AnimAICN...

by Scott Green

Anime Preview: Gantz Based on preview disc of episodes 1 & 2

To be Released by ADV Films in February

Gantz isn't just going to be one of the highlight of early 2004, its going to be one the anime series that stays in the consciousness of anime fans.

It's teenage anger done right, disoriented momentum, rather lethargic angst, and chains of the intelligently shocking moments most stories reserved for rare highlights. Gantz takes the sex and violence of teensplotation, and reproduces the confusion and anger most experience or experienced at the time. Gonzo has animated a series strikes with full force, keeping the viewer off balance and enthralled, never sure when things are going to go to hell or how bad it’s going to be.

The early stark image that iconifies the series is a sequence in which a naked young lady who materializes in a reserved laterally layered dissection. It's gruesome, titillating, and its sells the series' brand of creative and well rendered provocative imagery.

Almost more telling is a confrontation in which two characters get physical in a hallway. It's not a rapid action scene, but the manner in which the characters push and choke each other, their breathing gradually becomes labored and their faces darken as air is constricted paints how committed the creators and inhabitants are to events of this series. In the scheme of storytelling, what happens is probably done for shock value, and while Ganz doesn't provide or need a Bridge of San Luis Rey back story on everyone these aren't blank targets getting knocked over. It retains the impact and consequence.

It is a bit of a flip on the proposition of many anime works, a high concept that isn't exactly intriguing when spelled out, and an inspired execution. Ostensibly, it is a teen-centric sci-fi hunt. People taken from the moment before death and outfitted to hunt alien creatures. Still, quickly, and without much explanation, the series starts throwing a large number of ideas around, and staggering amount stick. In atmosphere and mystery is comparable to a more urban, more lethal Lost.

Kei Kurono is an unusual hero. Encountering a childhood friend in a subway station, he is told that he was daring and inspirationally daring as a youth. As a teenager, he's horny, and unimpressed by the world around him. His mind is crowded by unpleasant thoughts about the people he sees, and imagined images of the women without their clothes. On a subway platform he re-encounters his childhood friend, Masura Kato, who has grown from a bullied, left behind child into large, morally compelled young man. It's these compulsions that get the pair on the subway rack track, trying to save a homeless man when they are struck by an oncoming express train.

As they die a gruesome death the station crowd thinks the same sort of unpleasant thoughts as Kurono, as a few snap pictures from the cell phone cameras. Kurono and Kato then step into a room with populated by a black sphere that produces written taunting messages, plays kitschy music and opens up to reveal racks of strange weapons, labeled cases with skin tight black suites and a strange man wired into its core. They also meet a selection of other recently dead people: a mild mannered teacher who says he was in a scooter accident, a pair of yazuka gangsters with bullet wholes in their clothes, a surly young man with dieyed hair, a dog, an old man died of cancer with ties to some unscrupulous behavior, freaky young teen with knowlege of what's happening, and Kei Kishimoto, a teenage girl of about Kurono and Kato's age who attempting suicide in a bath.

The sphere informs the group about the "green onion alien", a sullen, green child-creation with a fixation on green onions (leeks) , then sets them on the street with an hour's time, the instructio to kill the creature and little idea what they are supposed to actually do or why.

Kurono stands out as far from a stock character. His hornyness and misanthropic attitude is not presented as obnoxious or comically exaggerated. He's not amoral but lacking in tradition heroic qualities. What makes him in some ways sympathetic rather than despicable or abrasive is that he seems to carry a credibly sane set of motivations into anime circumstances. He takes advantage of what most people who take advantage of, and avoids what most people who avoid.

ADV licensed the unedited/uncensored version of the series. Recently, a number of anime shows have differed in their Japanese television and home video release, some times in minor content changes, somes times undergoing major re-animation. In the case of Gantz, it is the including of more extended or graphic nudity and violence. There have been a number of recent case where the domestic licensor was uninformed about what version they received (or stated as such), and picked up the perceived as edited television version. Gantz is far from the most explicit anime produced, but there is little doubt left by the first two episodes that this is the adulterate form of the work.

AnimeNation reports that the 26 episode series (two 13 episode series) will be released across 13 two episode volumes, priced at $17.99 each.

Anime Spotlight Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex: Vol. 2 & 3

Released by Manga Video and Bandai Entertainment

Stand Alone Complex is the best real sci-fi anime to some down the pike in a while. It is a rare work that employs sci-fi as an arena for exploring ideas as to how technology may developed and influence life rather than as employing sci-fi as a sprung full formed platform motif. It builds on inventive and intellectually satisfying explorations of the crimes of a post cyborg-revolution world with is a sense of how its world developed and is continuing to developed. Rather jumping forward in an arbitrary sci-fi advancement, it extrapolates the modern world through a break through in cybernetic technology, where human bodies can be replaced in part or in whole with mechanics parts, brains may be directly wire to computer networks and artificial intelligence is rare, but functional.

Stand Alone Complex's plot is a perfect sci-fi extension to the trend in police entertainment. The detective story has evolved into the procedural where the physical mechanics receives equal, if not higher billing than the mental process of the protagonist. When turned to sci-fi, research is augmented by speculation, and how it's done becomes how it might be done.

Stand Alone Complex takes the world created in Masaume Shirow ‘s manga of acyborg special law enforcement unit and turns its focus towards on the progression of their investigation progress. The series picks up on Shirow's Section 9 with Major Motoko Kusinagi, a woman whose brain's resides in a completely cybernetic body, Batou, a blunt and more physical veteran and Togusa a young family without cybernetic body parts who relatively recently transferred from a traditional police force.

Supporting characters including the division's director Aramaki, and older, scruffy techie Ishikawa return, augmented new characters within the with (augmented with a progression of named but seldom distinguishable clean suited techies and fast typing bridge bunnies). The Tachikoma AI personal spider-tanks return for the initial manga with a large role (neat tools for comic relief and adding extra complexity to the series' action tactics).

Ghost in the Shell’s brain in a man made housing is ripe for exploring the effect of technology of humanity. Where Mamoru Oshii's Ghost in the Shell movies approached the world took a metaphysical angle, Stand Alone Complex seems to be more about cultural processes.

The episodic cases of the first volumes don't neatly give way to a singular plot, but an unsolved cases begins explicitly or thematically span Section 9's investigations. The Laughing Man was an unapprehended hacker, marked by a hijacked pop culture emblem with a Catcher In The Rye motto that appears over the faces of bodies of people he's infected on recorded video feeds, who emerged from dormancy in the previous volume. After a trial of police corruption triggers the case's re-opening, the Laughing man responds with a complex plot to assassinate a ranking police official, capturing the public's imagination in the progress.

With the Laughing Man case, what is initially though to be an anti-corporate vendetta projects its implications across Section 9's work. From episode developed to researching through online chat rooms, to a ward from the psychological maladies of the series' wired age, to a Tachikoma's shaggy dog story case begin coming back to the Laughing Man, or touch its conceptual foundations. Beyond direct effect of The Laughing Man's target, his presence and its visual manifestation become a cultural meme, an idea imprinted in the cultural mind. An almost viral mechanism for creating copy cat duplications and followers from children carrying his emblem on their lunchboxes to teen wannabe's the transition of ideas in a culture that is physically wired becomes a danger.

The ideas of what can be transmitted through a culture is reflected back on previous mediums, movies in particular, which haven't just factored into cases within the series, but have been projected onto the series itself, references and movies, directors, actors and characters, from Jean Seberg to Nurse Ratched (and maybe Oshii's movies).

Part of what makes a particular episode compelling is the series is cognoscente of limitations. Section 9 doesn’t always know where to go, nor do they can't always hunt down the criminal and have shoot out in the course of episode. Sometime they get lucky and sometime they get smart.

On the flip side, this runs into the trouble of a sci-fi detective story without an omniscient narrative. Approximately half way through the series there doesn't appear to be enough information to fully intellectualize the ideas. There is trail of clues from which to offer speculation is incomplete. By this point there aren't many suspects or a full view of the problem's domain. It can't treat it is a Holmesian mystery since the realms of possibilities is still be unraveled. For better or worse, without the complete picture, the viewer is restricted to pondering the implications.

Anime Spotlight: The Daichis: Earth's Defense Family Volume 1: Dysfunctional Hereos

To be released by Geneon

Director/mechanical designer Shoji Kawamori has put together a number of phenomenally tightly script, idea driven sci-fi, including Escaflowne, Arjuna, and Macross Plus. A short adventure/comedy about a dysfunctional family turned power-armored Earth protectors isn't exactly slumming it, but it is a case of scaled down ambition.

The titular Daichi's aren't just comically dysfunctional, they are truly, almost disturbing dysfunctional. The father is a silent, overweight, technician who hardly exerts any will. The mother is a career and money obsessed, pushing for a divorce to offload the burden of her family. The son is a high spirited problem child, the daughter is a sullen teenager. Even if the character is can be identified with, or possesses admired treats, by design these people obnoxious enough to drive anyone out of the room.

In the process of serving divorce papers and dividing themselves up, the family is given a contracted from a galactic police force, promising large sums of money for the successful completion of each Earth-saving missions The contract turns out to be, at least in part, a pyramid scheme in which the family has to reimburse the police force for the cost of their Earth defending power armor's special abilities. Locked into their role, under penalty of forced labor on a slave planet, the Daichis must defend Earth from a host of alien invaders

From the top level sentai(Power Ranger-ish) premise down to a juvenile, scatological sense of humor, the series is keyed toward young male appeal. The family's son vies with the mother for the position of loudest characters. He's generally the forefront of alien battles Situations such as the son, over the course of night becoming impregnated by an alien and giving birth to a springing pet creature favor him and a like aged audience. He's just old enough that his skirt tossing, free id antics are missing a Crayon Shinchan off-beat irreverence, and may amusing younger audiences, but are groan inducers for the older ones.

The direction is a bit obvious, the family works best when they work as a family. A super powered family certainly invokes The Incredibles, but the problems facing the family are a systematic failure aren't imposed, and the distance to travel is staggering. The series isn't faking the issue with easily solved problems or easily corrected characters. While the blame is levelly distributed, the problems are most vocally apparent in the mother, who almost welcome's the fact the she's an careless mother, or at least is a which thinker who doesn’t let it visibly phase her.

With anime's general lack of intact families (there is at least a majority of anime leads who don't have both parents) it is interesting to see a series attack the topic in a direct manner.

Shoji Kawamori does carry through his creation into the director's seat, but he does serve as mechanical designer for the Daichis, in which he puts in some oddly cleaver touches. His creature creations in particular are eye catching and look impressive in scale, but there seem to be extra reminders in the design. He may or may not have intended it, and maybe by the nature of the world but through the first 5 episodes, there are plenty of Freudian symbolism in his monsters.

Similarly there is some extra-retro in the family's power armor design, which is overtly loud, tacky. At least from an American perspective from the blue majorette daughter to the father's orbish it looks like 50's sci-fi design, with garish 70's coloring.

Resource Spotlight: Cruising the Anime City: An Otaku Guide to Neo Tokyo By Patrick Macias and Tomohiro Machiyama

Released by Stone Bridge Press

Most anime fan, even they aren't travel inclined ponder traveling to Japan's mecca of fandom. With new fandom reflective works like Comic Party and Genshiken catching attention, Cruising The Anime City is the guide that anime fans are, or soon will be looking for.

The trip planning isn't exhaustive. Travel and lodging are addressed, but there is plenty beyond the scope of the book to research before jumping on an airplane.. It's more a well organized, by object of interest (manga, anime, idol swag, cosplay, ect), sampling of high points. What to look for, and what to expect. Providing an excellent source of markers and pin pointed points of interest absent from most guide books. In addition to traditional resources such as maps, the book includes useful features such as sidebars of a spot's representative or interesting merchandise, along with their prices. Some of the off beat and interesting information includes important facts, like how much a beer will cost you at a movie theatre's showing of Pokemon or what to expect at Japanese variants of fast food places

Trumping the travel guide values is the book's ridiculously fun look at fan culture with brilliantly irreverent articles that construct a wire frame look at fandom. It is not laughing at another culture, which it is even from the perspective of an experienced anime fan, but in some one's ability to pick out the strange truths in the examination of a laughable culture, in the vein of writings like Chuck Klosterman's Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs. It balances humorously knowing familiarity with analytical distance in explaining and finding the rational of the appeal in passions from the familiar ie Gundam to the bizarre ie kigurumers, cosplay (costume-play) with masks.

One of the capping pieces is a look at the Comiket (comic market), a phenomenon that has been finding its way into most of the major fandom themed anime/manga works. The biannual fan-comic convergence has lodged become one the pillar of fandom, and in the mind of an American fan a 300,000 person bizarre of fan comics, often pornographic or at least erotic re-imaginings of popular characters is both horrifying and intriguing. On the moniker "mythical beast" is well placed.

The book has a witty and eye opening three page sampling of the fan comics found a one particular Comiket. It isn't surprising to read about Legolas-Gimli Lord of the Rings comic (though the line "J. R. R. Tolkien must be spinning in his grave like a rotisserie chicken" made it worth while, but romance with the giant metal monster fighting Ultraman or Radio Head? A book length collection of these descriptions would be great. The permissions/right would probably be dicey, but there is definitely a coffee table book to be made in profiling Japanese fan comics.

There some aspects, such as NEVADA-Moe, a fetishistic dedication to a middle school girl who slashed a classmate with a box cutter, especially her youthful innocence, are best left to some brave cultural anthropologist. However, even for the fandom-phobic, as a genre fan, the book makes many of its locals very appealing.

Manga Spotlight RESEVior CHRoniCLE Tsubasa By CLAMP Volume 3

Released by Del Rey

RESEVior CHRoniCLE Tsubasa is popular manga creator team CLAMP's action remix of their creations: starring Card Captor Sakura's Syaoran and a pair of original compatriots who travel between realities to retrieves feather of a version of Card Captor Sakura's heroine’s wings. CLAMP's body of work has a habit of subverting genres, building stories that tie the user to familiar characters or settings, then fling themselves back at the expected. Tsubasa is far less character and plot than you'd expect from CLAMP. Far more attention and dynamics in the action. Though leave it to CLAMP to put together a brand of action fashion show: redesigning existing characters into foreign or new settings through big-visual rigors.

For CLAMP fans who'd like to see Syaoran as a Rayearth knight, or let loose in fully expressive fight, it is a thrill to see CLAMP exercise a range of their visual flair and play off their existing design down to extravagant chapter title illustrations.

Moving from super power gang war, with Magic Knight's Rayearth spirit beasts, X characters and Card Captor Sakura's Toya and Yukito, the heroes are taken to a world resembling historic Korea oppressed by wizards. On this turn, the action is a brand of spell fire Iron Monkey. Complex panel illustration will little heed to the traditional grid. The results may have cause reading flow problems for newer or tentative comic readers, but it results in inventively attractive stick fights and wall shatter action.

RESEVior CHRoniCLE Tsubasa is a fun, high energy read, but plot is almost an afterthought. In particular Yuko, the wish granting witch from sibling series xxxHOLiC has begun to show up too often. It's getting to be that she show up every volumes to accept something in exchanged for solving a problem. The leads still make the more pivotal accomplishments themselves, and there is bound to be some payout to Yuko's involvement, it still comes across as an over used deus ex machina, and the inter dimensional commerce gets a bit grating.

Manga Spotlight: Apocalypse Meow Volumes 2 and 3 (of 3) By Motofumi Kobayashi

Released by ADV Manga

Apocalypse Meow, originally Cat Shit One is didactic, but engrossing depiction of the Viet Nam war in which each nation is depicted by a different species of anthropomorphic animal, Americans as rabbits, Vietnamese as cats, all the way to Japanese as apes. Kobayashi renders an intricately researched depiction of the war, down to lingo, technology, tactics, complexities from an international to a personal level from a front line soldier's perspective.

Apocalypse Meow is an excellent out of the way series, distinctive from the formula shojo and shonen lines that that dominate the market. The compelling and informative military history is a one of the wonders of the topical breath the manga.

Kobayashi's take a military historian’s straight, fact based approach, with plenty of illustrated text explanation and foot notes to convey as much information as can fit without dumping facts. It's sober, without sensationalizing, editorializing or philosophizing. Which is not to say that it dull, impersonal or clinical, but it is not seeking to analyze the war, or project it onto some larger statement.

The second and third volume expanded the view opened by the first. Meow possesses a sense of progression, but remains large episodic. As the series progress, it make more of an effort to connect to a Japanese audience, introducing a small group of Japanese soldiers (with plenty of notes to make the presence of a Japanese Self Defense Force unit conceivable, and historical grounded). It ends by invoking Hiroshima in what for the series is an uncharacteristically editorial statement, underlined by a situation that uses nations in a manner in a similarly uncharacteristic for the series non-historical action. Not that a nuclear bomb is considered, but some of surrounding events in reaction.

The series keeps a human dimension, maintaining the an eye emotional impact of the combatants, it is a discernable military geek tendency to the series.

Aside from best sellers like Clancy, there appears to more of a crossover between Janes' subscribers and genre fiction in Japan than in American. It has influenced various works, such as Gundam, in which fans can expect available statistics and capabilities of each new giant robots, but generally it is more of a fandom phenomenon than anime/manga. This isn't to say that Apocalypse Meow glamorizing the war, and it certainly doesn't fetishize it as some fan manga does, but its illustrations of gun and gunships show a real passion for the topic.

Manga Spotlight: Battle Angel Alita: Last Order Volume 3: Angel Eternal Volume 4: Angel of Protest By Yukito Kishiro

Released by Viz

Unexpectedly, for multiple reasons, Last Order, the second series to focus of human brained android Alita, has become the hidden gem of fighting manga. Volumes 1 and 2 of the series seemed like bursting echo from the first series, followed by a not-entirely interesting deck clearing. The first volumes featured fights thrilling for their place in the series' mythos and in their execution, which exceed what would be expected from some of the highest regarded action manga creators. Through the second, the gears of motivation were not well oiled. The plot rushed through the consequences of the initial series, with characters whose action didn't flow smoothly from the original and a climatic fight with a giant creature whose stature fit poorly with the character's abilities.

Starting with Last Order's third volume, and establishment itself it the fourth, the momentum of Last order prove that faith is well placed in Yukito Kishiro. Even his initially overly conventional Aqua Knight developed into nice piece of story clockwork as a whole. Kishiro's dual abilities to build fascinating, ever expanding cosmologies, and constructed action with a jaw dropping sense of motion re-emerge after a rough ramping up. It turns out to be a great sequel "more of the same but different." It is able to fit the ideas that have bubbled up in the intervening years, the unfinished or unsatisfactory pieces, and construct something engaging.

Maybe it shouldn't be so surprising that Yukito Kishiro is tackling fighting manga. As Battle Angel proceeded, it has taken an intelligent route through some not traditional intelligent tropes. That the initial work visited roller-ball, included an android Grace Jones, threw in some gag robots who would be at some in Futurama, and still made constructed a story that was emotionally charged and visually amazing was a feet. Then the creator again visited roller-ball in Ashen Victor, his oddly compelling sci-fi tribute to Frak Miller's Sin City capped the achivement.

After spending 9 volumes living and evolving a second life in the social and material dumping ground of Scrapyard, Last Order resurrects the brain of Alita for a third life starting in the pillared failed utopia Tiphares, and expanding, borrowing from Burrows, Heinlein and pulp serials, to orbiting colonies and an inhabited solar system.

Kishiro's follows through on the original series' train of compounding the heroine's life experiences and the complexity of her universe. The two currents of how she changes as she remembers more of her first life and is influenced by the people she has encountered, and her expanding universe are consistently fascinating to watch build and unfold. There is a real depth of imagination the constantly refreshes the series, never letting it become stagnant or repetitive.

On the character and cast Kishiro is a bit blatant in the past memories he invokes and strangely ambivalent about the influence of key characters. Especially given the brake between the original series and Last Order, there is a difficulty is determining whether Alita is supposed to be at peace with herself about certain people who were important to her, whether the author is playing the characters down because they don't fit in with the motif of series' current direction or whether he'd like to ignore them because their roles were compromised when the first series was abbreviated.

The third and fourth volumes have quickly, but organically built a new supporting cast for Alita, one of the law maintaining robots from her life in the Scrapeyard/Tiphares, a miniaturized version of her evil clone, and a pair of more flighty clones, a hacker/gambler, once a revolutionary who unlike his partner didn't bail out to reap the lucrative rewards and the gun and hat obsessed military bodyguard to the queen of the Mars Kingdom Parliment.

From a cinematic street fight that twist into mini-evil Alita stabbing a government agent with dinnerware and popping him in the month to a zero gravity space fights in bulky suites that removes Alita from her highly mobile spinning/twisting martial arts style, to a battlefield capture the flag duel against a hulking karate cyborg Kishiro seems to be having fun with the opportunity that the world he creates affords him. It seem that he's really keeping interested in the possibilities and the results shine. Volume 4 ends with the introduction of the rules for the Zenith of Things (ZOT) tournament. Once a testing ground for military hardware that has development into a proving ground for fighters, and in the narrative of the series, a tool of both government suppression and opportunity for revolution. With five person teams, not limited in the weapons, allotted gunpowder at 5% of the teams total body weight, a height limit between 5 centimeters and 50 meters, and a weight limit of 500 tons, it seems that Kishiro has created a wonderful playground for his ideas.

Final Fantasy Movie Delayed

The Magic Box reports that the Japanese release of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children , the CGI animated movie based on the Final Fantasy video game's franchise's Playstation debut, has been delayed from Christmas to an undisclosed date in 2005.

A new trailer can be seen here

Zeta Gundam Ships

Anime on DVD reports that the several times delayed Mobile Suit Gundam Zeta is starting to ship from various retailers.

The original openings and ending songs sung by Hiroko Moriguchiand Maya Ayukawa have been replaced by background music from the series. Bandai Entertainment customer service representatives have responded to e-mail inquiries saying The opening was not changed intentionally, but instead because there were licensing issues when being brought over from Japan. It was a compromise that had to be made in order to release the series here in the states."

Speculation has been offered that the song issues right issues are linked to their authorship by Neil Sedaka.

Zeta Gundam continues the original Universal Century timeline of the giant robot war story, will the return of some of the characters from the first series.

Shonen Jump Collection Game

The Magic Box has magazine images from Jump! Superstars for Nintendo's NDS here. The game is now revealed to feature characters from (Japanese) Shonen Jump series Boboboubo Boubobo, Death Note, Ichigo 100%, One Piece, Naruto and Dragon Ball Z.

Pirate adventure One Piece, ninja in training story Naruto and super power martial arts action Dragon Ball Z appear in the English edition of Shonen Jump.

Boboboubo Boubobo is an off beat gag-comedy.

Death Note is the current series from Hiraku No Go (the manga about the series about the strategy game go running the English Shonen Jumo) creator Takeshi Obata. The series follows the psychological gameship about between a teenage genius who aquires a death god's book, in which can kill a victem by writings their name, and the hunter for the victems' killer.

Mizuki Kawashita's Ichigo 100% is a a shounen (male audience) romance comedy.

Anime Awards

Anime News Network reports that the list of nominees for the 32nd Annual Annie Awards include Ghost In The Shell 2: Innocence for "Best Animated Feature," Mamoru Oshii for "Directing in an Animated Feature Production," Hisashi Ezura, for "Animated Effects" and Kenji Kawai for "Music in an Animated Feature Production," and Yoko Kanno for Music in an Animated Feature Production."

A list of nominees can be seen here

According to Variety Hayao Miyazaki's works have been awarded a special jury prize at the Sitges International Film Festival of Catalonia fantasy film festival.

Miyazaki's Howl's Moving Castle won the Audience Award for Best film and Katsuihiro Otomo's Steamboy won the Gertie Award for the Best Animation Film.

A full list of winners can be read here

Animaxis reports that Ghost in the Shell: Innocence has been awarded the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of Japan's prize for "Best SF Creation" .

New Del Rey Manga Licenses

listerX points out that Del Rey's web listings now include manga titles A Perfect Day for Love Letters by George Asakura and Masaki Segawa's feudal action Basilisk

Viz Licenses Dr Slump and Full Metal Alchemist Manga

Anime on DVD point out Time's Time.comix column that highlights books to look forward to in 2005, that lists both Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama's Dr. Slump and the manga version of Full Metal Alchemist as titles to be on the watch for from Viz.

Upcoming in Japan

From Anime Nation Shonen Jump has announced football manga Eyeshield 21 will be adapted into an anime television.

A new Saishu Heiki Kanojo (SaiKano) direct to video OAV is in the works. Details will be announced at the Comic Market 67 convention to be held in Tokyo, December 29-30. SaiKano is a somber relationship drama about the a teenage boy and his girlfriend who has been turned into weapon. Images can be seen here Viz has released the original anime and manga.

Gonzo's bishoujo (cute girl) spin-off of Sentou Yousei Yukikaze, Sentou Yousei Shoujo Tasukete! Mave-chan will be released in Japan starting in February 14th

Official site for new series include

The Eureka Seven/a>, Studio Bones' next series, also seen here

Sousei no Aquarion from Macross' Shoji Kawamori

AIC Studios'Gun x Sword for the upcoming series .

Erementar Gerad, co-produced and licensed by ADV

AnimEigo Macross License Expires

AnimEigo has begun informing retailers that their license of the Macross expires at the end of the year, ending their distrobution of the series.

The space opera was one of the series edited into Robotech.

Appleseed Movie News

The official English site for the new CGI adaptation of Masamune Shirow's Appleseed is online here. The feature will start a theatrical run on January 14th.

Variety and Anime News Network report LA-based Axis Entertainment has teamed up with Micott & Bazara, the creators of Appleseed, to co-produce two Appleseed sequels. Planned is an Appleseed TV series and a possible live-action film.

ADV Announced Fanclub Program

ADV Films has announced the creation of Anime ADVocates, a new program that will provide U.S. high school, library or college anime clubs will have the opportunity to receive FREE anime preview DVDs.

For more information see here

Late December/Early January ADV Releases

ADV Will be releasing the following titles on December 28th:

• Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040: Essential Anime Collection, Volume 2 (of 3)
• Neon Genesis Evangelion Platinum: 04 (4 of 7)
• Robotech Remastered: New Generation Collection 2 Volume 7
• Samurai X: Reflection Director’s Cut
• Wedding Peach: Black Heart (8 of 10)

January 4th:

• Aura Battler Dunbine: Secrets Of Byston Well, Volume 11 (of 12)
• DNAngel: Double Helix, Volume 2 (of 7)
• Dragon Knight: Wheel Of Time (volume 1 of 1)

Samurai X: Reflection Director’s Cut

The tale of assassin Ruroni Kenshin’s atonement for his sins continues with the December 28, 2004 release of Samurai X: Reflection Director’s Cut. This new feature length edition of the DVD hit includes plenty of hot new extras and footage never before seen in the U.S.

Kenshin is a wanderer, a lost soul, cursed to seek atonement for his life in the bloody trade of the samurai, known throughout all Japan as the Hitokiri Battousai ("sword-bearing master assassin"). The peacetime after a long war to overthrow a corrupt government has brought no peace to Kenshin, despite a vow to draw his sword only for the protection of those in need. Now his wife Kaoru steadfastly awaits his return, mourning his absence as well as that of their son, Kenji. Will Kenshin return before she dies of grief? The past meets the present fifteen years since Kenshin left.

Samurai X: Reflection Director’s Cut is a DVD-only release with a 98-minute feature, including both English 5.1 and Japanese 5.1 language versions with English subtitles.

Dragon Knight: Wheel Of Time

Based on a role-playing computer game, this high-adventure fantasy free-for-all is brimming with magical mayhem, evil monsters, swinging swords and epic battles.

March Bandai Releases

To be Released March 22, 2005

• Gundam SEED: Eternal Crusade (V. 8)
• Gundam SEED: Evolutionary Conflict (V. 9)
• Pleanse twins Only for You (V.3)
• Wolf's Rain Paradise and Poison (V. 6)

Early March Geneon Reviews

To be released March 1

• The Daichis -Earth's Defense Family- "Debt Doomed" (V.2)
• Daphne in the Brilliant Blue - Initiation (V.1) DVD
• Gad Guard - Acquaintances (V.5)
• Gate Keepers - (V.8) (Signature Series)
• Ikki Tousen - Fighting Fate (V.4)
• New Getter Robo - Rude Awakenings (V.1) DVD
• Popotan - Enigma (V.2)
• Tenchi in Tokyo - (V.8) (Signature Series)
• Tenchi Universe - (V.8)
• Tsukihime, Lunar Legend - Nocturnal Fate (V.3)

Daphne in the Brilliant Blue

Maia is having a very bad day. Her life-long dreams to join the elite Ocean Agency wither and die, when, despite everyone's high expectations, she fails the entrance exams. Then, with the loss of her student status, she gets evicted! Penniless, homeless, and unemployed, Maia finds herself in the middle of a shoot-out between fugitive convicts and the Nereides- sexy agents who only take the most high-paying and dangerous jobs. Desperate, Maia takes the first job offered to her: to take a starring role in the next Nereides operation- as bait!

New Getter Robo

Huge monsters stalk the earth! Resembling the ancient legends of Oni, the monsters begin attacking the laboratory where Prof. Saotome developing the Getter Robo, a robot so powerful it overwhelms ordinary pilots! Prof. Saotome then locates three of the most dangerous men on the planet to draft as pilots: Ryoma the fighter, Hayato the berserker and Benkei the giant!

ADV Re-Priced Re-Releases

Anime on DVD reports that ADV will be releasing a number of new catalogue title re-packings in February.

February 1st:

• Generator Gawl volumes 1 for $19.98

February 8th:

• Princess Minerva for $19.98
• Devil Hunter Yohko Boxed Set for $39.98

February 15th:

• Kekko Kamen for $29.98
• Zone of the Enders: Idolo OAV for $17.98
• Sorcerer on the Rocks for $19.98
• Legend of Crystania: The Chaos Ring Essential Anime Collection for $19.98
• Saiyuki Double Barrel Collection volume 1 for $29.98
• Blue Seed Perfect Collection for $59.95

February 22nd

• Tekken for $9.98
• Orphen for $17.98
• Dirty Pair Flash volume 1 for $19.98
• Black Lion for $19.98
• Those Who Hunt Elves volume 1 for $17.98
• 801 TTS Airbats volume 1 for $34.95
• AD Police TV volume 1 for $17.98

Game News

From The Magic Box The Magic Box has posed images of Bandai's arcade combat action game Mobile Suit Gundam: Gundam vs. Z Gundam, the game will be heading to both PS2 and GC in Japan on December 9th here.

Sony's PSP celshaded fighting game Bleach can be seen here, and Bandai's fighting game Saint Seiya: Chapter Sanctuary can be seen here. The games are set to be released next Spring.

Bandai will release Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3 for PS2 in Japan on February 10, 2005. The Japanese version will have additional characters from the DBZ movies and Dragon Ball GT.

Not anime based, but the samurai action game Shinsen Gumi Gunwar Den, following the anime/manga favorite counter-revolution miltia can be seen here

Adult Swim Draws Female Audience

ICV2 reports that Cartoon Network has released ratings information for the November period, and there was good news for pop culture retailers in the numbers. In the influential Adult Swim block, the adult audience of 18-34 year-olds grew 24% vs. a year ago. Within that group of viewers, the female audience grew 88%. These numbers imply a growing over-all market and a growing female market for the products associated with the shows on Adult Swim. The block continued to be the #1 programming on basic cable for adults 18-24.

The Toonami block, which has been moved to Saturday evening to reflect its older audience (and Cartoon Network's emphasis on kids during its weekday programming) was delivery 8% more viewers than the same time slot did a year ago. Teen Titans was the strongest program during that block, with a 37% increase in audience vs. the year-ago period.

Diamond Imported Anime-Based Figures

Figures.com has images of new upcoming anime merchandises release import by Diamond Comic Distributors.

7" Raoh and Steed from Fist of the North Star can be seen here. The figure will be available February 2005.

Gazelle the Peacemaker, Toy Tribe, Kaiyodo's original character based on sci-fi western Trigun can be seen here. The figure is scheduled to be released in March.

Otomo's Little Vampire Release

Dark Horse will be releasing Akira creator Katsuhiro Otomo's children book Hipira: The Little Vampire on April 27th.

New Live Action Gigantor Trailer

Twitch points out that a new trailer for the live action adaptation of early giant robot story New Tetsujin-28 (AKA Gigantor) is online here

Jerry Bruckheimer producing the Battle of the Planets

The Movie Blog reports a cgi/live action G-Force aka Gatchman aka Battle of the Planets may be the next project for Jerry Bruckheimer

From the Hollywood Reporter:

Bruckheimer will be herding talking animals in "G-Force," a live-action/CGI family feature film that has landed at Walt Disney Pictures with Bruckheimer attached to produce. "G-Force" marks the directorial debut of visual effects supervisor Hoyt Yeatman, who has worked on a number of Bruckheimer's films. Yeatman has been developing the project at his newly formed production venture Whamaphram Prods., which is set to produce both computer-generated and animated film projects integrating animated characters into live-action settings.

Next Conan Movie

Anime News Network reports that the next Dective Conan aka Case Closed movie "Strategy above the depths" will be released theatrically in Japan April 9th, 2005

ADV/Anime Network Looks for Fan Support on Network

ADV has sent out a notice asking for fans to support their Video on Demand Anime Network. Concerned that Comcast may exclude the network in favor on their own content, ADV has asked fan to log on to , and fill out a simple form for Comcast directly at (215) 665-1700

The call to action has met with some controversy, stating "Despite the overwhelming success of Anime Network on Demand, certain cable executives think they can program any old anime, and that the fans of America won’t know the difference. That’s just not right." which some have taken as leverage fan support of competition for content providers such as Anime Selects, which offers CPM anime titles and Adult Swim on Demand, which offers Bandai anime titles, in case Comcast decides to favor one or narrow the market.

Right Stuf to Release Live Action Boogiepop

Right Stuf International has announced that Boogiepop And Others, a live-action counterpart to the anime cult phenomenon Boogiepop Phantom will be rekeased March 1st. With scenario work by Sadayuki Murai (PErfect Blue, Cowboy Bebop) and directed by Ryu Kaneda (VIdeo Girl Ai, Shenmue), Boogiepop And Others is the quietly chilling tale of ten high school students whose lives are all intertwined in a twisted and deadly web of secrets.

Bonus DVD content includes:

• History of Boogiepop, Director's Commentary, Storyboards,
• "Boogiepop in Yubari" Premiere Featurette,
• "Making of Boogiepop" Featurette, Cast and Staff Bios,
• Original Boogiepop Trailers, Right Stuf Trailers

DICE Images

Figures.com has images of the Bandai's upcoming animation/merchandise line D.I.C.E. (DNA Integrated Cybernetic Enterprises) here

D.I.C.E. is a large corporation established to deal with emergencies occurring throughout the Sarbylion galaxy. D.I.C.E. F-99 is the only unit comprised entirely of highly trained kids. When a problem arises, D.I.C.E. is called to the rescue. And when their special training and skills aren't enough, they rely on their Dinobreakers to help get the job done. Always on call, always on alert -- D.I.C.E. is ready for action!

The assortment of toy collectibles will launch this January to coincide with the animated adventure's debut on the Cartoon Network. 40 episodes are currently in production.

ADV Films Announces Addition Of Theatrical Section On Company Homepage

ADV Has announced that they are expanding the ADV Films website to include a page dedicated to the company’s theatrical releases (www.advfilms.com/theatricalThe new website, with an emphasis on Japanese and Korean films, offers a one-stop information source for both film buffs and theatre professionals, providing background material on each film as well as listings of theatres and play dates for current showings. Theatre managers and publicists are able to download press materials, including biographies, cast and crew lists, interviews and art work for each film. Film buyers have the ability to check out ADV Theatrical’s release schedule as well as a chance to see what films are available in 35 mm from ADV’s library, such as the classic Gamera series.

This expansion of the web site comes at time when the cinema world is focusing on the Korean film making industry. Richard Pena, Director of the New York Film Festival and curator of the Korean Film retrospective at Lincoln Center recently stated "With recent major festival awards at Cannes and Venice, the cinema of South Korea has become one of the most respected, and eagerly anticipated, national cinemas anywhere today."

Media Blasters April Manga Releases From the AnimeWork Press Line 4/13

Apocalypse Zero II

Flesh and Steel Become One!

Fortified Armor Shell Zero and Kakugo have defeated the first Tactical Fiend, but Harara has even more sinister plans in store for his brother. An army of bizarre monstrosities are at Harara's disposal to wreak havoc and destroy all that stands between them and Kakugo, and that means that everyone at Gyakujuji High is in the line of fire.

Baron Gong Battle II

Baron Gong continues to fight the Neo Humes, the last legacy of the Nazi’s biological experiments! They’re incredibly powerful and seemingly invincible and they all want the Baron’s head. Lamiel, the leader of the Neo Humes, watches coldly as the battles unfold. What could be the sinister conspiracy behind these biogenetic horrors?

March CMX Manga Releases

The following titles will be released by DC Comics' CMX Manga lines March 2005.

THE DEVIL DOES EXIST Vol. 1 Written and art by Takanashi Mitsuba.

High school is hard for Kayano. When she tries to confess her love to the kind but distant Yuichi, the school bully Takeru makes her life hell. But things get worse when Kayano's mother gets engaged to Takeru's father, the school principal! How will she cope with having the devil himself living in her own home? in stores on March 30.

MONSTER COLLECTION VOL. 1 Art by Itoh Sei, original concept by Yasuda Hitoshi/Group SNE.

Kasche may have a talent for controlling beasts, but she's got a lot to learn about self-control before she can become a full-fledged summoner. When disaster strikes, her principal chooses her to avert it. Joined by an unusual crew of allies both human and not, Kasche must recapture the relic from an evil summoner before he can use it to unlock the ancient Encyclopedia Verum and call up the most powerful monsters ever seen. in stores on March 9.

SWORD OF THE DARK ONES VOL. 1 Written by Yasui Kentaro, art by Kotobuki Tsukasa

In the late-medieval land of Barnard, between the mountains and sea, the peaceful lifestyle of the people has been shattered by fear. Monsters known as the Dark Ones roam the land, killing indiscriminately. The townsfolk fear to venture out from their homes, and travel from town to town has become a risk to life and limb. To protect the people from this terror, several guilds have sprung up, including the Guild of Assassins and the Guild of Mercenaries. To go out into the world, or travel across the wilderness, hired mercenaries are essential.

One man has built a reputation as an especially fierce monster-killer -- a man known as Leroy Schvartzer. A former high-ranking member of the Guild of Mercenaries, Leroy has struck out on his own. Many try to hire him for his superior skills, but Leroy has his own agenda. He has a mission to accomplish, a vow to fulfill. This vow is known only to himself, and his one companion: his sentient long-sword Ragnarok. in stores on March 16.

March/April Dark Comic Manga Releases

Berserk Volume 7 Tpb Written and art by Kentaro Miura

232 pages, $13.95, in stores on April 13.

Blade Of The Immortal #99 Written and art by Hiroaki Samura.

32 pages, black and white, $2.99, in stores on March 9.

Club 9 Volume 3 TPB Written and art by Makoto Kobayashi.

Haruo Hattori's the hottest country import that Tokyo's ever seen. Working in one of the most happening Hostess bars in the notorious Ginza, Haruo gets all the attention she could ever want‹and all she'd never want, since she's trying to stay loyal to her boyfriend back home. But that¹s not easy when a made-of-money bachelor with marriage on his mind gives Haruo a nice little present for her 19th birthday, just a l'il 'ol Ferrari! Collecting stories from issues #28-36 of the monthly Super Manga Blast! series.

192 pages, $15.95, in stores on April 20.

Hipira: The Little Vampire Hc Written by Katsuhiro Otomo, art by Shinji Kimura.

Welcome to the vampire city of Saruta, where the sun never rises, and all the vampire children love trying to stay up late. Hipira-Kun is a precocious young vampire whose best friend is a fairy named Soul. Hipira-Kun and Soul are an odd couple to say the least, and their games, pranks, and adventures are extraordinary even for dwellers of this supernatural city.

48 pages, $13.95, in stores on April 27.

Samurai Executioner Volume 5: Ten Fingers, One Life Tpb Written by Kazuo Koike, art by Goseki Kojima.

Striking similarities between Lone Wolf & Cub and Koike and Kojima¹s sidebar storyline Samurai Executioner (known as Kubikiri Asa in Japan) are evident in the cool attitude, rebellious honor, and unflappable bushido of the lead characters of both series, but readers will delight in the whole new genre of Edo-era samurai spirit in Samurai Executioner. Wrapped tightly around a core of crime fiction, we enter a world of harsh, and violent crime, and the forces up against it.

In this volume, after a few initial stories of criminals¹ lives leading to execution, we meet two Edo-era police officers and explore their specialized methods of capturing crafty criminals. Then, in Koike¹s signature fashion, the volume ends with a psycho killer and her grueling and violent end. It¹s like a history lesson, art education, and pulp sensation, all wrapped up in one fantastic series.

304 pages, black and white, $9.95, in stores on April 13.

Super Manga Blast! #50 By Mohiro Kitoh, Makoto Kobayashi, Kenichi Sonoda, Hiroyuki Utatane and Toshiya Takeda.

Super Manga Blast! celebrates its milestone fiftieth issue with a fan art contest that will see two lucky readers win original art by SMB! creators Yuzo Takada (3x3 Eyes) and Hiroyuki Utatane (Seraphic Feather)! Signed sketches of heroines Pai and Attim M-Zak are up for grabs, along with other primo Dark Horse Manga prizes. 128 pages, black and white, $5.99, in stores on March 30.

Japanese Anime Distributors Halts Fansubbing

Anime News Network reports that Media Factory, a Japanese anime distributor has requested that fansub (fan translations and subtitling of generally unlicensed anime) distributors remove anime titles Genshiken, Gankutsuou, Kimi ga Nozomu Eien, and School Rumble. Media Factory is among the first of Japanese distributors to ask that unauthorized distribution of their anime titles (regardless of whether or not there is an international licensor) cease.

Members of some fansub groups have stated that they plan to continue fansubbing various Media Factory titles.

Ragnarok Trial With Manga

TOKYOPOP and Gravity Interactive are teaming up to provide fans of the hit manga series Ragnarok the chance to play Ragnarok Online free for 15 days. A Ragnarok Online complimentary game CD will be bundled with select volumes of the Ragnarok manga series at Barnes & Nobles, the United States largest bookseller with more than 600 stores nationwide. The Ragnarok manga features a shifting ensemble of swordsmen and sorcerers in a quest to change the world inspired by Norse mythology. Since its inception, Ragnarok has become one of the top-selling manga series of all time. The series achieved a new milestone this year, becoming the first Korean manga to inspire a Japanese anime series.

Anime Network Inks Linear Deal with Buckeye

Anime Network, the first channel in North America dedicated to anime, has announced a 10-year linear cable network agreement with Buckeye CableSystem to deliver its popular programming to subscribers as a 24-hour, 7-day-a-week network. A major milestone for Anime Network, this announcement marks yet another 24/7 deal with a major multisystem cable operator (MSO)-a solid step in the company's continued linear expansion. Anime Network already holds the distinction of being the first round-the-clock network ever launched from a Video On Demand (VOD) platform.

Lady Death: The Motion Picture Is Number One For October

ADV has announced that their production of Korean animated Lady Death: The Motion Picture has been listed by Nielsen’s Top Ten VideoScan as the number one selling Japanese animated DVD for the month of October.