my least favorite things:

• Bugs
• Germs 
• Headaches

I get it. It's hot and the bugs are trying to get cool too, but that doesn't mean I want spiders Mission Impossibly diving down from my ceilings or ant colonies taking over my desk in search of any sugary substance. I end up so sweaty and sticky by the end of the day that dirt and bugs stick to me like sticky ribbon tape. No matter how much water I attempt to drink, on some days, when the sun is simply brutal without a cloud in sight, I get an awful headache. Those headaches just add to my lack of energy to do...anything.

Today I saw a woman on the back of a motorcycle in a tank top turning as red as a tomato. Traffic was a beast and she was getting cooked faster than Kramer tanning covered in butter. I would say the only two positives of summer are trips to the beach and my ever-growing hair styling techniques acquired in an effort to battle humidity, keep from sweating my hair out, or burning my neck up. Here's to only two and a half more months of summer and then I can bask in the lovely temps of Autumn!