Katawa Shoujo: Summer's Clover (2014):

Katawa Shoujo: Summer's Clover (2014):

“The non-canon scenario of Miura Miki starting shortly before she meets the new transfer student Nakai Hisao.”

Summer's Clover is a non-canon side-story to Katawa Shoujo. You play as Miki. Miki is adjusting to life after an accident took her hand. She's a side character in the original game, alongside Emi and the track team. Here, she has two suitors to choose from: Hisao and Suzu.

Hisao is the main character from the original Katawa Shoujo. He bumps into Miki, and in this version, they can hit it off and become boyfriend and girlfriend, or just stay friends. I focused on Suzu's branch, because, well, that's my preference. Even if you choose Suzu, Hisao tags along for the story. He's still a main character.

Suzu has narcolepsy. A condition which brings on extreme drowsiness and loss of muscle tone during sudden extreme emotions. Suzu also likes women, it is revealed. So, that opens up her path as well. Essentially you have Hisao or Suzu as paths to choose from, with multiple endings for either character.

Since I only played Suzu's path, I know it's about Miki discovering her interest in women, and also getting Suzu's family to accept their relationship. Suzu also is an introvert who reads manga. (Comics.) As Miki helps her come out of her shell, they spend a lot of time together on the beach and in bedrooms for summer vacation. (Hey! Summer's Clover!) But, everyone but Suzu's cool older sister hates Miki and Suzu as a couple.

Honestly, this isn't a bad game. Only a few things give away that it's non-canon, but it was worked on by an Australian member of Four Leaf Studios. One thing is the characters constantly use Australian slang like “crikey!” and “blimey!” Another thing is some of the new characters look odd in shape and size, because they aren't re-used art from the original game, which is a little jarring, but fine.

Overall, it's a good side-story, with original art in addition to the original game. But, I can understand why it wasn't a fully polished game. It's one Australian guy from Four Leaf Studios working off notes and anime sketches. With Four Leaf Studios now basically gone, it may never get an official release. This might be all there is. But, it should be enough if you're a Katawa Shoujo fan, and want more Katawa Shoujo. Check it out.

Lucy (2014):

Lucy (2014):

“A woman, accidentally caught in a dark deal, turns the tables on her captors and transforms into a merciless warrior evolved beyond human logic.”

I've wanted to talk about this movie for a long time. It's very good, even if its thesis rests on the 10% brain myth. That's just an excuse to give Lucy superpowers, have her talk about evolution, and philosophy. It's a very French action film, in that it introduces meaning-of-life-questions into a shoot-em-up. But, let's get to talking about it.

Average Lucy is going about her day as a tourist when she's kidnapped by Chinese gangsters and forced to ingest CPH4, a new drug. Meanwhile, Morgan Freeman plays Dr. Norman, who's giving a speech on evolution and the brain. While Lucy is expanding her brain, she finds that she can move objects, and heroically escapes her kidnappers, and gets to a hospital.

She can understand Chinese now, which isn't how the brain works at all, but, sci-fi. Turns out that while the drug is enhancing her body, it's also killing it, and evolving beyond the need for a body. All this is while the mafia and European authorities are after her. It's a race against time as Lucy guns down criminals and stops the authorities with her mind. Then, she has to fly to Paris, and meet Dr. Norman in 12 hours.

On the plane, she starts to transcend her physical body, and become little swirling, morphing bits, but with her powers, she remains corporeal. Once in Paris, she unlocks her final abilities, and builds a supercomputer to record her knowledge. Her last superpower is time travel, as time is the only thing connecting her to physical matter.

There's a lot to digest here in 89 minutes. we have time travel, psychic abilities, and even some evolutionary psychology, all wrapped in a fast-paced action movie. Scarlett Johansson's steely-eyed femme fatale presence does most of the dramatic heavy lifting as she evolves from ditzy tourist to omniscient god, and so does Morgan Freeman's authoritative voice.

I highly recommend this film. It's not really science, but it's great sci-fi action. It gives you some philosophy to think about, while also having stylish action. Watch it anyway you can! You at least won't be able to look away, since everything happens so fast.

Journey To The West (2014):

Journey To The West (2014):

"A story centered on Tang Sanzang, a Buddhist trying to protect a village from three demons, his emerging feelings for Miss Duan, the demon hunter who helps him repeatedly, and Sanzang's transformative encounter with the Monkey King."

Pretty good, pretty weird action comedy by Stephen Chow. Look it up if you wanna watch something funny and unique, with a weird spin on Chinese legend. Check it out if you can.