Sengoku
Basara 2 (戦国BASARA2?) is a sequel
to the video game Sengoku Basara (known in English as Devil Kings), released in Japan
on July 27, 2006 for the PlayStation 2. A revision with additional
features named Sengoku Basara 2 Heroes was released on November
29, 2007. This version was later ported to Nintendo Wii.
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Naruto (ナルト Naruto?) is an ongoing Japanese manga
series written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto. The plot tells the story of Naruto Uzumaki, an adolescent ninja who constantly searches
for recognition and dreams to become the Hokage, the ninja in his village who is acknowledged as the
leader and the strongest of all. The series is based on a one-shot comic by
Kishimoto that was published in the August 1997 issue of Akamaru Jump.
The manga was first published
by Shueisha in 1999 in the 43rd issue of Japan's Weekly Shōnen Jump
magazine. Currently, the manga is still being serialized; sixty-three tankōbon volumes have been released so far. The manga was
later adapted into an anime, which was produced by Studio Pierrot and Aniplex. It premiered across Japan on the terrestrial TV Tokyo and other TX Network stations on October 3, 2002. The first series
lasted 220 episodes, while Naruto: Shippuden, a sequel to the original series, has
been airing since February 15, 2007. In addition to the anime series, Studio
Pierrot has developed eight movies for the series and several original video animations
(OVAs). Other types of merchandise include light novels, video games and trading cards developed by
several companies.
Viz Media has licensed the manga and anime for North American
production. Viz has been publishing the series in their Shonen Jump magazine,
and as well as the individual volumes. The anime series began airing in the
United States and Canada in 2005, and later in the United Kingdom and Australia
in 2006 and 2007, respectively. The films, as well as most OVAs from the
series, have also been released by Viz, with the first film premiering in
cinemas. The first DVD volume of Naruto: Shippuden was released by Viz
in North America on September 29, 2009, and it started broadcast on Disney XD in October of
the same year. Viz Media will begin streaming both series on their upcoming
streaming service Neon Alley this fall.
Naruto is one of the best-selling manga
series of all time having sold more than 126.5 million copies in Japan alone.
Serialized in Viz's Shonen Jump magazine, Naruto has become one
of the company's best-selling manga series. The English adaptation of the
series has also appeared in the USA Today Booklist several times and volume 7 won the Quill Award in 2006. Reviewers from the series have praised
the balance between fighting and comedy scenes, as well as the characters'
personalities, but have criticized it for using standard shōnen plot elements.
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Avatar: The Last
Airbender (Avatar:
The Legend of Aang in some parts of Europe) is an American animated television series that aired for three seasons
on Nickelodeon from 2005 to
2008. The series was created and produced by Michael Dante DiMartino
and Bryan Konietzko, who
served as executive producers along with Aaron Ehasz. Avatar: The Last Airbender is set in an
Asian influenced world[1] wherein some are able to manipulate the classical elements by use of psychokinetic variants of Chinese martial arts known
as "bending". The show combined the styles of anime
and American
cartoons, and relied on the imagery of various East Asian, Inuit,
Southeast Asian, South Asian and New World societies.[2][not
in citation given] Due to this style, the series
regularly enters the conversation regarding its consideration as an anime work.[3]
The series follows the
adventures of protagonist twelve-year-old Aang and
his friends, who must bring peace and unity to the world by ending the Fire
Lord's war against the other three nations.[4] The pilot episode first aired on February 21, 2005[5] and the series concluded with a widely praised two-hour episode on
July 19, 2008.[6] The show is obtainable from various sources,
including DVD, the iTunes Store, the Zune Marketplace, the Xbox Live Marketplace, the
PlayStation Store, Netflix Instant Play (formerly), and the Nicktoons Network.[7]
Upon release, Avatar: The
Last Airbender was universally acclaimed by audiences and critics alike.[8] Praises went to the art direction, humor, cultural
references, and themes. It was also commercially successful, garnering 5.6
million viewers on its best-rated showing and receiving high ratings in the Nicktoons lineup, even outside its 12–18-year-old demographic.[4][9] The series has been nominated for and won awards
from the Annual Annie Awards, the Genesis Awards, the primetime Emmy awards and a Peabody Award among others. The first season's success prompted
Nickelodeon to order second[10] and third[11] seasons. In other media, the series has spawned a
critically panned but financially successful live-action film, titled The Last Airbender,
directed by M. Night Shyamalan, scaled
action figures,[12] a trading card
game,[13][14] three video games based on the first,[15] second,[16][17] and third
seasons, stuffed animals
distributed by Paramount Parks, and two LEGO sets.[18] An art book was also released in mid-2010.[19] A sequel series, The Legend of Korra, premiered
on April 14, 2012.[20]
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