Anime Preview: The Place Promised in Our Early Days

To be released by ADV Films July 12

The Place Promised in Our Early Days is the anticipated, first feature length work from Makoto Shinkai, who established himself as one of the most promising and refreshing new talents in anime with Voices of a Distant Star, an episode length, teen love Forever War that Shinkai initially created himself on his Mac. Much of the excitement around Makoto Shinkai centers on how he's a rare auter in modern animation.

Expense, time frames, and such have lead to most of the widely viewed animation being delegated not just among staff, but secondary and tertiary animation productions operations. Makoto Shinkai sparked the imagination by putting together work on that same plane as popular animation that was able to use technology to pull the pieces back together into a single vision.

The title of a new Hayao Miyazaki has been attached to Shinaki, but it isn't just thae background that differs. Shinkai's resume is thoroughly modern, with a history working on video games. More noteworthy, his vision that differs substantially from Miyazaki's.

Place Promised in Our Early Days transposes the emotional trueness of Voices into a crisp, stunningly beautiful work. There's a tone in the early rendering of anonymous stations crowds and empty mass transit carts, where the light from a beautiful days mutes a sparkling see that establishes the detailed visuals as something more than eye catching wonders. This feature wasn't the micro-production Voices was, but with a tight control of the vision, down to sound design and score pays off. This the the visual feet in anime that didn't run away its creators. One can see how it fended off Howl's Moving Castle and Steam Boy for the Ohfuji in the Mainichi Film Awards

It's visually enthralling animation that isn't all flash and sizzle, and animation certainly needs a case of that prioritization, but Makoto Shinkai falls slightly off the mark. He doesn't find the perfect balance of portraying life on hold, and fettering the viewer with repeated thoughts and stagnant pacing. It is a design effect, but it would have been great to convey the impression while burdening the viewer with knowing what the characters are going to say a little less frequently.

After the terse Voices, Place Promised seems slow. Events are secondary to the spirit of the moment and because the character of the moment is life hung up on something that didn't happen, time is felt. The feature is certainly not watch the clock boring and maybe sparse rather than slow, and mirroring the hanging pauses in the life of the characters but the slowness is self, and maybe it is slightly slower than it needs to be. Shinkai maintains in focus and doesn't feel the need to fill the 90 minutes by going far into side characters or history.

Because of its subtlety at the same time it seems like a movie to that demands for a re-watch to pick up the full scope, and at the same time, like it doesn't have much to say. Voices is the problem here. While Place Promised surpasses Voices in visual achievement and subtlety, the early entry convey a similar level of content and emotion is a briefer work.

The Place Promised in Our Early Days sets basic human emotions on a stage of speculative science with a plot taking sleeping beauty, mixed with some superficial aspects of Wings of Honneimase (a classic marred by an awful DVD release), some heady sci-fi and a tender, un-cimena-tized love centerpiece over big-idea science fiction. Quantum phenomena and imagined world politics might contribute to the situation, but the core is about people unable to move past an unfulfilled promise.

Set in a variant of modern Japan that is linked to America, where Hokkaido annexed by the opposing Union in a West Germany/East Germany-Like division.

During a cold war calm, over-achieving junior-high students from an idyllic community Hiroki and Takuya spend their school breaks working in an arms factory for the money and parts to build a plane. There is to fly to the mysterious, white, narrow, sky-touching tower rising from Hokkaido. A school-mate, a girl named Sayuri joins the pair, and they promise to reach the tower together. After a gap in years, the narrative comes back to character. With Sayuri gone, the promise went unfulfilled, and the lives Hiroki and Takuya went on hold.

The character drama is backed by some very satisfactory sci-fi. There's nothing conceptually new, but the script does an excellent job conveying the motivation for the technology and what people read into it.

The reverence and thought to philosophical implication seems the right reaction to something that pushes the boundaries, in keeping with something like the Manhattan Project.

As animation becomes ever more dominantly digital, and mixes of 2D and 3D effects become the norm, The Place Promised in Our Early Days should be the marker for how to integrate the pieces and how to direct it well. Instead of a here's-an-effect jarringness there's a unity that feeds the vision and immersive quality of the feature. Partially this is because the impressive by design visuals, the tower and the place for example sit even in the image as part of the characters' world rather than on top of it. Partially its a subtly is the use of effects, where impressive effect like a shimmering ocean or snow fall is seen through a window, setting the mood without drawing undo attention. Scenes are naturalistic color palette, also toned to the mood. Scenes of mundane events such as a characters speed skating are given the attention of more dramatic moments and the opportunity to display stunning natural beauty.

Animation Preview: My Beautiful Girl, Mari

To be released by ADV Films July 5th

The Korean animated My Beautiful Girl, Mari is a must see for animation fans who want to experiment outside the norms of technique and plot. Waking Life is probably the most recognizable work for comparison. My Beautiful Girl, Mari's impression of simplicity os the perfect vehicle for a story that seamlessly flows between mundane life, memories and day dreams.

It sculpts visual poetry, from Flash, Photoshop, and Premiere working with the looks and limitations from the tools to recreate location and humanity.

The visual storytelling excels at capturing both human gestures an reaction, also capturing the character of a real place and a fantastic dream. However, the movie is more the progression of a moment in life than a story. An animation fan will not want to miss Beautiful Girl, Mari. An anime fan strictly looking for genre storytelling might not.

Mari is a measured take on a child with a lot of stress and uncertainty. An office worker in a detached moment in life half remembers a similar time as a boy living in a sea side fishing town. He is reunited his childhood friend, who gives him the emblem of the moment, a marble that seems to suspend a silhouetted girl.

As a child, in the days leading up to his friend's departure from the small town for school in Seoul, his mind is weighted by a enclosure of loss and perspective loss. His widowed mother is dating. Grandmother has become ill. His best friend is about to leave.

The reserved script doesn't rely on verbal communication. It's character are people who wouldn't or can't talk about things. Sometimes it is because in life one doesn't annunciate one's problems, partly its because the characters want to give the issues time, or see how they develop, sometimes it because of the nature the people and events. The protagonist shrugs off his mother's boyfriend, who, in turn tries to connect with the boy, but in tentative gestures, offering take him to a movie when it comes into town. Instead, the minds of the characters are visually expressed through body language and expressions.

,p>The depiction of motion is a little stunted and slow, but comfortable, almost if like character design it has been abstracted a bit. It gets the look of posture and flow right, but it needs some acclimation time. By time the movie gets going it isn't an issue, and everything look natural, such as a perfect scene of two guys on a bus trying shifting the weight of a sleeping passenger between them onto the other.

Despite the vibrant fantasy scenes, there's nothing in the movie that is inexplicable given the ability for young people, or any people for that matter to convince themselves that they've experienced something beyond the rationally explained. There are a few spots where the movie breaks the model of being in the head of a man remembering his childhood, in order to round out the story a little. It doesn't seem to be the lead imagining what went on around him, though that's possible.

The question of why one should animate a mundane story is often raised for movies like Mari. It has been asked of Satoshi Kon's work frequently. One answer is that its the medium that some creators, such as Kon prefer to use. Another os that is allows for an easy blur and seemleesly cross-over between the realms between the worlds of perception and reality. International followers have been waiting for a definitive hit from original Korean animation. Mari's is more of a sign of a healthy development of the medium than a hit, but hopefully its brand of well construction, contemplative work will find a niche and and hopefully more comparable works will find their way into production and international distribution.

Comic Spotlight: MBQ
By Felipe Smith

Released by TOKYOPOP

Pick up a copy of MBQ early. It's a ground floor opportunity. Later, you're going to want to be able to say you were into Felipe Smith's work before he became really popular. Think Jhonen Vasquez. The style is dissimilar, but as a comic writer / illustrator ready to convey something new and sure to catch, its that he's a least on par. Smith's style is solidly his own, not parading allegiance to America or manga comic styles. He's developed the current style that comic companies have been hoping to find or manufacture, and his ability to shift from kinetic motion, to brutality or vulgarity, to sight gag to character moments without forcing context shift by changing stylization makes for a dynamic read that will entertain anyone, but really impress comic fans. The talent is shown off in simple cases like turning a steamy sex scene into a vomit joke, or in the volume's sequential art opus, horny twenty-somethings, to ethnic jokes, to hard edged violence, which morphs into top notch comic-adapted movie-style action (always impressive to see done well) and finally into some chilling character work.

MBQ has the frenetic bounce of it's hero, who's chomping at the bit, not sleeping in an attempt to fit more work into the day. It opens with the bleeding, struggling artis, attempting to sustain himself on vending machine Doritos on his way to attempt to sell back a gun to a jacked thug for rent money. The linked vignettes spiral through the world around in hero into the lives of a white bread super-cop with some not so well suppressed issues stemming from having grown up in a notorious project, a gargantuan fast food prodigy, a harried karaoke clerk and the like. The flow results great struggling artist story set in a caricature of modern life: part urban myth, part mission statement. More as points of comparisons than influences, kind of Barton Fink, meets The Shield, meets South Park.

Remarkably, Smith is able to work the irreverent offensiveness, the fondness for the characters, and the brutality into his own distinctive style. While illustration is the incredibly impressive front facing aspect to his work, he is also able to pair it with dialog that works as well as any in comics, and better than the great majority. Not just the distinctive voices for the diverse personalities, or that he has down the linguistic characteristics that plenty of other writers fail at while faking but that he's able to have everyone sounding right, and not that the writer is showing off. No one's over-witty. Humor comes from the personalities and situations rather than a forced hand.

MBQ advertises its medium commentary starting with the cover, showing the hero crowded by a four color super hero, a poke-critter, and a busty cat-girl. Take or leave the recursive comic about comics stuff. Given the appeal of the series, hopefully the rant that ends the volume is meant to establish the motivation of the hero, and not a sign of the series' thrust.

There is always a danger in an artist creating art about their own work/profession, becoming too self indulgent or alienating people of other professions. It is always interesting to hear someone speak enthusiastically about their profession or passion, but it is also tiring to hear someone drone about the tribulations and significance of their job or get caught up in shop talk. In this case, the conversation is engaging because the hero is a compelling personality. For an audience who, probably in most cases, are familiar with the perspective of a comic creator trying to find an outlet outside corporate work-for-hire superheros, but not in that position themselves it works fine as story structure. The urgency is recognizable, but not necessarily something they'll share. The topic isn't offering any inherent value on its own.
The character/creator's perspective is bound to serve the series well, but if MBQ turns into woe the plight of the independent comic creator it stands to lose some of its appeal.

Manga Spotlight: A Perfect Day for Love Letters
by George Asakura

Released by Del Rey

More than most shoujo series, Love Letters is a romanitcs only need apply release. It features some lively illustration in the josei style of modernized, sketchy exaggerated features similar to the work of Moyoko Anno, and some good character moments. But, the soft hearted anthology of stories that use love letters to bridge misunderstandings and create opportunities doesn't allow itsel enough time to establish gravity. There's a good range of personalities, but because the people are destine to deal with the trials of their relationships after the conclusion of the story, Love Letters doesn't have the edge or pay-off that series like Mars or Peach Girl, which shared the same anthology, would.

There is a current in manga series, mostly comedies, that work better when presented as part of an anthology than they do as a collection. In the original context they can work as self contained short stories or incidents. If the stories aren't made to build on each-other, collecting them just magnifies their qualities. Taking individual stories, one can see why the work on the shoujo prize in the Kodansha Manga Awards. Chained, with out the addictive serial drama of many shoujo series, or the racy irreverence of most josei, you need a predisposition to the material.

Asakura mostly pulls from the tradition of unlikely match-ups or match-ups that participants think would be unlikely to construct a series of stories that are very sweet, but not saccharine. There is often no illusion that the character establishing life partnerships, just a connection. Some of the best moments come from characters just giving the relationship a try, such as a praising her new boyfriend for at least having the taste to choose her.

FUNimation Licenses Speed Grapher

Anime News Network reports that FUNimation announced at the Anime Next convention that they have licensed Gonzo's Speed Grapher. It's the second of three Gonzo series FUNimation has rumored to have licensed based on registering domain names for Basilisk, Speed Grapher and Trinity Blood. (Ninja action-drama Basilisk was previously confirmed).

Speed Grapher following a photographer exposing corruption in a decadent future society.

Stand Alone Complex Compilation Movie

Bandai Visual Japan will be releasing a 140 minute compilation of Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex's Laughing Man story in Japan this September. The movie will features some new voice work and animation.

The movie will be releasing in a two disc set with a bonus disc of the Tachikoma Days and documentary feature.

Laughing Man was the central case in the first season of the television, police procedural adaptation of Masamune's cyborg elite-cop work.

Viewtiful Joe To Air on Kids' WB

Geneon has announced that the 26 episode anime adaptation of Capcom's video game Viewtiful Joe has been picked up by Kids' WB! for the 2005-2006 season.

Joe is just a normal guy with two great loves: his girlfriend Silvia and Captain Blue, an action movie superhero. When Silvia is magically captured through a movie screen by a celluloid monster, Joe gets himself swallowed into the screen to save her. There, Joe meets Captain Blue just as the superhero is about to retire, exhausted from his lifelong battle against villains known as Jadows. With special superpowers bestowed upon him by Captain Blue, Joe transforms into Viewtiful Joe to vanquish the enemies in Movie Land.

Viz Media Awards License To Bandai America For Naruto Games

Viz has announced that hyper-popular ninja action Naruto has been licensed to Bandai America for video games on Sony-based platforms and trading card games based on the series.

From Viz's description:
Targeting tweens and teens, NARUTO takes place in a world where ninjas hold the ultimate power. Infused with the spirit of a once fearsome nine-tailed fox, Naruto Uzumaki is a ninja-in-training who is learning the art of Ninjutsu with his classmates Sakura and Sasuke. The trio studies under the instruction of their teacher, Kakashi, who helps the group face a series of dangerous and daunting tests and challenges. Through their adventures, the young ninjas learn the importance of friendship, teamwork, loyalty, hard work, creativity, ingenuity, and right vs. wrong.

NARUTO, the animated series, will launch on Cartoon Network this fall. The series is co-produced by Shueisha, Inc., PIERROT CO., LTD. and TV TOKYO and debuted in Japan in October 2002 on TV TOKYO.

Geneon Licenses Law of Ueki

Galaxy Anime reports Hiroshi Watanabe's (You're Under Arrest TV, Orphen) adaptation of Tsubasa Fukuchi's fight comedy Law of Ueki.

Live Action Galaxy Express 999

Kung Fu Cinema reports director Jeff Lau's upcoming sci-fi martial arts Galaxy Princess will be based on Leiji Matsumoto's space opera Galaxy Express 999. The film will start Sammo Hung, Gordon Liu, Yuen Wah, Bruce Leung, Stephen Fung, Gillian Chung and Charlene Choi.

A trailer of the live action adaption of Touch is online here.

Upcoming UMD Releases

Manga Entertainment will be releasing The Ghost in the Shell, Blood: The Last Vampire, and Ninja Scroll movies on the PSP's UMD in August.

Geneon will be releasing Akira and a second 2 episode volume of Shinichiro Watanabe's (Cowboy Bebop) Samurai Champloo on UMD in September.

Upcoming Anime Box Sets

Geneon will be releasing a collection Heat Guy J, an action sci-fi about the conflict between slick detective and government government robot partners and a mafia organization, July 19th.

The first of two box set collections of CLAMP's magic girl neo-classic CardCaptor Sakura on October 4th for $99.98.
A complete set Gonzo's aerial steam punk Last Exile will be released October 4th.
Innovative horror anime Requiem from the Darkness will be release October 4th for $119.98.
Haibane Renmei, a contemplative anime about the lives people re-born as angelic looking being, will also be collected october 4th for $119.98.
CLAMP's magic/robot Chobits will be collected November 8th for $99.98.
Gainax's robot maid series Mahoromatic will be release November 8th for $99.98

ADV will be releasing a thin pack collection of Noir in June. Collections of Najica, Pretear, Final Fantasy: Unlimited, and Orphen 2 in August. Thin pack of Abenobashi Magical Shopping District and Azumanga Daioh in September.

Naijia is an off-the-top sexualized action comedy.

Pretear is a shoujo/modern fantasy take off on Cinderalla

Abenobashi Magical Shopping District is Gainax's dramatic spin on hyper genre parody.

ADV has begun removing extras from their re-mastered collection.

Geneon Premieres

Geneon will be releasing the first volume of Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo on October 25th and the first volume of Doki Doki School Hours on November 11th.

The three episode Petite Cossette, Le Portrait De will be released September 13th. The "gothic lolita" short series features a sound track by Noir's Yuki Kajiura.

Eiri, a talented art student, works part-time in an antique shop in a quiet part of town. One afternoon, he uncovers a delicate Venetian glass holding a startling secret within. When Eiri peers into the glass, he can see a young blond girl, her life playing out like a movie solely for him to see. Curious, he stares into the glass, hoping to learn more about the enchanting girl inside. This is Cossette, a mysterious beauty haunting the glass, waiting 250 years for someone to finally see her, and set her free. Eiri is soon obsessed with Cossette, determined to do anything he can to help her. Will Eiri see past all the illusions and discover the tragic truth about Cossette, or will he be consumed by anguish and obsession?

Signature series re-priced re-releases of sci-fi action Armitage III OAV and Tenchi The Movie: Tenchi Forever! (and Hellsing volume 2) will be released September 6th.

Evangelion Movie Collection

Manga Entertainment will be releasing a 2 disc collection of the Evangelion movies, Death & Rebirth and End of Evangelion July 26th. Bonus item, including a mouse pad, art card and box can be seen at here.

Death & Rebirth is a compilation recap of the television anime series with new bridge footage, and the first half of the replacement ending to the series. End of Evangelion repeats Death & Rebirth's original segment, then progresses into Hideaki Anno's mind blowing conclusion to the influential anime

Black Jack Adapted For Cell Phone

Wireless Watch Japan reports that Astro Boy creator Osamu Tezuka's medical adventure Black Jack is being adapted for the KDDI 3G mobile phones in bi-weekly installments.

Tezuka's Black Jack manga was released domestically by Viz. Anime adaptations have been released by CPM.

September CMX Manga Releases

Chikyu Misaki Vol. 1
Written and illustrated by Iwahara Yuji
CMX. Schoolgirl Makishima Misaki?s life is about to get a lot more complicated in this first volume of an exciting new title! She has inherited the house that belonged to her maternal grandfather, in a small, quiet, snowy town that boasts its own local legend, the Hohopo.
Moving into the house with her klutzy widower father, she soon makes new friends ? including one very unusual friend: the Hohopo itself, a shape-shifting creature who looks like a small Loch Ness Monster?when he?s not masquerading as the boy next door! On sale Sept 14 ? 5" x 7.375" ? 196 pg, B&W, $9.99 US ? TEEN

Pieces Of A Spiral Vol. 1
Written and illustrated by Tachibana Kaimu
CMX. Sakuya and Wakyo are reincarnated and reunited only to discover that Bishu-sama ? their master and mentor from a past existence ? is in their midst and in grave danger from vengeful demons! Still unsure of their own powers and the nature of their cunning and elusive enemy, they must race against time to rescue Bishu from the dark forces that roil within his reincarnated form.
On sale Sept 8 ? 5" x 7.375" ? 200 pg, B&W, $9.99 US ? TEEN

The Devil Does Exist Vol. 3
On sale Sept 21

Monster Collection: The Girl Who Can Deal With Magical Monsters Vol. 3
Written and illustrated by Itoh Sei
On sale Sept 14

Seimaden Vol. 2
Written and illustrated by Higuri You
On sale Sept 28

Sword Of The Dark Ones Vol. 3
Art by Kotobuki Tsukasa
Written by Yasui Kentaro
Design cooperation by TASA
On sale Sept 21

FLCL Dolls

Takara will be producing two 10-1/2 inch FLCL fashion dolls under the Tokyo Posse brand. Haruhara Haruko and Samejima Mamimi will retail for $39.99 each, and be available in Northh America in September. ICV2 has images here

TOKYOPOP Confirms Sailor Moon Gone

Anime News Network reports TOKYOPOP has confirmed that their release of the Sailor Moon manga has gone out of print, and the rights have expired.

Geneon has simularly, officially discontinued their Sailor Moon S releases.

Update on Hentai Conviction

The Daily Mainichi has update the situation following the conviction of Shobunkan publisher Motonori Kishi for distributing hentai (adult) manga Misshitsu (Honey Room), which was found to be obscene under Japan law for its explicit and uncensored rendering of genitalia. Tokyo High Court reduced the suspended prison sentence to a 1.5 million yen fine.

From the article:

Lawyers for Kishi had argued that he was innocent. They said that the ruling against him violated the Constitution, which guarantees freedom of thoughts, creed and expression, and claimed that images in the comic were not as stimulating as real images and could not be considered obscene.

New Manga Licenses

Viz has licensed manga series Kodocha-esque comedy Gakuen Alice and Bijo ga Yajuu/Beauty is a Beast.

Anime on DVD reports Amazon lists TOKYOPOP's upcoming releases of Keitaro Arima's Tsukuyomi Moon Phase, Be-Papas and Chiho Saito's The World Exists for Me and Sang-Sun Park's Ark Angels.

Fan Designed Gunbuster 2 Mech

Anime News Service reports GAINAX has posted a designs that won it's Gunbuster TOP2 "Buster Machine Design Contest" here. The grand prize winners will be appearing in 5th OAV episode.

The original Gunbuster was a dramatic sci-fi credited by many as a predecessor to Gainax's later work on Evangelion. Unfortunately, the series has not been available on region 1 DVD.

ADV Talks Title Prospects

Anime News Network reports, in their AnimeNext ADV panel reports that the ADV has the rights to the second season of Kaleidostar, and has starting working on an adaptation. The second Season of Supergals has not been licensed. Neither of the shoujo series sold as well as ADV hoped, but ThinPak collections are likely. ADV will consider the second season of SuperGals after watching sales of the collected version.

Mythical Detective Loki Ragnarok is currently in production and the first volume will probably be released sometime this fall.

ADV passed on the of Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pich license, which was called a "big franchise" that would require backing of a position on TV, which well through after research suggested that there would not be mainstream support for the title.

Hirameki Distributed Through Diamond

ICV2 reports Diamond Book Distributors has signed a deal with Hirameki International Group for Diamond to distribute Hirameki's AnimePlay DVD titles to the bookstore, library, warehouse club and mass merchandisers. The AnimePlay line combines elements of anime, manga, and choose your own adventure titles.

ADV Manga Release Edit

An Anime on DVD forum user has posted a run down of the nipple-edits in ADV Manga's release of By The Sword volume 2 here.

Business Week Looks at Anime Industry

Business Week has published an article about the economics of Japan's anime industry. It can be read online here.

Uncut Dragonball Z

Anime News Network reports FUNimation stated that an uncut release of the first 13 episodes of Dragon Ball Z is unlikely due to license ownership disputes.

DearS Creator At Anime Expo

Peach-Pit, the creator of DearS, a magical girl manga series about a boy who finds a cute slave alien, will be appearing at the AnimExpo convention.

This Year's Lupin Special

The official site for year's annual Lupin III TV special, Angel Tactics, has gone online here.

East Coast Puffy AmiYumi Appearances

Anime News Network has posted the east coast American appearances of J-Pop duo Puffy AmiYumi here

Jigoku Shoujo Website Open

AnimeNation points out that the official Japanese website for the anime TV series Jigoku Shoujo ("Hell Girl") is now open here. The series, animated by Studio Deen (Tactics, Kyou Kara Maoh) and produced by Aniplex (Full Metal Alchemist), will tentatively premier in Japan in October.

Kamikaze Girls Trailer

DVD Vision JApan has posted a trailer for the live action movie Kamikaze Girls here, which will be released domestically, along with its novel, by Viz.

DVD Vision Japan has also posted a trailer of Laura Bailey and Colleen Clinkenbeard, voice actors and ADR directors for FUNimation's release of Kodocha here

Adult Swim Ratings

Animation Insider reports Cartoon Network's Adult sWing was the top ad-supported cable network among adults 18-24, men 18-24, and men 18-34, according to Nielsen Media Research.

Shows in the top 50 for adults 18-34 include Family Guy, Robot Chicken, American Dad, Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law, Tom Goes to the Mayor, and Futurama.

Totals include

Adults 18-49: 534,000 (0.5 rating)
Adults 18-34: 389,000 (0.8 rating)
Adults 18-24: 221,000 (1.0 rating)
Men 18-34: 258,000 (1.0 rating)
Men 18-24: 151,000 (1.4 rating)

Sol Bianca Fate

Part of Anime News Network's ADV panel AnimeNext report include that ADV would like to release Sol Bianca on DVD, but the fights are in an unknown state after its original rights holders went bankrupt.

Anime Crash News

From Anime News Network's report on Anime Crash's panel at the Anime Next convention. Anime Crash sees that domestic companies need to be involved in producing anime rather than license it, partially so that they can involving the secondary licenses such as music, video-game adaptations, and merchandise.

Their current focus is on the co-produced 26 episode Shiden. Negotiations for placing Shiden on an unspecified U.S. TV or cable channel have already been completed, and a video-game is being discussed with potential publishers.

Geistars has gone on hiatus because the Japanese company that produced the series has gone out of business, and Anime Crash has been unable to contact it or receive any material past the episodes already released.

The company is also negotiating for the rights to produce an anime or "anime-style" series based on the Micronauts series of toys.

Final Fantasy VII Anime

AnimeNation points out that fan site images of he Last Order Final Fantasy VII anime OVA that will be released as a bonus premium with the Japanese limited edition package version of the Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children can be seen here.

July ADV Releases

• 7/12
  • Elfen Lied: Vector Two (volume 2 of 4)
  • Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu: Full Metal Fracas! (volume 2 of 4)
  • Hello Kitty?s Animation Theatre 4: Happily Ever After (volume 4 of 4)
  • The Place Promised In Our Early Days (movie)
• 7/19
  • Area 88 Volume 1 of 4

Area 88
First broadcast on Japanese television a little over a year ago, Area 88 is based on the classic manga by Kaoru Shintani with a screenplay by Hiroshi Onogi (RahXephon, Macross Zero). It tells the story of Shin Kazama, an ace pilot on the verge of a comfortable life with a commercial airline. Tricked into joining a motley crew of mercenary fighter pilots, Shin?s only way out is to complete the three year term or pay $1.5 million to break the contract.

Welcome to Area 88, a desolate outpost in the sun-blasted desert where mercenary fighter pilots risk their lives in service to the Kingdom of Alsam. Any skilled pilot will do - no questions asked. They literally kill for cash as they fight for the government of a country torn apart by a bloody civil war. The catch? Once you're in, the only way out is to serve your three year commitment, pay $1.5 million for breach of contract, or... face death as a deserter.

Who are these pilots and why do they suffer the pains of the desert to serve a country that isn't their own? Some fight because it's all they know. Some have nowhere else to go. Some fly for the thrill of the game. Shin Kazama, the only Japanese pilot on the base, is different from the rest. He may be the only pilot capable of earning enough money to buy out his contract... if he lives long enough. But Shin fights only to return to Japan, to a life and a love that was stolen from him in cruel act of betrayal.

Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu
Directed by Kouichi Chigara (Gate Keepers, Phantom Quest Corps), Full Metal Panic? FUMOFFU reintroduces anime?s favorite odd couple: the popular (if fiery) Kaname, and Sosuke, the teenaged commando sworn to protect her - from high school? Sosuke has a little trouble telling friend from foe, but you can count on Kaname to set him straight! FUMOFFU features loads of slapstick humor, leavened by romantic misunderstandings and the occasional round of gunfire.

Hello Kitty?s Animation Theatre 4: Happily Ever After features
Hello Kitty in "Puss in Boots"
Pekkle in "The Ugly Duckling"
Hello Kitty in "Thumbelina"
Pom Pom Purin in the "North Wind and the Sun"
Hello Kitty and Dear Daniel in "The Snow Queen"
Hello Kitty, Mimmy and Dear Daniel in "The Three Little Pigs"

Shingu Volume 4 Release

Right Stuf International will be releasing Shingu: Secret Of The Stellar Wars Dvd 4: Secret Revelations on September 27th.

Created by acclaimed director Tatsuo Sato (Nadesico / Stellvia / Azumanga Daioh), with planning by Masao Maruyama (Gungrave / Cardcaptor Sakura Movies / Chobits), production by Masao Morosawa (Gungrave / Jubei-Chan / Ninja Scroll Tv) and character designs by Yuuji Ikeda (Saiyuki / Gungrave / X Tv)
Contains episodes 17-21.

Geneon Host J-Pop Concert at Anime Expo

Geneon announced that will be hosting a preview of their 2005 and 2006 J-Pop releases at the Anime Expo convention, which feature a performance by Kotoko. Having made her vocal debut on the extras disc of the game Effect~Child of the Devil, she has since been prolific with popular PC game titles as well as anime series such as Please Teacher! and Please Twins!. Her solo debut was with her album Hane last year, and she has most recently contributed her unique sound to the new anime series, Starship Operators.

Maaya Sakamoto - A highly accomplished voice actress and singer, Sakamoto will be making her North American stage debut in celebration of her first solo album, Maaya Sakamoto Single Collection + Hotchpotch, a collection of fan-favorite anime theme songs. Sakamoto has performed voice roles in many well-known anime series, including The Vision of Escaflowne and, more recently, Rahxephon and Wolf's Rain. Several series featured her vocal talents, as well; most notable is the opening theme song to Escaflowne, an evergreen favorite of the anime community. Her current projects include Gunbuster 2, Gundam Seed Destiny, Fantastic Children, and a role in the highly anticipated new Square Enix movie, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children.

Shadow Star Narutaru 3 Release

CPM will be releasing Shadow Star Narutaru 3 on DVD September 13th for $19.95

From the Screenwriter of Serial Experiments Lain and the Animation Director of Nadia: Secret of Blue Water.

Top Cow Anime Adaptations

Top Cow has some previews of anime adapations of their comics at here

New Cowboy Bebop Game

Anime News Network points out that Bandai has a site up for a new Cowboy Bebop Playstation 2 game here

Joy Tashian To Represent Toei?s Bobobo-Bo Bo-Bobo

Joy Tashjian Marketing Group has been named licensing representative by Toei Animation Inc. for its new animated series BOBOBO-BO BO-BOBO, an anime series that will make its U.S. debut this October on the Cartoon Network Toonami block.

Airing on TV Asahi Network in Japan, the 50-episode animated series will assume a prime position on Cartoon Network?s Toonami block at 10:30 pm, following the network?s highly successful NARUTO.

BOBOBO-BO BO-BOBO takes place in the year 300X, when a tyrannical emperor, Baldy Bald, seeks to prove his authority over the people by waging a "Hair Hunt," aimed at taking the hair of all the citizenry. While the populace trembles in fear, one man with a Golden Afro rises to take a stand - BoBoBo-Bo Bo-BoBo. Together with his fellow partners, Bo-Bobo launches into battle against the "Hair Hunt Troops" to put an end to the "Hair Hunt" once and for all.