This program unpacks Playstation 3 Theme files (.p3t) so that you can touch-up an existing theme to your likings or use a certain wallpaper from it (as many themes have multiple). But remember, if you use content from another theme and release it, be sure to give credit!
Download p3textractor.zip from above. Extract the files to a folder with a program such as WinZip or WinRAR. Now there are multiple ways to extract the theme.
The first way is to simply open the p3t file with p3textractor.exe. If you don’t know how to do this, right click the p3t file and select Open With. Alternatively, open the p3t file and it will ask you to select a program to open with. Click Browse and find p3textractor.exe from where you previously extracted it to. It will open CMD and extract the theme to extracted.[filename]. After that, all you need to do for any future p3t files is open them and it will extract.
The second way is very simple. Just drag the p3t file to p3textractor.exe. It will open CMD and extract the theme to extracted.[filename].
For the third way, first put the p3t file you want to extract into the same folder as p3textractor.exe. Open CMD and browse to the folder with p3extractor.exe. Enter the following: p3textractor filename.p3t [destination path]Replace filename with the name of the p3t file, and replace [destination path] with the name of the folder you want the files to be extracted to. A destination path is not required. By default it will extract to extracted.filename.
Devil May Cry 4[a] is a 2008 action-adventure game developed and published by Capcom. It was released for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Microsoft Windows platforms. It is the fourth installment in the Devil May Cry series and is written by Bingo Morihashi and directed by Hideaki Itsuno. The story follows Nero, a young man possessing demonic powers who is on a mission to stop the series' main character, Dante, after he assassinates the leader of the Order of the Sword. The player assumes the role of both Nero and Dante as they fight enemies using their demonic powers and a variety of weapons.
Devil May Cry 4 is the first entry in the series to be released simultaneously for multiple consoles. During its development, Capcom focused on each version achieving the same visual quality using the MT Frameworkgame engine. Around eighty people formed the team that created the game. Nero was introduced to attract the new gamers. Dante's popularity with gamers proved challenging because the developers needed to use him as a supporting character in the story.
Critical reception to Devil May Cry 4 was positive. It was praised for its challenging difficulty, its visuals and Nero's characterization as a new protagonist. However, it was criticized for its backtracking in Dante's stages and a troublesome camera. The game sold over three million units worldwide, becoming the series' best-selling title before the release of its sequel. Bingo Morihashi adapted it into a two-volume light novel.
It was released on iOS as Devil May Cry 4: Refrain in February 2011. A remastered version of the game was released in June 2015 as Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition which adds both English and Japanese voice tracks, improved visual effects and textures, in-game re-balancing, additional costumes, and three bonus playable characters: Vergil, Lady and Trish. A sequel, Devil May Cry 5, was released on March 8, 2019.
Gameplay in Devil May Cry 4 is like previous games in the series. The player must fight through levels called "missions", occasionally solving puzzles or gathering items. Performance in a mission is graded from "D", the lowest grade, to "A" then "S", "SS", and "SSS", the highest grade. Grades are based on items used, Red Orbs gathered, time taken, and the number of Style Points accumulated. Each Style Point grade has its own tag-word. The stylish grade shows up on the side of the screen and begins at "Deadly" (D); progresses through "Carnage" (C), "Brutal" (B), and "Atomic" (A); then, advances through one last bar of grades containing the phrases "Smokin'" (S), "Smokin' Style" (SS), and lastly "Smokin' Sick Style" (SSS). Stylish combat is the focus of the game, conveyed through unbroken combos of varied attacks while avoiding damage. The player must avoid enemy attacks to continue performing combos, often by memorizing attack patterns.[2] The Devil Trigger is a super state that enables the player to become more powerful adding a slow but steady health regeneration, with increased damage done. Devil Trigger can be activated by pressing the button to trigger it when the gauge is filled.[2]
Some changes introduced in Devil May Cry 4 are the presence of two playable characters, Dante and Nero, and a slight modification to the shop system. A new currency, Proud Souls, is used to buy new abilities while Red Orbs are used to buy items. Proud Souls are rewarded at the end of missions; the amount varies depending on how well the player performed. The cost of abilities increases with the purchase of other abilities, though all abilities can be sold back for their original price.[2]
Nero uses his Devil Bringer ability to parry Dante's attack. The green bar at the top shows Nero's health while the yellow one shows Dante's.
The player plays as Nero throughout most of the game. He is equipped with the Red Queen sword, Blue Rose revolver, and the powers of his Devil Bringer. The Red Queen features an Exceed Gauge that can be charged up to the 3 stages, allowing for subsequent attacks that are more powerful than regular slashes, until the gauge empties. Nero also has the powers of his Devil Bringer and can use it to pull himself towards enemies or vice versa. The Devil Bringer may also be used for context-sensitive throw attacks, leading to high damage and various effects depending on the enemy. Nero's Devil Bringer also gains new abilities during the game, including being able to detect secret missions or caches of Red Orbs. Nero eventually gains the ability to use Devil Trigger after getting the katana known as Yamato. This increases his Devil Bringer's power changing its attacks into more powerful versions with different animations.[2]
The player plays as Dante through seven missions, taking over halfway through the game. His gameplay is like that in Devil May Cry 3. He has access to multiple melee and ranged weapons which he gains after boss battles. He is able to cycle through them freely in combat and is no longer limited to equipping two weapons of each type as he was in the previous game. Dante also begins with his four styles, each of which grants him different abilities. But, unlike in Devil May Cry 3, he may now switch them at will with buttons or pads on the controller.[3] He also gains the Dark Slayer style near the end of his appearance, which only has one style level. Styles do not level up through experience as in the previous game, but instead must be upgraded like other skills in the shop screen in between missions or at statues. Dante can also enter Devil Trigger where he gains most of the benefits that Nero's Devil Trigger has. Since he does not have the Devil Bringer, he gets animation and property changes on some of his normal attacks instead.[2]
Nero is a young demon hunter who lives on the isolated island of Fortuna and is also a member of the Order of the Sword: a religious sect of knights who worship the Legendary Dark Knight Sparda as a God. Dante arrives, and murders The Order's leader, the High Priest Sanctus, in front of the entire congregation. At the same time, an army of demons invade the city, putting everyone, including Nero's love interest Kyrie, in danger. Tasked with stopping Dante by Kyrie's brother Credo,[4] the Captain of the Holy Knights, Nero's journey leads him to discover that he is in fact a descendant of Sparda himself, and Dante is not his enemy.[5] Under orders from Sanctus, Agnus, has been siphoning the power of the long lost Devil Arm Yamato, the sword of Dante's brother Vergil, to create a demonic army, and imbue high-ranking members of the Order with demonic power.[6] To Agnus' shock, the shattered Yamato restores itself in Nero's presence, and flies to Nero's aid.[7] With The Order's plans revealed, Agnus flees to inform the newly resurrected Sanctus.
As Nero sets his sights on The Order, he discovers to his dismay that Credo is part of the conspiracy, until he ends up being deceived as well when they witness Kyrie being kidnapped by Sanctus. He intends to use a creature known as Savior to defeat the demon army he's created, as a means of strengthening the people's worship of Sparda. With the Sparda Sword already in his possession, and needing the blood of a descendant of Sparda along with the Yamato, Sanctus captures Nero to power The Savior's core.[8] Dante arrives, with Trish, who was revealed to be a spy within The Order, and makes a promise to the dying Credo to save Nero and Kyrie.[9] Splitting up, Trish evacuates Fortuna's human residents, while Dante destroys all the Hell Gates scattered over Fortuna, and defeats Agnus, reclaiming the Yamato sword for the last time. Confronting the Savior in a sky battle above Fortuna, Dante drives the Yamato through The Savior's chest,[10] where Nero recovers it inside, freeing himself and Kyrie, and defeating Sanctus.
Nero is able to make peace with the power it has given him to protect those he cares about. Before Dante leaves, he decides to entrust Nero with the Yamato,[11] and Kyrie and Nero share their first kiss in the ruins of Fortuna.[12] Back at Dante's office, Lady arrives. As previously revealed in the game, it was Lady who sent Dante and Trish to Fortuna in the first place as The Order had begun butting in on some of her jobs, which was why Trish immediately went undercover to expose The Order's true colors. As Trish and Lady bicker over the small reward, Dante gets a phone call from a customer and the trio moves out of the office for a new mission.
Vatican City was one of the main inspirations for the fictional city of Fortuna.
Development of Devil May Cry 4 began shortly after its predecessor was a success.[13] A total of eighty people formed the development team.[14] The first teaser was that of Dante on a snowy peak shown at E3 2005,[15] while the Tokyo Game Show 2005 trailer showed Dante doing multiple moves in front of a camera,[16] both containing elements that were not included in the finished product. Capcom only made the E3 2005 video to confirm their staff had begun work on the game.[17] Since they had just finished Devil May Cry 3 and Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition, the developers initially were confused in regards to what they had to do in order to innovate the gameplay mechanics they developed previously.[18] The team wanted to introduce new gameplay elements and a new character allowed them to do this. This was the first Devil May Cry not to be released for PlayStation 2, because it was designed for the next generation of hardware. This allowed the team to try new play mechanics and expand the series' plot.[19] While not intending to send a religious message, members from the Capcom team did research in Vatican City and Istanbul.[20]
On September 6, 2006, Japanese video game magazine Famitsu reported that the previous games' main character, Dante, would not be the protagonist in Devil May Cry 4. Instead, a new character named Nero, voiced and motion captured by Johnny Yong Bosch, took the lead.[21] The use of a new protagonist was discussed many times at Capcom but was not approved until producer Hiroyuki Kobayashi said that the Dante character had to be in the game.[18] Fearing negative feedback, as happened when Konami's stealth game Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty introduced a new character, replacing protagonist Solid Snake with newcomer Raiden, producer Kobayashi said Capcom aimed to make Nero fun to play like Dante and intended to make him stronger at some point.[22]
Two of the game's PC exclusive features are Turbo Mode (previously used only in Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition) giving the game a twenty percent speed boost, and a new difficulty mode called Legendary Dark Knight Mode which can display over 100 enemies in some missions at once.[23] Both features returned in the Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition release.[24]
The PC version also has both DirectX 9 and DirectX 10 mode. It is labeled Games for Windows and runs on Windows XP, Vista, and Windows 7.[23] It assumes a Gamepad is present and only uses the mouse in the menus, providing the same interface as the Xbox 360 version.
Hiroyuki Kobayashi noted the production team began working with the game using a PC-based engine. He said that this was the first PlayStation 3 game developed by Capcom, and making this transition was a "hard step", particularly because no member of the production team was familiar with the console's capabilities.[25]
Capcom justified the game's multi-platform crossover by emphasizing the Xbox 360's success in the North American and European markets, labeling the move as "natural". The final version of Devil May Cry 4 uses Capcom's internally developed MT Framework engine.[25] In a thread questioning the move on the official Capcom message board, the company's senior director of strategic planning and research, Christian Svensson, responded by saying that they were moved by people's strong feelings about the decision, but that it was the best decision for the company and consumers.[26] He also claimed that the contents would be identical, except that "the feel of the controller" may cause a slight difference.[27] Despite Capcom having already used the MT Framework to create two Xbox 360 games-Dead Rising and Lost Planet, the team found difficulties with this engine.[17] The developers first showed a demo of the game at Tokyo Game Show 2006 where Dante fought the boss character Berial. [28] The visuals satisfied the Capcom staff to the point where they called them a "miracle".[20]
Itsuno said in the Famitsu article that the visuals attempt to deliver a satisfying feel of being in the air. The actions of Nero's Devil Bringer could not be done on second generation consoles, but they could be done on the new generation of consoles such as the PlayStation 3.[21] Kobayashi said the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions would be identical, although he did not comment on the PC version.[29] Kobayashi confirmed the PC version "would be great, because the same team is working on both".[27] The PlayStation 3 version requires the user to install 5GB of game data which takes 20 minutes and shortens the length of the loading screens throughout the game.[30]
During production, new gameplay options were implemented to "keep up with fresh action games"; among these is the Devil Bringer's ability to bring enemies towards the characters.[31] Unlike Dante's progress in Devil May Cry 3, Nero was designed to become stronger by upgrading his Devil Bringer ability instead of receiving new weapons after defeating boss characters. During development the production team decided that Nero would be one of two main characters and that Dante was not going to be the only character from previous entries to appear in the series.[32] Producer Hiroyuki Kobashi noted before the game's release they wanted to make Dante seem significantly more powerful than Nero. This was done to create an obvious difference between the strength of a "veteran" when compared to a "rookie".[33] Unlike Devil May Cry 3, the game's difficulty would be the same in both the Japanese and European versions as the version released in North America.[32]
For the first time in the series Bingo Morihashi was the game's writer. He collaborated with film director Yuji Shimomura who worked on the earlier games. Morihashi had many issues with the making of the game to the point he quit Capcom. However, after Itsuno's asked him to return, he did so. He finished writing the game's events, which took a year. Morihashi had difficulties with the characterization of Nero, the new protagonist. Dante returned as a supporting character.[13][34] Itsuno was responsible for most of Kyrie's elements. She was envisioned as an "ordinary, cute heroine" who had a big impact on Nero despite not being a fighter. Her role was to motivate Nero and the player as the story progresses.[34]
The writings of late manga artist Ramo Nakajima in the series Amagasaki City inspired Morihashi to write Nero's story; "I love you, so I protect the city you love." Love is the focus of the Devil May Cry series; Devil May Cry 4 focuses on Nero's love for Kyrie. While Devil May Cry 4 is a simple story similar to Hollywood movies involving a damsel in distress, the staff were satisfied with it because it also carried Morihashi's ideas well.[35] The Capcom staff created Nero as a new protagonist who would develop across the Devil May Cry series because Dante had become stronger with each game. Nero was created as a weaker character who develops new powers as the story progresses until he reaches Dante's level. This was done mostly through his "Devil Bringer" ability, which makes him stand out. Another reason for Nero's introduction was to attract new gamers to the franchise.[36]
Before commencing the designs for the characters in Devil May Cry 4, character designer Tatsuya Yoshikawa consulted with several members of the staff who had worked on the series before to become familiar with previous elements. The characters were designed to emphasize their moves, which made the staff controlling their motions vital to the design.[33] Some of the antagonist's demonic forms in Devil May Cry 4 resemble angels. These characters were designed to be attractive to the game's audience while providing a contrast when compared to other demons in the game.[33] Yoshikawa noted that several of the boss characters presented some difficulty when creating them. He said that Nero's design was one of the biggest challenges he had experienced in his career, because the character had to be accepted by the public and fit in the series' universe.[33] Yoshikawa liked the interactions between Nero and Dante because of the balance the two playable characters make.[37]
Yoshikawa also created another devil transformation, the Devil Trigger, for Nero. Unlike Dante's transformation that makes him look like a devil, Nero's Devil Trigger generates a creature situated behind his back. One that did not appear in the game turned Nero into a demon like Dante. Nero's hood covers one eye as a symbol whose interpretation is left up to the fans. Yoshikawa wanted to incorporate this into the game and hoped to make it into a figurine, but this was not possible.[38]
Both main voice actors motion capture actors, Reuben Langdon and Bosch, expressed pleasure working as Dante and Nero, respectively with the former noting he made Dante like his younger Devil May Cry 3 persona but more mature. Langdon's inspiration for the character was Roy Focker of the anime series The Super Dimension Fortress Macross.[39][40]
The soundtrack for Devil May Cry 4 was composed by Tetsuya Shibata, Shusaku Uchiyama, Kento Hasegawa, Akihiko Narita, Kota Suzuki, Rei Kondoh, Masayoshi "Chamy" Ishi, Masami Ueda and Shinichiro Sato.[41] Shibata said that since the release of Devil May Cry 3 he had wanted to emphasized lyrics in the fourth title.[42] The game is noted for its use of heavy metal songs.[43]
Devil May Cry 4 Original Soundtrack is a three-disc, 104 track soundtrack. It was released in Japan on February 27, 2008.[44][45] Female vocals are handled by Aubrey Ashburn (1-02) while male vocals are handled by Shawn "Shootie HG" McPherson of Hostile Groove (1-20 and 3-03) and Jason "ShyBoy" Arnold of Hypnogaja (1-13 and 3-38). Tetsuya Shibata is credited as the primary composer, with tracks composed by Shusaku Uchiyama, Kota Suzuki, Akihiko Narita, Rei Kondoh, Chamy Ishikawa and Shinichiro Satoh. The soundtrack was released in the US on November 25, 2008, with new artwork.[46]
The first teaser trailer was shown at E3 2005, depicting Dante traveling through a snow-covered environment.[47] A more substantial trailer was released at that year's Tokyo Game Show, with a more rugged and older Dante in a city-like setting.[48] Both teasers show very little detail of the game itself. At the 2006 Tokyo Game Show, a more complete trailer debuted, along with a playable demo, featuring the character Nero.[49]
A fourth trailer, released on December 17, 2007, revealed more gameplay and story detail, as well as information on new songs for the game. These included a new version of "Lock and Load", Dante's theme music from the first Devil May Cry, with new lyrics written and performed by Shawn "Shootie HG" McPherson, the lyricist and lead vocalist on the soundtrack of Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening. Released with the Japanese version of the game is Japanese rock band, L'Arc-en-Ciel, and their new single, "Drink It Down", which is used as the Japanese opening for the game.[50] The company presented the game's first demo at an event titled "Capcom's Gamer's Day", where Kobayashi highlighted several of the game's features.[51] With the team focused on completing the game, a new demo was not produced in time for the 2007E3 Media and Business Summit.[32]
A collector's edition of the game was released at the same time as the regular version. The North American version features a bonus disc containing the making of Devil May Cry 4, and an additional disc of the first four episodes of Devil May Cry: The Animated Series,[52] while the European and Australian versions include a signed artbook instead, titled Art of the Devil[53][54][55][56] A very small number of Collector's Edition packages were signed by the game's producer, Hiroyuki Kobayashi, on the back of the metal tin on Dante's left shoulder. This number was reported to be as low as only 100 signed copies for each console, for a total of 200 signed copies. Both versions were packaged in a steelbook case.[57]
An iOS version called Devil May Cry 4: Refrain was announced January 11, 2011. It was released on February 3, 2011.[58]
Devil May Cry 4 received favorable reviews, according to review aggregatorMetacritic.[59][60][61] Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu gave the game a "Platinum" rank as part of its review. It praised the difficulty balance and gameplay options.[64]
Devil May Cry 4 received praise for its hack and slash mechanics.[64][66][62][72][73]Xbox World Australia called it "the most solid of all of the Devil May Cry games" citing its responsive controls despite being the first game in the series to be released for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.[72]PSM3 rated the game's degree of difficulty positively based on how the system ranks the player and the challenges the game offers.[73]1UP.com praised the gameplay and "predictably slick" looks. However, sites often criticized the game's backtracking elements, a big issue found within the level design. Some criticized the theme songs.[62][72] The use of boss fights and the approach to the action's style was well received by GameSpot. They felt it would attract and appeal to gamers despite the backtracking issues.[66]
As to the presentation, GameTrailers praised the voice acting, fight scenes, but criticized the corny dialogue.[68][66]GameSpy said the game succeeds thanks to its gameplay and visuals.[67] The introduction of Nero as new protagonist was well received.[65][71][66][67] Bosch's voice acting in the English-language version was also praised by GameZone and GameSpot.[74][66] Despite the similarities between Nero and Dante, IGN still found the new protagonist appealing based on how different his gameplay is from the returning hero's.[71] IGN agreed, finding Nero's story appealing.[71] The GameSpy review also praised the Nero character for "[bringing] something fresh to the franchise" and being "as diverse as DMC3 SE's Vergil".[67] When it came to the console version, IGN said fans would enjoy the video game, but might be disappointed that Dante had fewer weapons and missions than he did in Devil May Cry 3.[71] GameSpy also said that "it cheapens things a little to see that the team has opted to recycle assets in lieu of showing us more of this rich world". They did not find the soundtrack appealing.[67]Hyper's Dirk Watch commended the game for "looking great, combos galore and being more fun than Devil May Cry 3". However, he criticized it for "still playing like Devil May Cry 2" and for its "choppy pacing and level design".[75]
The PC version received mixed reviews. 1UP.com appreciated the port's exclusive Legendary Dark Knight mode where the character is cornered by multiple enemies in a single battle. However, they felt that Capcom could have made a more comfortable controller as it had similar issues as the one from Resident Evil 4. They expected the developers to have put in more features.[76] While also appreciating Dark Knight and the Turbo mode that increased the game's speed, IGN said this port was only for hardcore fans of the series since it was not too different from the original console versions.
Hellsing (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kouta Hirano. It was serialized in Shōnen Gahōsha's seinen manga magazine Young King OURs from April 1997 to September 2008, with its chapters collected in ten tankōbon volumes. The series chronicles the efforts of the mysterious and secret Hellsing Organization as it combats vampires, ghouls, and other supernatural foes who threaten England. The series was licensed for English language release in North America by Dark Horse Comics. From 2002 to 2006, Hirano released a six-chapter prequel series, Hellsing: The Dawn, in Young King OURs Zōkan (later Young King OURs+ before ceasing publication).
A thirteen-episode anime television series adaptation by Gonzo, directed by Umanosuke Iida and Yasunori Urata, with screenplay by Chiaki J. Konaka, was broadcast on Fuji TV from October 2001 to January 2002. A ten-episode original video animation (OVA), titled Hellsing Ultimate, was produced by Geneon. It followed the manga storyline more closely than the anime series.[5] It was released between February 2006 and December 2012. In North America, both the TV series and the OVA were first licensed by Geneon Entertainment and later by Funimation. Following the announcement that Funimation would be unified under the Crunchyroll brand, both Hellsing and Hellsing Ultimate were moved to the platform in 2022.
Hellsing is named after and centered around the Royal Order of Protestant Knights originally led by Abraham Van Helsing. The mission of Hellsing is to search for and destroy the undead and other supernatural forces of evil that threaten the queen and the country. This organization is currently led by Sir Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing, who inherited the leadership of Hellsing as a child after the death of her father. She witnessed his death which turned her from a once innocent and shy little girl to a tough and deadly force. She is protected by the faithful Hellsing family butler Walter C. Dornez, a deadly foe in his own right, and Alucard, the original and most powerful vampire, who swore loyalty to the Hellsing family after being defeated by Van Helsing one hundred years before the story takes place. These formidable guardians are joined early on in the storyline by former police officer Seras Victoria, whom Alucard turned into a vampire.
As the scale and frequency of incidents involving the undead escalate in England and all around the world, Sir Integra discovers that the remnants of a Nazi group called Millennium still exist and are intent on reviving Nazi Germany by creating a battalion of vampires. Millennium, Hellsing, and the Vatican section XIII Iscariot clash in an apocalyptic three-sided war in London, and Millennium reveals its true objective: to destroy the vampire lord Alucard, ending a feud begun during World War II.
In 1996, manga author Kouta Hirano published a one-shot, titled Hellsing: The Legends of Vampire Hunter, in Wanimagazine's hentai magazine Comic Kairakuten.[6][7] Hirano commented that it was not his intention to create a story of this genre, and that he only wanted to create a "somewhat daring" action story.[8] Hirano said that the original story did not take him long to create, and that the fact that he was drawing hentai at the time afforded him the opportunity to have it published.[9] Afterwards, Hirano considered to create another story, using the same setting, removing the erotic side and focusing more on the action, explaining that this was the origin of Hellsing. Given its "atypical" universe, Hirano and the publisher Shōnen Gahōsha decided to test the reception with readers, explaining that that was the reason why the start of the series may seem "a little disjointed", and that after the reception turned out to be positive, it was decided to make it a serialized work.[8]
Hirano stated that he wanted to make a story with gunplay, but that a story of vampires with guns would not work with Alucard being portrayed as a "formulaic vampire", so Hirano added him a hat and a long coat, stating: "[i]t's still dark and ominous, but just more suited to his behavior. I always come up with the characters before the story."[9] Hirano said that he received various comments comparing Alucard's design to Vash the Stampede from Trigun (whose continuation, Trigun Maximum, was also published in Young King OURs), expressing that he "shouldn't have given him the sunglasses".[10] Hirano said that, due to the "dark, desolate story", he wanted to create someone who made the series "a bit warmer" and a female character involved as well, so he created the character of Seras Victoria, who offered the opportunity "for both of those at the same time", adding that she is "the only one who stands out from the darkness."[9] Hirano commented that for the references to historical characters, mythology, and pop culture featured in the series, he did not do specific research, stating that he is not "someone with a lot of culture", but "just an otaku", and that all the references came from what he had seen and read out of "otaku passion".[8]
The anime producer, Yasuyuki Ueda, commented that for Hellsing Ultimate he wanted to make it as an original video animation (OVA) instead of a television series due to the time limit that implies the former, and since he was a fan of the series, he wanted to take more time to "get more out of my system from the manga", adding that the OVA allowed him to do much more than the TV series. He discussed it with writer Yōsuke Kuroda and he agreed to write the script. Ueda commented, at the time, that various series were using CG animation, which he said that was "very time-consuming", especially when incorporating it to traditional animation, but that since the project would be an OVA, they did have the "luxury" to work with it, and that he wanted to use it for the weaponry and bullets to make them look realistic.[9]
Written and illustrated by Kouta Hirano, Hellsing was serialized for eleven years in Shōnen Gahōsha's seinen manga magazine Young King OURs from April 30, 1997,[a] to September 30, 2008.[13] Its 89 individual chapters were collected by Shōnen Gahōsha in ten tankōbon volumes, released from September 24, 1998,[14] to March 27, 2009.[15]
In North America, the series was licensed for English release by Dark Horse Comics in 2003.[16] The ten volumes were released from December 1, 2003,[17] to May 19, 2010.[18] In January 2020, Dark Horse Comics announced that they would re-release the series in a three-volume deluxe edition, with over 600 pages each.[19] The volumes were released from July 15, 2020, to June 16, 2021.[20][21][22]
Chuang Yi licensed the series in English in Singapore.[23] Madman Entertainment released the series in Australia and New Zealand.[24]
Crossfire is a three-chapter one-shot story, which was published in the defunct Hobby Japan's magazine Comic Master [ja].[10] It follows Heinkel Wolfe and Yumie Takagi, a Catholic nun and an assassin who work for the Iscariot organization. They call themselves "earthly agents of divine punishment". Crossfire also has cameos by Alexander Anderson and Enrico Maxwell, the head of Iscariot. Across the three chapters, Heinkel and Yumie face a variety of opposition, including Islamic terrorists, communist revolutionaries, and finally, an obscure pagancult. Crossfire as a side work was discontinued by Kouta Hirano, but it was republished in the first three volumes of Hellsing as an extra. Crossfire was adapted into a drama CD and included in Hellsing Ultimate OVA 6 and 7.
A prequel series, titled Hellsing: The Dawn, was published Young King OURs Zōkan (later Young King OURs+ before being discontinued),[25] with six chapters released from the March 2002 to the March 2006 issues;[26] the series remains incomplete.[6]The Dawn features a fourteen-year-old Walter C. Dornez and Alucard, in the form of a young girl, attacking Millennium's base of operations in Nazi-controlled Poland in September 1944, during the Warsaw Uprising.
The manga was adapted into a thirteen-episode anime television series by Gonzo. The series was directed by Yasunori Urata, under the chief direction of Umanosuke Iida, and written by Chiaki J. Konaka.[27] The series uses the same characters and settings, but narrates a different story from its source manga.[28] It was broadcast on Fuji TV from October 11, 2001, to January 17, 2002.[27] The series opening theme is "Logos Naki World" (ロゴスなきワールド, Rogosu Naki Wārudo, "A World Without Logos") by Yasushi Ishii and the ending theme is "Shine" by Mr. Big.[27]
In North America, the series was first licensed by Pioneer Entertainment (later Geneon USA).[29] Four DVD sets were released between July 23, 2002,[30] and January 21, 2003.[31] The series was broadcast in the United States on Starz!'s Encore Action channel, as part of its Animidnight late night programming block, starting in October 2003.[32][33] The series was later acquired by Funimation in 2010;[34] they released the series on a complete DVD set on November 13, 2012.[35] Following the announcement that Funimation would be unified under the Crunchyroll brand, the series was moved to the platform in 2022.[36]
In the United Kingdom, the series was first licensed by ADV Films, who released four DVDs from July 21, 2003,[37] to January 19, 2004.[38] The series was later licensed by Manga Entertainment and released on a four-disc box set on August 12, 2013.[39] In Australia and New Zealand, the series was licensed by Madman Entertainment, who released four DVDs from November 13, 2002, and February 11, 2003.[40]
In April 2005, it was announced that a new original video animation (OVA) adaptation, titled Hellsing Ultimate (still known simply as Hellsing in Japan), more faithful to the original manga than the TV series, would be released by Geneon Entertainment in Japan and North America.[41] The first four episodes of the OVA were animated by Satelight, directed by Tomokazu Tokoro, and written by Yōsuke Kuroda;[42] they were released from February 10, 2006,[43] to February 22, 2008.[44] The three following episodes (5–7) were animated by Madhouse, directed by Hiroyuki Tanaka and written by Kuroda; they were released from November 21, 2008,[45] to December 23, 2009.[46] The three last episodes (8–10) were animated by Graphinica,[47] directed by Yasuhiro Matsumura (8, 10) and Kenichi Suzuki (9 and 10), and written by Kuroda;[48][49][50] they were released from July 27, 2011,[51] to December 26, 2012.[52] Each limited edition of the last three episodes' home video release included an episode of Hellsing: The Dawn.[53][54][55]
In North America, Geneon Entertainment released the first three episodes from December 5, 2006,[56] to October 16, 2007.[57] Geneon announced that they would stop self-distribution of its titles in 2007.[58] The first two episodes were broadcast on Starz Edge's Animidnight programming block on February 12, 2008;[59][60] episodes 3 and 4 were also announced to air,[61] however, the fourth episode was not ready with an English-language track at the time and they were not broadcast.[62] In 2008, Funimation announced that they would distribute "select" Geneon titles,[63] and re-released the first three episodes of Hellsing Ultimate on September 16 of the same year,[64] along with the fourth episode on September 23.[65] In 2010, Funimation announced that they had licensed episodes 5–7;[66] in 2011, they announced that they had licensed the 8th episode as well.[67] Funimation re-released the first four episodes on DVD/Blu-ray Disc sets on October 30, 2012,[68] while episodes 5–8 were released on the same formats on November 13 of the same year.[35] Episodes 9–10 were released on October 28, 2014.[69][70][71] The series was broadcast on Adult Swim's Toonami programming block from September 13 to December 13, 2014.[72][73] Funimation released all the episodes on a Blu-ray Disc set on June 4, 2019.[74][75] Following the announcement that Funimation would be unified under the Crunchyroll brand, Hellsing Ultimate was moved to the platform in 2022.[36]
The music of the Hellsing anime television series was composed by Yasushi Ishii. Two soundtrack CDs were released: Raid was released on November 22, 2001;[76] and Ruins was released on February 22, 2002.[77] In North America, both CDs were released on July 1 and September 2, 2003, respectively.[78][79]
The music of Hellsing Ultimate was composed by Hayato Matsuo. An extra CD, titled Warsaw Recording Selection, was released with the limited edition of the fourth episode on February 22, 2008.[80] The original, Black Dog, was released on March 21, 2008;[81] An extra CD, titled Nazi CD, was released with the limited edition of the first Blu-ray box set on October 22, 2010.[82] An extra CD, titled Somehow, Iscariote, was released with the limited edition of the second Blu-ray box set on April 1, 2015.[83]
In March 2021, it was announced that Amazon Studios is developing a live-action film adaptation of Hellsing with scripts by Derek Kolstad. It will be produced by Kolstad, Automatik's Brian Kavanaugh-Jones and Fred Berger, Ranger 7 Films's Mike Callaghan and Reuben Liber, and Soluble Fish Productions' Jason Lust.[84]
The ten volumes of the Hellsing manga have sold 4 million copies worldwide.[85] In 2005, the sixth and seventh volumes ranked among Diamond Comics Distributors' list of the top 48 manga volumes sold in the United States for the year.[86] In November 2007, the ninth volume was among the top 10 volumes sold according to Japan's monthly sales rankings.[87][88]
In a review of the first volume, Winnie Chow of Animerica commented that the English translation "works to enhance the locations and people of the story", and noted that the original manga contains more comedy elements than its anime adaptation. Chow said that the series' violence is "everywhere, which is only to be expected when one is in the occupation of undead extermination", and that the characters are "magnificent to behold in action when they get into a frenzy, from crushing heads beneath their boot heels to impaling an enemy with an untold number of blessed blades", ultimately stating that Hirano "does violence right".[89] Reviewing the first volume, Publishers Weekly called the series "mostly a fun, violent romp", stating that the "rather awkward" religious sparring between the Catholic Church and Hellsing, are "goofy details" that give it "some charm and energy". They concluded: "Hirano's storytelling is easy to follow, as stylish close-ups of the "we're-groovy-and-we-know-it" characters explode into violent full-page illustrations of all-out mayhem."[90] In a review of the first volume, Barb Lien-Cooper of Sequential Tart gave it a 7 out of 10, commending the series for its worldbuilding and pacing, but criticizing the "repetitive violence", stating: "[y]ou've seen one blown off head, you've seen 'em all."[91] Reviewing the first volume, Justin Rich of AnimeOnDVD gave it a B− grade. Rich commented that the series is consistent with the action, and while he stated that the first volume does not have a "real sense of a continuing arc", "orders here are very enjoyable", and concluded: "[s]itting down and spending some time with the blasé Alucard makes me look forward to the next volume."[92] Connie C. of Slightly Biased Manga, in her review of the first volume, said: "[i]t's got just the right amount of blood and violence, great art, and I like everything about this series", concluding: "[r]ead it if you're in to this sort of thing, I promise you'll love it if you're not offended."[93]
Reviewing the fourth volume, Liann Cooper of Anime News Network (ANN) said that one its "greatest strengths" is the impeccable storytelling of Hirano, calling the story "dark and gory", but also "incredibly amusing". Cooper concluded: "[c]ombined with highly detailed artwork and near flawless character designs, every action-packed, blood-spewing battle to each eerie character expression completes one of the most well-rounded manga series I've had the pleasure of reading. This is one horrifically enticing vampire series that you can't afford to miss."[94] Hilary Goldstein of IGN, in a review of the sixth volume, called it "the best vampire manga around", and that it "clamors forward with a seething wit and a frantic pace, and style that passes beyond gothic grace."[95] Reviewing the first volume, Ryan Huston of Manga Life gave the first volume a C− grade. Huston wrote that the series "borrow heavily" from the stylistic elements of Blade, Castlevania, The Crow, and BloodRayne,[b] also calling it "very contrived", stating that "there's nary of whiff of originality", and criticizing the "inconsistent" artwork.[96] In a more positive review of the eighth volume, Lori Henderson of the same website gave it an A grade. Henderson wrote: "I generally don't read blood-spilling horror manga, but for Hellsing, I make an exception", stating that she was "instantly hooked" by the series, concluding: "Hellsing is a title that totally lives up to its hype. The art is fantastic, and the story strings you along just enough to keep you coming back for more."[97] Also reviewing the eighth volume, Katherine Dacey of PopCultureShock gave it a B+ grade. Dacey said that the plot of the volume is "absurd", but that "Hirano's bold visuals, insane plot twists, and extended action sequences make for an entertaining read, even when the plot makes absolutely no sense at all."[98]
Reviewing the tenth and final volume, Davey C. Jones of Active Anime commented that it "doesn't disappoint but it is always sad to see such a great series come to an end", also expressing that the series has a "unique style and an awesome, mind bending anti-hero in Alucard", concluding that it is "hard not to keep from wanting more."[99] Reviewing the same volume, Connie C., writing for PopCultureShock, gave it a B grade. She commented that the series is "ridiculous, violent, over-the-top, and absolutely revels in its debauchery", and called the epilogue "a little underwhelming", but stated, however, concludedt: "[i]t was violent and action-packed in the most extreme way possible all the way through and quiet moments feel out of place. It revels in depravity and does it better and marginally more coherently than most other series that try it. It's a true legend to the end."[100] Carl Kimlinger of ANN gave the final volume a B grade. Kimlinger criticized its ending, stating that the final arc "finishes it in an undignified rush", and that it "falls back on some insultingly overused anime cheese to expedite its finish." Kimlinger, however, wrote that "a tired, rushed Hellsing is still Hellsing", adding that "[t]here's still enough demented ultraviolence and bizarre indulgences on display to shame all but the most transgressive of other manga."[101]
Courtney Kraft of Graphic Novel Reporter said that one of the series' appeal is that "every cast member is very one-dimensional, and yet each is unique, interesting, and memorable", not only commending the main cast
Black Lagoon (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Rei Hiroe. It has been published in Shogakukan's seinen manga magazine Monthly Sunday Gene-X since April 2002, with its chapters collected in 13 tankōbon volumes as of December 2023. In North America, the manga is licensed for English release by Viz Media.
The series follows the Lagoon Company, a four-member team of pirate mercenaries smuggling goods in and around the seas of Southeast Asia with their PT boat, the Black Lagoon. The group takes on various jobs, usually involving criminal organizations, and resulting in violent gunfights.
The manga was adapted into an animetelevision series by Madhouse, which was broadcast for two seasons of 12 episodes each in 2006, followed by a five-episode original video animation (OVA) series released from July 2010 to June 2011.
By December 2023, the Black Lagoon manga had over 9.5 million copies in circulation. The series has been overall well received, with critics particularly praising the action sequences.
A team of pirate mercenaries known as the Lagoon Company smuggles goods in and around the seas of Southeast Asia in the early to mid 1990s.[a] The Lagoon Company consists of four members: Dutch, the leader; Revy, the main gunfighter; Benny, the mechanic, computer specialist, and researcher; and Rock, an ex-salaryman hijacked by the team and abandoned by his department chief, eventually becoming their negotiator and "professional" face of the group, retaining his old job skills.
Their base of operations is located in the fictional harbor city of Roanapur in east Thailand near the border of Cambodia (somewhere in the Mueang Trat district, likely on the mainland north/northeast of the Ko Chang island or on the island itself). The city is home to the Chinese triad, the Russian Bratva, the Colombian cartel, the Italian mafia, a wide assortment of pickpockets, thugs, mercenaries, thieves, prostitutes, assassins, and gunmen. The city also has a large Vietnamese refugee population following the Vietnamese refugees exodus after the communist takeover of Vietnam in 1975.
Lagoon Company transports goods for various clients in the American made 80-foot (24 m) Elco-type PT boat, Black Lagoon. It has a particularly friendly relationship with the Russian crime syndicate Hotel Moscow. The team takes on a variety of missions—which may involve violent firefights, hand-to-hand combat, and nautical battles—in various Southeast Asian locations, even going as far as Isabela, Basilan in the Philippines. When they are not working, the members of the Lagoon Company spend much of their down time at The Yellow Flag, a bar in Roanapur which is often destroyed in firefights.
Manga author Rei Hiroe said that when he was approached by the publisher Shogakukan to work for a manga project, he offered them different prototype stories that he had planned, including Black Lagoon, which was finally selected.[4][5] Hiroe wanted to create an action and crime oriented series.[4] For the basis of the story, he was inspired by watching news about piracy cases in the South China Sea in the 1990s, which he thought that fitted perfectly with his desire to make a "dynamic and original" series, adding that pirates "know no borders and are truly free," and that it seemed interesting to work on the subject.[4][6] Hiroe also commented that, at first, the original idea was about medieval pirates, but he changed his mind and made the story about modern day pirates instead.[5]
Hiroe stated that he has been influenced by writers James Ellroy, whom he called his favorite novelist, and Stephen King, stating that he learned how to create the atmosphere of Black Lagoon based on his works.[7] Hiroe also called Mikiya Mochizuki [ja]'s manga series Wild 7 "almost like the DNA of that sort of action genre," and mentioned influence from Akihiro Ito (Geobreeders author) and Kenichi Sonoda (Gunsmith Cats author).[8][5] Apart from manga, Hiroe stated that, from a "purely graphic point of view", he was influenced by the Franco-Belgian comic series Soda, and commented that he liked the atmosphere and storytelling of Blacksad by Spanish authors Juan Díaz Canales and Juanjo Guarnido.[9]
Hiroe said that although the series is much influenced by American works, he was not worried about the references being lost on the Japanese readers, stating that it can be sensed when the American culture is coming from a Japanese person, so "there's a style in it that can be sensed by Japanese readers," adding that, conversely, if people in America read it, there is "more potential for awkwardness and weird parts."[5]
Regarding accuracy, Hiroe declared that he had not done too much research on modern day pirates, commenting that even on the internet is difficult to find good information on them, also stating that the crew of Black Lagoon is "a bit different from what we are used to seeing." Regarding the weapons, on the other hand, Hiroe said that he was a big fan and that he had a personal collection, being well-versed on the subject, adding that he bought encyclopedias in order to benefit from more precise details.[4] Due to the fact that the series is a "period piece of sorts," which features mafia and military themes, Hiroe commented that he did a lot of research for those subjects, watching documentaries and reading books.[6] Hiroe also stated that he would sometimes find some interesting facts that he would like to incorporate into his work, and that he tried not to go towards current events, but use past information for the entertainment value.[10] He said that the setting is loosely based on reality and that it would not be interesting if it were unrealistic, adding that he at least wants to maintain a semblance of realism, emphasizing, however, that the sense of realism is "very subjective," adding that a character like Roberta, a "Terminator-like maid," would not work in a novel, but she will in a comic; "she has to be over-the-top because it's a comic."[11]
Hiroe commented that while film is an "active" medium, manga is like having "still frames", so for the action scenes he needs to find the "best moments in time to convey meaning and movement," adding that one of the advantages of manga is that "you're not anchored to reality", commenting that he is able to make guns bigger than their physical counterparts and make explosions "far larger and more gaudy."[8] He said that from the start, it was agreed with the publisher that the series would include action and violence, so there were never issues regarding that, adding that he would "go towards even more sensationalism if it is necessary for the plot," but Hiroe added as well that he does not want it to be confined to its violence either.[9]
Hiroe said that from the start, he wanted a story "without nationalities, without specific identities," adding that "we are still in a criminal context," and by mixing different cultures in the story, he wanted to see the reaction of each culture to this "thorny subject," without making any judgment.[4] Referring to whether the manga could be perceived as a political statement, due to actual piracy issues in Africa and elsewhere, and since the manga is about pirates, Hiroe said that "as long as there are various people's opinions being voiced, it won't cease to be political," emphasizing, however, that there is not just one possible way of reading it, such as "America is bad" or "Russia is bad," and that the series is written to be perceived from different perspectives.[5] Although Hiroe noted that his series is for entertainment, he commented that he would like to make people who read it feel the backdrops, like characters with poverty backgrounds or living in the world with international conflicts.[6] Hiroe also said that it is fine if the readers only enjoy the series purely for the action, but commented: "[t]here are a few things hidden in there, so I'd be the happiest if on a second or third read-through, those things become apparent."[5]
Hiroe said that generally it takes him about a month to produce one chapter, adding that there are a lot of details and he puts a lot of work into it. Regarding the process, Hiroe explained that he has the initial thought, then the publisher would give him input as to "what’s good and what’s bad and what’s good for the audience, what they might like." They discuss it and if something might not work so well, he redoes the plot line. Hiroe commented that while there are a lot of manga artists who do not have good relationship with the publishing company, and they have to do what they are ordered, in his case, it is more mutual and he can do more of what he likes at the same time.[10] Hiroe's editor, Akinobu Natsume, commented that at first, the story was very simple, but that after having introduced more characters, they had to think about their respective stories, as well as the relationships that unite them, commenting that this was in line with the complexity that Hiroe wanted, supporting him and refraining him when the story got too difficult to follow. Hiroe declared that there are no real rules for the variable duration of the story arcs, and that he tries above all to think about the appropriate length to stage all that he had to say on the initial idea, adding that the rest of the story should stay in that direction.[9] He said that since the series is set in the 20th century, he counts on the occasion of the transition to the 21st century to create a "powerful event" that will alter its plot, commenting that if he manages to transcribe his ideas properly, "we will reach the culmination of my story."[4] He affirmed that they had in mind the end of the story and that he knew the conclusion that he needs to make for each character, but that it must be staged in the right direction and in a consistent way.[9]
Hiroe said that to keep the manga interesting and exciting for both himself and the readers, he "takes a rest right in the middle. Just stop, take a step back, and relax for a bit so I’m not stuck in the grind," commenting that manga artists who write weekly manga or other long-running series, like those published in Weekly Shōnen Jump, "don’t have that luxury," and that working on a monthly series gives him the opportunity to work on a different project "to keep things from getting stale."[8] The manga has been on hiatus several times; it went for an almost three-year hiatus from May 19, 2010,[12] to January 19, 2013;[13][14][15] it went on a three-year hiatus again from January 18, 2014,[16] to May 19, 2017;[17] it went on hiatus for a year from August 18, 2018,[18][19] to September 19, 2019.[20][21] Hiroe has attributed these pauses to his depression,[22] adding that he is doing his best to move forward with the series without rushing too much.[23]
Referring to the creation of the characters, Hiroe stated that he goes backward, imagining how they would think and how they lived, commenting that the process in itself "can be fun." He commented: "I sometimes first decide that this guy is from here, he's ethnically this way, he belongs to this kind of group, then look into historical facts and events. From there I try to tie all threads of those elements together, and when they can be tied organically together it's like, "Yay this is fun!" Hiroe said that the characters are not necessarily based on anyone in particular, but that from watching films in particular, he would arrange things which would "kind of shape the character."[6] He commented, however, that Mr. Chang, the leader of the triads, has a resemblance to Hong Kong actor Chow Yun-fat.[6][9] Hiroe claimed that the fact that in the story are women who take up arms, while men have more sedate roles, was not a well-considered choice at the start, but that it naturally "imposed itself over the course of the adventure," noting that this is one of its strong points, expressing happiness to have met women who have enjoyed the series.[9]
Regarding Revy, Hiroe said that he had no particular model in mind, but commented that after watching Robert Rodriguez's film From Dusk till Dawn, he noticed the "imposing tattoo" on the shoulder of George Clooney's character and thought that it "would be nice" to do such a tattoo on a female body.[4][9] For her personality, Hiroe first wanted that her dominant character trait was impulsiveness. To accentuate it, he decided to make her grow up in a criminal environment, so that her values were totally different from "ordinary mortals."[4] Hiroe commented that she is a strong woman, good at shooting guns and fighting, but that she is not motivated by justice and that she is just an "ordinary criminal," adding that he placed her in the story because "it is rare to see such a female" and her presence would make it more interesting.[7] Hiroe commented that the reason behind her Chinese-American heritage was because he wanted to make her a minority, adding that she does not look Caucasoid but rather Mongoloid, and that it would make it easier for Japanese readers to identify with her; "easier than if it was a white woman going ballistic." He added that it is interesting when there is a gap between the way she looks and her way of thinking, commenting that people like that "aren't really tied down to a region, like they're rootless wanderers," and that "obviously, she probably faces discrimination in her life," adding that taking all that into account, he thought the character would "stand out more."[11] Hiroe said that Revy is the character that requires most work from a graphic point of view, expressing that he had drawn her countless of times in very different situations and emotions, and that he must be careful to not go in another direction over time, so as to not distort the initial character.[9]
According to Hiroe, at the beginning of the project there were only "bad men," and after discussing it with the editorial staff, they decided to introduce a character who would share the same point of view as the readers, so he added Rock as a businessman to the story. Hiroe commented that there was no particular reason why he is Japanese. Hiroe commented that after Rock was added to the story, "he came to life and started to build his own interesting character."[7]Sunao Katabuchi, director of the anime adaptation, said that Rock is the character that he empathized more with,[24] commenting that while "[w]e live our daily lives as if we are closed inside of a box-like world," Rock "breaks out of such a box," adding that breaking out is not the end for him; "[he senses that] there may yet another box that maybe be broken out of," and he is "pointed in the right direction. The fight is not with the container which encloses the world, but with one's self."[25]
Hiroe stated that he did not dislike "cute girls" or moe characters, but that the inclusion of these characters should depend on whether there is a relevancy to use them in what he is creating. He stated that when creating the Colombian maid and former FARC guerrilla, Roberta, her design was slightly influenced from the growing interest in maids at the time, but that he dressed her as such because he imagined that an affluent family in South America "would dress maids that way," adding that her design was not a take on "moe culture" as much as it made contextual sense.[8] Katabuchi commented that the anime staff referred to the scene where Roberta's umbrella opens up and spins around the body and fires as "The Evil Mary Poppins", adding that Hiroe also had the idea to use the character as a kind of "Death Poppins."[24] Hiroe commented that at the beginning, Roberta had "a very set character background," but he wanted to see if he could go past that and break it down to see what he could do with it, which is why the character reappeared in the story.[10]
Originally, he had not planned the arc of the Hansel and Gretel twins to be more dark and serious than the rest of the series. He commented that at first he thought that it would be great if there were cute "really loopy" twin kids wielding giant guns, but that he started doing some research, reading about the history of Romania (their home country) and the Cold War/Soviet era, commenting: "[t]hings were really bad back then, so the story became much darker based on what I'd learned. It was…not exactly the happiest place on Earth."[8]
Written and illustrated by Rei Hiroe, the pilot chapter of Black Lagoon was published in Shogakukan's seinen manga magazine Monthly Sunday Gene-X on March 19, 2001.[b] It started its serialization in the same magazine on April 19, 2002.[c] Shogakukan has collected its chapters into individual tankōbon volumes. The first volume was released on December 12, 2002.[31] As of December 19, 2023, thirteen volumes have been released.[32]
In North America, the manga is licensed for English release by Viz Media.[33] The first volume was released on August 12, 2008.[34] As of August 16, 2022, twelve volumes have been released.[35] Due to copyright-related reasons, the Viz Media edition censors the references to song lyrics and brand names, including the brands of the guns.[36] On May 9, 2023, Viz Media launched their Viz Manga digital manga service, with the series' chapters receiving simultaneous English publication in North America as they are released in Japan.[37][38]
A spin-off about Sawyer, titled Black Lagoon: Sōjiya Sawyer – Kaitai! Gore Gore Musume (BLACK LAGOON 掃除屋ソーヤー 解体！ゴアゴア娘, lit. "Black Lagoon: Sawyer the Cleaner - Dismemberment! Gore Gore Girl"), illustrated by Tatsuhiko Ida, began in Monthly Sunday Gene-X on September 19, 2019.[39][21] The first tankōbon volume was released on July 17, 2020.[40] As of May 17, 2024, eight volumes have been released.[41]
A spin-off about Eda, titled Black Lagoon Eda -Initial Stage-, illustrated by Hajime Yamamura, started in Monthly Sunday Gene-X on April 19, 2022.[42][43] The first tankōbon volume was released on September 16, 2022.[44] As of May 17, 2024, four volumes have been released.[45]
The manga was adapted into an anime television series animated by Madhouse, which was broadcast for twelve episodes on Chiba TV (and on other fifteen terrestrial stations) from April 9 to June 25, 2006.[46][47]
A second season, Black Lagoon: The Second Barrage, consisting of twelve more episodes, ran for the first time on Sendai Television from October 3 to December 19, 2006.[48][49]
A five-episode original video animation (OVA), titled Black Lagoon: Roberta's Blood Trail, which covered the "El Baile de la Muerte" arc of the manga, was released from July 17, 2010, to June 22, 2011.[50][51][52]
Two light novels written by Gen Urobuchi, with illustrations by Hiroe, have been released under Shogakukan's Gagaga Bunko imprint. Black Lagoon: Sheitane Birdy (ブラック・ラグーン シェイターネ・バーディ, Burakku Ragūn Sheitāne Bādi) was published on July 18, 2008.[53][54]Black Lagoon 2: Ballad of the Sinful Wizard (ブラック・ラグーン 2 罪深き魔術師の哀歌, Burakku Ragūn Tsu Tsumibukaki Uizādo no Barādo) was published on January 18, 2011.[55]
An illustration book, titled Onslaught: Black Lagoon Illustrations, was released by Shogakukan on August 19, 2021. It includes the original pilot chapter illustrated pages, key visuals of the 20th anniversary exhibition and unpublished illustrations. The limited edition included a water gun replica of Revy's Beretta 92 FS "Sword Cutlass Special", five autographed illustrations and six bookmarks.[56]
Four pachinko machines based on the series have been released in 2011,[57] 2014,[58] 2019,[59] and 2023.[60] Four pachislot machines have been released in 2012,[61] 2015,[62] 2017,[63] and 2022.[64] A pachislot simulator game, Slotter Mania V: Black Lagoon, was released for the PlayStation Vita on March 15, 2012.[65][66]
A browser game developed by CTW for the G123 online platform, titled Black Lagoon: Heaven's Shot, was announced in September 2023 and released on December 7 of that same year.[67][68]
The volumes of Black Lagoon have frequently ranked as the best-selling manga volumes on Japan's weekly charts since 2007.[d] The eighth volume was the fourteenth best-selling manga volume of 2008 in Japan.[76] The thirteenth volume was Shogakukan's fourth highest first print run manga volume of 2023–2024 (period from April 2023–March 2024), with 250,000 copies printed.[77] By February 2014, the manga had over 6 million copies in circulation;[78] over 7 million copies in circulation by November 2018;[79] over 8.5 million copies in circulation by January 2022;[80] and over 9.5 million copies in circulation by December 2023.[81]
About.com's Deb Aoki listed Viz Media's English release of Black Lagoon as the best new seinen manga of 2008, along with Gantz.[82] Aoki said that even non-manga readers would enjoy it, adding that it is "more like a Hollywood or Hong Kong action flick" than a series with the "pubescent girls and giant robots" formula usually associated with manga, also calling it "a fun fantasy for readers who've outgrown the high seas hi-jinks of One Piece but are still pirates at heart."[83] Aoki added that the focus on "whip-smart, sexy and confident women" is one of the best things of the series; "[n]ot girls, but real women who can blow up enemies without blinking an eye or breaking a nail."[84] Leroy Douresseaux of ComicBookBin compared it to The A-Team and to a "Quentin Tarantinoexploitation flick," also calling it an "extra-violent version of Cowboy Bebop" and "Bad Boys II on paper," stating that the series "will appeal to any male reader old enough to understand big guns, big boobs, and gratuitous pistol-in-crotch shots."[85]
Greg McElhatton of Read About Comics said that the series is "never boring, never wasting time for anything," adding that it is not "all action and nothing else," lauding the way Hiroe was able to bring across Revy's existentialist views of the world "without sounding preachy or bringing the story to a crashing halt," mentioning her disagreements with Rock. McElhatton said that the series is "clever, fast, and fun" and that "isn't a simple shoot-em-up, it's an action comic for people who appreciate a smart script."[86] A.E. Sparrow of IGN made a positive review of the series, stating that it has "[e]verything you love about a bad action movie," but stating that unlike a "bad action movie", the series has "actual character development", commenting that it "veers towards that dynamic that made Cowboy Bebop as fun as it was."[87] Isaac Hale of PopCultureShock said that the series reminded him "intensely" of Kouta Hirano's Hellsing, stating that both series feature "psychotic badasses", "they're all about the fanservice" and they both "shamelessly fetishize violence." Hale also said that the action is "insane, impossible, and drips with overwhelming amounts of cool," praising its artwork as well.[88]
Davey C. Jones of Active Anime praised the series for its action scenes and artwork, stating: "[t]he character designs are grade A. The guns, torpedoes, boats, ships, cars, are all detailed to spec and look fantastic!" recommending as well the series to fans of Gunsmith Cats and Cowboy Bebop.[89] Greg Hackmann of Mania.com wrote that Hiroe "doesn't saddle the over-the-top action with scenes of lingering seriousness or angst," noting that the point of the story is "watch our anti-heroes work together […] to rack up ridiculous body counts and generally kick serious amounts of ass. And you know what? It may sound dumb -- hell, it is dumb -- but it's also incredibly damned entertaining."[90] David Rasmussen of Manga Life compared the series unfavorably to Cowboy Bebop, stating that while it "doesn't suck," it is not "Cowboy Bebop memorable either." Rasmussen called it a "decent
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English)[1][2] are mostly regarded as synonyms, although subtle differences in usage exist.
A sub-armory is a place of temporary storage or carrying of weapons and ammunition, such as any temporary post or patrol vehicle that is only operational in certain times of the day.[3]
The term in English entered the language in the 16th century as a loanword from French: arsenal, itself deriving from the term Italian: arsenale, which in turn is thought to be a corruption of Arabic: دار الصناعة, dār aṣ-ṣināʿa, meaning "manufacturing shop".[4][5][6][7][8][9]
A lower-class arsenal, which can furnish the materiel and equipment of a small army, may contain a laboratory, gun and carriage factories, small-arms ammunition, small-arms, harness, saddlery tent and powder factories; in addition, it must possess great storehouses. In a second-class arsenal, the factories would be replaced by workshops. The situation of an arsenal should be governed by strategic considerations. If of the first class, it should be situated at the base of operations and supply, secure from attack, not too near a frontier, and placed so as to draw in readily the resources of the country. The importance of a large arsenal is such that its defences would be on the scale of those of a large fortress.
In the early 21st century, the term "floating armoury" described a ship storing weapons to be supplied to merchant vessels in international waters subject to piracy, so that the weapons do not enter territorial waters where they would be illegal.
The branches in a great arsenal are usually subdivided into storekeeping, construction and administration:
Under storekeeping the arsenal should have the following departments and stores: Departments of issue and receipt, pattern room, armoury department, ordnance or park, harness, saddlery and accoutrements, camp equipment, tools and instruments, engineer store, timber yard, breaking-up store, and unserviceable store.
Under construction: Gun factory, carriage factory, laboratory, small arms factory, harness and tent factory, gunpowder factory, etc. In a second-class arsenal there would be workshops instead of factories.
Under the head of administration would be classed the chief director of the arsenal, officials military and civil, non-commissioned officers and military artificers, civilian foremen, workmen and laborers, with the clerks and writers necessary for the office work of the establishments.[10]
In the manufacturing branches are required skill, and efficient and economical work, both executive and administrative; in the storekeeping part, good arrangement, great care, thorough knowledge of all warlike stores, both in their active and passive state, and scrupulous exactness in the custody, issue and receipt of stores. Frederick Taylor introduced command and control techniques to arsenals, including the U.S.'s Watertown Arsenal (a principal center for artillery design and manufacture) and Frankford Arsenal (a principal center for small arms ammunition design and manufacture).[10]
^Soanes, Catherine and Stevenson, Angus (ed.) (2005). Oxford Dictionary of English, 2nd Ed., revised, Oxford University Press, Oxford, New York, p. 85. ISBN978-0-19-861057-1.
This program unpacks Playstation 3 Theme files (.p3t) so that you can touch-up an existing theme to your likings or use a certain wallpaper from it (as many themes have multiple). But remember, if you use content from another theme and release it, be sure to give credit!
Download p3textractor.zip from above. Extract the files to a folder with a program such as WinZip or WinRAR. Now there are multiple ways to extract the theme.
The first way is to simply open the p3t file with p3textractor.exe. If you don’t know how to do this, right click the p3t file and select Open With. Alternatively, open the p3t file and it will ask you to select a program to open with. Click Browse and find p3textractor.exe from where you previously extracted it to. It will open CMD and extract the theme to extracted.[filename]. After that, all you need to do for any future p3t files is open them and it will extract.
The second way is very simple. Just drag the p3t file to p3textractor.exe. It will open CMD and extract the theme to extracted.[filename].
For the third way, first put the p3t file you want to extract into the same folder as p3textractor.exe. Open CMD and browse to the folder with p3extractor.exe. Enter the following: p3textractor filename.p3t [destination path]Replace filename with the name of the p3t file, and replace [destination path] with the name of the folder you want the files to be extracted to. A destination path is not required. By default it will extract to extracted.filename.
Following its initial cancellation by Fox, Futurama began airing reruns on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim programming block, which lasted from 2003 to 2007. It was revived in 2007 as four direct-to-video films, the last of which was released in early 2009. Comedy Central entered into an agreement with 20th Century Fox Television to syndicate the existing episodes and air the films as 16 new, half-hour episodes, constituting a fifth season.[3][4]
In June 2009, Comedy Central picked up the show for 26 new half-hour episodes, which began airing in 2010 and 2011.[5][6] The show was renewed for a seventh season, with the first half airing in 2012 and the second in 2013.[7][8][9] An audio-only episode featuring the original cast members was released in 2017 as an episode of The Nerdist Podcast.[10] On February 9, 2022, Hulu revived the series with a 20-episode order, which premiered on July 24, 2023.[11][12] In November 2023, the show was renewed by Hulu for two more broadcast seasons, which will air through 2026.[13][14]
Futurama is essentially a workplace sitcom, the plot of which revolves around the Planet Express interplanetary delivery company and its employees,[17] a small group that largely fails to conform to future society.[18] Episodes usually feature the central trio of Fry, Leela, and Bender, though occasional storylines center on the other main characters.
Philip J. Fry (voiced by Billy West) – Fry is an immature, slovenly, yet good-hearted and sensitive pizza delivery boy who falls into a cryogenic pod, causing it to activate and freeze him just after midnight on January 1, 2000. He reawakens on New Year's Eve of 2999 and gets a job as a cargo delivery boy at Planet Express, a company owned by his only living relative, Professor Hubert J. Farnsworth. Fry's love for Leela is a recurring theme throughout the series.
Turanga Leela (voiced by Katey Sagal) – Leela is the competent, one-eyed captain of the Planet Express Ship.[17] Abandoned as a baby, she grows up in the Cookieville Minimum Security Orphanarium believing herself to be an alien from another planet, but learns that she is actually a mutant from the sewers in the episode "Leela's Homeworld".[19] Prior to becoming the ship's captain, Leela works as a career assignment officer at the cryogenics lab where she first meets Fry. She is Fry's primary love interest and eventually becomes his wife. Her name is a reference to the Turangalîla-Symphonie by Olivier Messiaen.[20]
Bender Bending Rodriguez (voiced by John DiMaggio) – Bender is a foul-mouthed, heavy-drinking, cigar-smoking, kleptomaniacal, misanthropic, egocentric, ill-tempered robot manufactured by Mom's Friendly Robot Company. He is originally programmed to bend girders for suicide booths, and is later designated as assistant sales manager and cook at Planet Express, despite lacking a sense of taste. He is Fry's best friend and roommate. He must drink heavily to power his fuel cells and becomes the robot equivalent of drunk when low on alcohol.[21]
Professor Hubert J. Farnsworth (voiced by Billy West) – Professor Farnsworth, also known simply as "the Professor", is Fry's distant nephew, and technically descendant.[22] Farnsworth founds Planet Express Inc. to fund his work as a mad scientist. Although he is depicted as a brilliant scientist and inventor, at more than 160 years old he is extremely prone to age-related forgetfulness and fits of temper. In the episode "A Clone of My Own", the Professor clones himself to produce a successor, Cubert Farnsworth (voiced by Kath Soucie), whom he treats like a son.
Hermes Conrad (voiced by Phil LaMarr) – Hermes is the Jamaican accountant of Planet Express. A 36th-level bureaucrat (demoted to level 37 during the series) and proud of it, he is a stickler for regulation and enamored of the tedium of paperwork and bureaucracy. Hermes is also a former champion in Olympic Limbo, a sport derived from the popular party activity. He gave up limbo after the 2980 Olympics when a young fan, imitating him, broke his back and died. Hermes has a wife, LaBarbara, and a 12-year-old son, Dwight.
Dr. John A. Zoidberg (voiced by Billy West) – Zoidberg is a Decapodian, a lobster-like alien from the planet Decapod 10, and the neurotic staff physician of Planet Express. Although he claims to be an expert on humans, his knowledge of human anatomy and physiology is woefully inaccurate (at one point, he states that his doctorate is actually in art history). Zoidberg's expertise seems to be with extra-terrestrial creatures. Homeless and penniless, he lives in the dumpster behind Planet Express. Although Zoidberg is depicted as being Professor Farnsworth's long-time friend, he is held in contempt by everyone on the crew.
Amy Wong (voiced by Lauren Tom) – Amy is an incredibly rich, blunt, ditzy, and accident-prone yet sweet-hearted long-term intern at Planet Express. She is an astrophysics student at Mars University and heiress to the western hemisphere of Mars. In the second episode of season one, the Professor states that he likes having Amy around because she has the same bloodtype as him. Born on Mars, she is ethnically Chinese and is prone to cursing in Cantonese and using 31st-century slang. Her parents are the wealthy ranchers Leo and Inez Wong. She is promiscuous in the beginning of the series, but eventually enters a monogamous relationship with Kif Kroker. In the show's sixth season, she acquires her doctorate, and in the eighth season, she and Kif become parents.
Futurama is set in New New York at the turn of the 31st century, in a time filled with technological wonders. The city of New New York has been built over the ruins of present-day New York City, which has become a catacomb-like space that acts as New New York's sewer, referred to as "Old New York". Parts of the sewers are inhabited by mutants. Various devices and architecture are similar to the Populuxe style. Global warming, inflexible bureaucracy, and substance abuse are a few of the subjects given a 31st-century exaggeration in a world where the problems have become both more extreme and more common. Just as New York has become a more extreme version of itself in the future, other Earth locations are given the same treatment; Los Angeles, for example, is depicted as a smog-filled apocalyptic wasteland.
Numerous technological advances have been made between the present day and the 31st century. The Head Museum, which keeps a collection of heads alive in jars thanks to technology invented by Ron Popeil (who has a guest cameo in "A Big Piece of Garbage"), has resulted in many historical figures and current celebrities being present, including Groening himself; this became the writers' device to feature and poke fun at contemporary celebrities in the show. Several of the preserved heads shown are those of people who were already dead well before the advent of this technology; one of the most prominent examples of this anomaly is former U.S. president Richard Nixon, who died in 1994 and appears in numerous episodes. The Internet, while being fully immersive and encompassing all senses—even featuring its own digital world (similar to Tron or The Matrix)—is slow and largely consists of pornography, pop-up ads, and "filthy" (or Filthy Filthy) chat rooms. Some of it is edited to include educational material ostensibly for youth. Television is still a primary form of entertainment. Self-aware robots are a common sight, and are the main cause of global warming due to the exhaust from their alcohol-powered systems. The wheel is obsolete (no one but Fry even seems to recognize the design),[23] having been forgotten and replaced by hover cars and a network of large, clear pneumatic transportation tubes.
Environmentally, common animals still remain, alongside mutated, cross-bred (sometimes with humans) and extraterrestrial animals. Ironically, spotted owls are often shown to have replaced rats as common household pests. Although rats still exist, sometimes rats act like pigeons, though pigeons still exist, as well. Anchovies have been extinct for 800 years because of the Decapodians. Earth still suffers the effects of greenhouse gases, although in one episode Leela states that its effects have been counteracted by nuclear winter. In another episode, the effects of global warming have been somewhat mitigated by the dropping of a giant ice cube into the ocean, and later by pushing Earth farther away from the sun, which also extended the year by one week.
Religion is a prominent part of society, although the dominant religions have evolved. A merging of the major religious groups of the 20th century has resulted in the First Amalgamated Church,[24] while Voodoo is now mainstream. New religions include Oprahism, Robotology, and the banned religion of Star Trek fandom. Religious figures include Father Changstein-El-Gamal, the Robot Devil, Reverend Lionel Preacherbot, and passing references to the Space Pope, who appears to be a large crocodile-like creature. Several major holidays have robots associated with them, including the murderous Robot Santa and Kwanzaa-bot. While very few episodes focus exclusively on religion within the Futurama universe, they do cover a wide variety of subjects including predestination, prayer, the nature of salvation, and religious conversion.[24]
Futurama's setting is a backdrop, and the writers are not above committing continuity errors if they serve to further the gags. For example, while the pilot episode implies that the previous Planet Express crew was killed by a space wasp, the later episode "The Sting" is based on the crew having been killed by space bees instead.[25] The "world of tomorrow" setting is used to highlight and lampoon issues of today and to parody the science-fiction genre.[26]
The television network Fox expressed a strong desire in the mid-1990s for Matt Groening to create a new series after the success of his previous series, The Simpsons, and began conceiving Futurama during this period. In 1995, he enlisted David X. Cohen, then a writer and producer for The Simpsons, to assist in developing the show. The two spent time researching science fiction books, television shows, and films. When they pitched the series to Fox in April 1998, Groening and Cohen had composed many characters and story lines; Groening claimed they had gone "overboard" in their discussions.[28] Groening described trying to get the show on the air as "by far the worst experience of my grown-up life".[29]
Fox ordered thirteen episodes. Immediately after, however, Fox feared the themes of the show were not suitable for the network and Groening and Fox executives argued over whether the network would have any creative input into the show.[28] With The Simpsons, the network has no input.[30] Fox was particularly disturbed by the concept of suicide booths, Doctor Zoidberg, and Bender's anti-social behavior.[31] Groening explains, "When they tried to give me notes on Futurama, I just said: 'No, we're going to do this just the way we did Simpsons.' And they said, 'Well, we don't do business that way anymore.' And I said, 'Oh, well, that's the only way I do business.'"[32] The episode "I, Roommate" was produced to address Fox's concerns, with the script written to their specifications.[31][33] Fox strongly disliked the episode, but after negotiations, Groening received the same independence with Futurama.[34]
The name Futurama comes from a pavilion at the 1939 New York World's Fair. Designed by Norman Bel Geddes, the Futurama pavilion depicted how he imagined the world would look in 1959.[35] Many other titles were considered for the series, including Aloha, Mars! and Doomsville, which Groening notes were "resoundly rejected, by everyone concerned with it".[36][37] It takes approximately six to nine months to produce an episode of Futurama.[38][39] The long production time results in several episodes being worked on simultaneously.[40]
The planning for each episode began with a table meeting of writers, who discussed the plot ideas as a group. The writers are given index cards with plot points that they are required to use as the center of activity in each episode. A single staff writer wrote an outline and then produced a script. Once the first draft of a script was finished, the writers and executive producers called in the actors for a table read.[41] After this script reading, the writers collaborated to rewrite the script as a group before sending it to the animation team.[42] At this point the voice recording was also started and the script was out of the writers' hands.[39]
Futurama had eight main cast members. Billy West performed the voices of Philip J. Fry, Professor Farnsworth, Doctor Zoidberg, Zapp Brannigan, and many other incidental characters. West auditioned for "just about every part", landing the roles of the Professor and Doctor Zoidberg.[44] Although West read for Fry, his friend Charlie Schlatter was initially given the role.[44] Due to a casting change, West was called back to audition again and was given the role. West claims that the voice of Fry is deliberately modeled on his own, so as to make it difficult for another person to replicate the voice.[44] Doctor Zoidberg's voice was based on Lou Jacobi and George Jessel.[45] The character of Zapp Brannigan was originally created for and intended to be performed by Phil Hartman.[44][45] Hartman insisted on auditioning for the role, and "just nailed it" according to Groening. Due to Hartman's death, West was given the role. West states that his version of Zapp Brannigan was an imitation of Hartman and also "modeled after a couple of big dumb announcers I knew".[44][45]
Katey Sagal voiced Leela, and is the only member of the main cast to voice only one character. The role of Leela was originally assigned to Nicole Sullivan.[44] In an interview in June 2010, Sagal remarked that she did not know that another person was to originally voice Leela until many years after the show first began.[46]
With new recruits Frusciante and Smith, the Red Hot Chili Peppers recorded Mother's Milk (1989) and their first major commercial success, Blood Sugar Sex Magik (1991). Frusciante was uncomfortable with their newfound popularity and left abruptly on tour in 1992. After a series of temporary guitarists, he was replaced by Dave Navarro, who appeared on the group's sixth album, One Hot Minute (1995). Although successful, the album failed to match the critical or popular acclaim of Blood Sugar Sex Magik. Frusciante and Kiedis struggled with drug addiction throughout the 1990s.
In 1998, following Navarro's departure, Frusciante rejoined the band. Their seventh album, Californication (1999), became their biggest commercial success, with 16 million copies sold worldwide. By the Way (2002) and Stadium Arcadium (2006) were also successful; Stadium Arcadium was their first album to reach number one on the Billboard 200 chart. Frusciante left again in 2009 to focus on his solo career; he was replaced by Josh Klinghoffer, who appeared on I'm with You (2011) and The Getaway (2016), before Frusciante rejoined in 2019. They released their 12th and 13th albums, Unlimited Love and Return of the Dream Canteen, in 2022.
The band in 1984. From left, Flea, Anthony Kiedis, Jack Sherman and Cliff Martinez
The Red Hot Chili Peppers were formed in Los Angeles in 1982 by singer Anthony Kiedis, guitarist Hillel Slovak, bassist Flea, and drummer Jack Irons, classmates at Fairfax High School.[8] Their first performance was on December 16, 1982, at the Grandia Room club on Hollywood Boulevard to a crowd of approximately 30. Gary Allen, a friend of the band, was hosting a release party for his new EP and asked Kiedis and Flea to put together an opening act.[1]
At the time, Slovak and Irons were already committed to another group, What Is This?; however, the new band was asked to return the following week.[9] In March, they changed their name to the Red Hot Chili Peppers, playing several shows at Los Angeles venues. Six songs from these shows were on the band's first demo tape.[10] In November 1983, manager Lindy Goetz struck a seven-album deal with EMI America and Enigma Records. Two weeks earlier, however, What Is This? had also obtained a record deal with MCA, and in December Slovak and Irons quit the Red Hot Chili Peppers to focus on What Is This?.[11] Flea and Kiedis recruited Weirdos drummer Cliff Martinez and guitarist Jack Sherman.[12]
The band released their debut album, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, in August 1984. Airplay on college radio and MTV helped build a fan base,[13] and the album sold 300,000 copies. Gang of Four guitarist Andy Gill, who produced the album, pushed the band to play with a cleaner, more radio-friendly sound,[14] and the band was disappointed with the result, finding it over-polished.[15] The album included backing vocals by Gwen Dickey, the singer for the 1970s disco funk group Rose Royce.[16] The band embarked on a gruelling tour, performing 60 shows in 64 days. During the tour, continuing musical and lifestyle tension between Kiedis and Sherman complicated the transition between concert and daily band life.[17] Sherman was fired in February 1985.[18] Slovak, who had just quit What Is This?, rejoined in early 1985.[19]
1985–1988: Building a following, drug abuse, and death of Slovak[edit]
Vocalist Anthony Kiedis and bassist Flea (pictured in August 1989) have remained with the Red Hot Chili Peppers through the band's history.
The second Chili Peppers album, Freaky Styley (1985), was produced by funk musician George Clinton, who introduced elements of punk and funk into the band's repertoire.[20] The album featured Maceo Parker and Fred Wesley. The band used heroin while recording the album, which influenced the lyrics and music.[21] The band had a much better relationship with Clinton than with Gill,[22] but Freaky Styley, released on August 16, 1985, also achieved little success, failing to make an impression on any chart. The band also considered the subsequent tour unproductive.[23][24][25] Despite the lack of success, the band was satisfied with Freaky Styley; Kiedis reflected that "it so surpassed anything we thought we could have done that we were thinking we were on the road to enormity."[26] Around this time, the band appeared in the 1986 films Thrashin', playing the song "Blackeyed Blonde" from Freaky Styley, and Tough Guys, performing "Set It Straight".[27]
In early 1986, EMI gave the Chili Peppers $5,000 to record a demo tape for their next album. They chose to work with producer Keith Levene from Public Image Ltd, as he shared their interest in drugs.[28] Levene and Slovak put aside $2,000 of the budget to spend on heroin and cocaine, which created tension between the band members. Martinez's "heart was no longer in the band", but he did not quit, so Kiedis and Flea fired him in April 1986.[29] Irons rejoined the band, to their surprise; it marked the first time all four founding members were together since 1983. During the recording and subsequent tour of Freaky Styley, Kiedis and Slovak were dealing with debilitating heroin addictions. Due to his addiction, Kiedis "didn't have the same drive or desire to come up with ideas or lyrics" and appeared at rehearsal "literally asleep".[30]
For their third album, the Chili Peppers attempted to hire Rick Rubin to produce, but he declined due to the band's increasing drug problems. They eventually hired Michael Beinhorn from the art funk project Material, their last choice.[31] The early attempts at recording were halted due to Kiedis's worsening drug problems, and Kiedis was briefly fired.[32] After the band were named "band of the year" by LA Weekly, Kiedis entered drug rehabilitation.[33] The band auditioned new singers,[34] but Kiedis, now sober, rejoined the recording sessions with new enthusiasm.[35] Songs formed quickly, blending the funk feel and rhythms of Freaky Styley with a harder, more immediate approach to punk rock. The album was recorded in the basement of the Capitol Records Building.[36] The recording process was difficult; Kiedis would frequently disappear to seek drugs.[37] After fifty days of sobriety, Kiedis decided to take drugs again to celebrate his new music.[36]
The third Red Hot Chili Peppers album, The Uplift Mofo Party Plan, was released in September 1987 and peaked at No. 148 on the Billboard 200 chart,[38] a significant improvement over their earlier albums. The band immediately embarked on a two and a half month North American tour to promote the release, accompanied by Faith No More as support who were also promoting their new album Introduce Yourself.[39][40] During this period, however, Kiedis and Slovak had both developed serious drug addictions,[41] often disappearing for days on end. Slovak died from a heroin overdose on June 25, 1988, soon after the conclusion of the Uplift tour.[42] Kiedis fled the city and did not attend Slovak's funeral.[43] Irons, troubled by the death, left the band; following years of depression, he became a member of the Seattle grunge band Pearl Jam in 1994.[44]
Chad Smith (pictured in 2019) has been the Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer since 1988.
DeWayne "Blackbyrd" McKnight, a former member of Parliament-Funkadelic, joined as guitarist, and D. H. Peligro of Dead Kennedys joined as drummer.[when?] Kiedis re-entered rehab for 30 days, and visited Slovak's grave as part of his rehabilitation, finally confronting his grief. Three dates into the tour, McKnight was fired for lack of chemistry with the band.[45] McKnight was so unhappy he threatened to burn down Kiedis's house.[46]
Peligro introduced Kiedis and Flea to teenage guitarist and Chili Peppers fan John Frusciante,[47] who brought a darker, more melodic rock style to the band.[48] Frusciante performed his first show with the Chili Peppers in September 1988. The new lineup began writing for the next album and went on a short tour, the Turd Town Tour. In November, Kiedis and Flea fired Peligro due to his drug and alcohol problems.[49] Following open auditions, they hired drummer Chad Smith in December 1988, who has remained since.[50] According to Smith, "We started playing, and right away we just hit it off musically."[51]
The Chili Peppers began work on their fourth album in 1989.[52] Unlike the stop-start sessions for The Uplift Mofo Party Plan, preproduction went smoothly. However, the sessions were made tense by Beinhorn's desire to create a hit, frustrating Frusciante and Kiedis.[53] Released on August 16, 1989, Mother's Milk peaked at number 52 on the U.S. Billboard 200.[38] The record failed to chart in the United Kingdom and Europe, but climbed to number 33 in Australia.[54] "Knock Me Down" reached number six on the U.S. Modern Rock Tracks, whereas "Higher Ground" charted at number eleven[55] and reached number 54 in the UK and 45 in Australia and France.[56][57]Mother's Milk was certified gold in March 1990 and was the first Chili Peppers album to ship over 500,000 units.[58]
1990–1993: Blood Sugar Sex Magik, fame, and Frusciante's first departure[edit]
Rick Rubin has produced almost every Red Hot Chili Peppers album since 1991.
In 1990, after the success of Mother's Milk, the Chili Peppers left EMI and entered a major-label bidding war. They signed with Warner Bros. Records and hired producer Rick Rubin. Rubin had turned the band down in 1987 because of their drug problems but felt they were now healthier and more focused. He would go on to produce five more of their albums. The writing process was more productive than it had been for Mother's Milk, with Kiedis saying, "[every day], there was new music for me to lyricize".[59] At Rubin's suggestion, they recorded in the Mansion, a studio in a house where magician Harry Houdini once lived.[60]
In September 1991, Blood Sugar Sex Magik was released. "Give It Away" was the first single, which went on to achieve international fame and became the band's first number-one single on the Modern Rock chart.[55] The ballad "Under the Bridge" was released as a second single, and reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, the band's highest position to date.[55]
Blood Sugar Sex Magik sold over 12 million copies.[61] It was listed at number 310 on Rolling Stone's list of 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, and in 1992 it rose to number three on the US album charts, almost a year after its release. The album was accompanied by a documentary, Funky Monks.[62] The band began their Blood Sugar Sex Magik tour, which featured Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Smashing Pumpkins, three of the era's biggest upcoming bands in alternative music, as opening acts.[63]
Frusciante was troubled by fame, and began falling out with Kiedis. He isolated himself and developed a secret heroin addiction. In an appearance on Saturday Night Live, he performed off-key; Kiedis believed he wanted to sabotage the performance.[48] Frusciante abruptly quit after a show in Tokyo in May 1992.[48] He returned to Los Angeles and spent years living in squalor, struggling with addiction.[48]
The Chili Peppers dismissed Marshall with the explanation, "It just wasn’t working out...".[69] They held auditions for new guitarists, including Buckethead, whom Flea felt was not right for the band.[70] Guitarist Jesse Tobias of the Los Angeles band Mother Tongue was briefly hired, but dismissed due to poor chemistry.[71] However, Navarro said he was now ready to join the band.[72] In August 1993, the non-album single "Soul to Squeeze" was released and featured on the soundtrack to the film Coneheads.[73] The song topped the Billboard US Modern Rock chart.[74]
Dave Navarro (pictured in 2009) replaced Jesse Tobias as guitarist in 1993. He left in 1998.
Navarro first appeared with the band at Woodstock '94, performing early versions of new songs. This was followed by a brief tour, including headlining appearances at Pukkelpop and Reading Festivals as well as two performances as the opening act for the Rolling Stones.[75] The relationship between Navarro and the band began to deteriorate;[76] Navarro admitted he did not care for funk music or jamming. Kiedis had relapsed into heroin addiction following a dental procedure in which an addictive sedative, Valium, was used, though the band did not discover this until later.[77]
Without Frusciante, songs were written at a far slower rate.[77] Kiedis said: "John had been a true anomaly when it came to songwriting ... I just figured that was how all guitar players were, that you showed them your lyrics and sang a little bit and the next thing you knew you had a song. That didn't happen right off the bat with Dave."[77] With Kiedis often absent from recording due to his drug problems, Flea took on a larger role when he wrote and sang lead on his song, "Pea".[78]
The Chili Peppers began the tour for One Hot Minute in Europe in 1995. The US tour was postponed after Smith broke his wrist. In 1997, several shows were cancelled following deteriorating band relations, injuries, and Navarro and Kiedis's drug use. The band played three shows that year, including the first Fuji Rock Festival in Japan.[85] In April 1998, the Chili Peppers announced that Navarro had left due to creative differences. Kiedis said the decision was mutual.[86] Reports at the time indicated that Navarro's departure came after he attended a band practice under the influence of drugs.[81]
1998–2001: Return of Frusciante and Californication[edit]
This program unpacks Playstation 3 Theme files (.p3t) so that you can touch-up an existing theme to your likings or use a certain wallpaper from it (as many themes have multiple). But remember, if you use content from another theme and release it, be sure to give credit!
Download p3textractor.zip from above. Extract the files to a folder with a program such as WinZip or WinRAR. Now there are multiple ways to extract the theme.
The first way is to simply open the p3t file with p3textractor.exe. If you don’t know how to do this, right click the p3t file and select Open With. Alternatively, open the p3t file and it will ask you to select a program to open with. Click Browse and find p3textractor.exe from where you previously extracted it to. It will open CMD and extract the theme to extracted.[filename]. After that, all you need to do for any future p3t files is open them and it will extract.
The second way is very simple. Just drag the p3t file to p3textractor.exe. It will open CMD and extract the theme to extracted.[filename].
For the third way, first put the p3t file you want to extract into the same folder as p3textractor.exe. Open CMD and browse to the folder with p3extractor.exe. Enter the following: p3textractor filename.p3t [destination path]Replace filename with the name of the p3t file, and replace [destination path] with the name of the folder you want the files to be extracted to. A destination path is not required. By default it will extract to extracted.filename.
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