Preview: The Fuccons
Preview Disc

The Fuccons (aka Oh! Mikey) collects a series of shorts from a TV anthology starring a family of Americans living in Japan, played by a trio of 50's fashion mannequins, father and mother looking almost exactly like the husband and wife from the famously non-subtle male enhancement TV ads. The trio and occasional guests, like a cousin or grandparent run through quick sketch comedy routines in what isn't stop motion. During the several minute shorts, the mannequins are repositioned during cuts or may move if they're on a traveling object, but don't move on their own (for one thing, this mean no lip movement, which means the dub and subtitle scripts appear to be the same).

The results are akin to loosely wound people adding voices to action figures. Kind of a comedy of manners version of Robot Chicken with fewer, larger pieces. It's an amusing series, especially attractive to fans of absurdist comedies like Cromartie High. While you can't fill a room with bantering mannequins and not eventually be funny, you do have to be in the mood, or be patient. Frequently The Fuccons seems like the kind of project that a smart ass would put together, that they'd appreciate more than the watcher. It's largely inane, not fast or glib. Still, its strange enough to get a laugh often enough that its worth the effort. Released as a 25 minute sample, there's little to loose.

Since transplanting comedies is tricky business, the Fuccons are a bit reminiscent of Super Milk Chan in that it seems like it is a bit less funny than it should be. The Simpson's would be funny overseas, but if you've never met a devout Protestant, Flanders jokes are going to have a fraction of the potency. Because a lot the Fuccon's comedy trades on manners and expectations, there is a definite dimension of culture to the humor. Consequently, it leaves an impression that if you're not in tune with Japanese culture, you're missing a level. In this case it is more attitudes and perceptions than pop culture references, which means that it can't be explained with a set a foot notes. Often it seems that it is making a jab at something, but the direction is usually indiscernible.

Manga Preview Black Cat
Volume 1
by Kentaro Yabuki

To be Released by Viz March 2006

Black Cat could be called Cowboy Bebop for the Shonen Jump crowd. It might not be a top tier jump series like Bleach, Kenshin, One Piece or Naruto, but it is still energetic, with as much running, shooting and cool as you could hope for.

The Black Cat is Train, a top secret society assassin turned sweeper (bounty hunter) with unlucky 13 tattooed on his shoulder. He partners with scruffy and one eyed, but well dressed inventor/gunman named Sven and professional thief named Eve. With a cavalier, free wheeling, but sometimes dark hero, a facially haired, more cautious partner and a manipulative woman, the comparisons to Cowboy Bebop and Lupin III are inevitable. It doesn't quite live up to those works (though it is better than some of the truly awful Lupin III entries), but it wouldn't be called a low rent imitator either.

While Black Cat is a definite guns blazing adventure Shonen Jump title, it has definite female fan appeal. Design is a little conventional, but the execution is good enough, and there's plenty of bishonen bait. Train/Black Cat is almost guaranteed to win a following. He has the devilish grin fans of the wild haired bad boys will love.

The plot and the characterization are well enough executed, but the dark pasts and agendas aren't what you care about in the series. Yabuki's techniques are nothing spectacular, but he knows how to make an impact impression. As a mark of something that's working, when a gang of toughs walk into the scene, there's a charge of anticipation. There's plenty of nice gun play, not Gunsmith Cats, in fact its pure fiction but kinetic drawing and blasting in quantity is fine. Yabuki knows how and when to turn the cheesy, like chasing a dine and dash grifter, or the sentimental into the dark and brutal. The lack of the over-familiar non-lethal vow adds an extra edge to the action. There's plenty of expectancy that these characters might do something noteworthy, then quality follow through.

Anime Spotlight: Samurai Seven
Volume 2

Released by FUNimation

In its second volume Samurai Seven definitively demonstrated that its merits are not those of Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai. Despite working from the same concept and covering some of the same ground, the anime has its own attractive qualities, but little of Kurosawa's depth of humanity. When you invoke the name of Kurosawa's masterpiece, you set expectations high. So, while Samurai Seven is a high quality action sci-fi anime series that has continued to build out the complexity of the society it depicts, and continued to deliver masterfully animated action, its doomed to pale beside the cinematic classic.

The series is not just a stand alone series inspired by the famous story, for which it would be praised for a staggering budget that's visible on every screen (including the controversial episode 7, more below), but as a remake/declared reenvisioning, how it measures up must be noted.

In Kurosawa's movie, his characters could be thought of and related to as people. The same can't be said of Samurai Seven's. There are moments where you can emotionally invest in them, but generally they can't be thought of as anything beyond constructs. They, like most aspects of the series, ring too much like stones to pave the plot path. In a last ditch mission to save the sole food source of a desperate community from pillaging bandits, why is there a cubby faced child along for the ride? Why is a wary veteran making incredibly promises that are almost guaranteed to cause nothing but tragedy and disappointment?

More often than not, it is a competently scripted series, but its rarely smartly scripted. There's an overabundance of running around, bumping into things, misdirected energy, chanced encounters and motion for the sake of motion. There's plenty of back-story and pieces of engaging concepts, introduced in this volume with more on the merchant class and the ancillary from bandits, with the economy of power cells and rice exchanges, but the path between the points doesnt have a needed logic.

Disappointingly, when it has room to bend the movie to the series' sci-fi settings, it can inappropriate in its literal references to the movie, missing chances to be creative in its own right. For example, in the movie the hangdog samurai Kikuchiyo, famously played by Toshiro Mifune, in a memorable scene of levity produced an obviously illicitly acquired scroll to prove his samurai lineage, then points to the branch of a 13 year old. Here, Kikuchiyo is a hammered together bastard child of a suit of samurai armor and a locomotive. He's not a replacement for Mifune, but he's exactly what you'd what the character's sci-fi surrogate to be. And the scroll scene is the same unfurled paper that lists a 13 year old. Doesn't that defeat the purpose of a sci-fi retelling? If you want to keep the scroll based traditional aesthetic, why not list a retinal scan pattern. The guy doesn't have retinas. It might have made for a newer joke.

Similarly, why, in a metal and concrete, completely urban environment is Heihachi still chopping wood? Rice farming, whether in rural outposts or underground makes sense visually and as part of a functioning society, but isn't there something better for Heihachi to be doing in an urban center? Isn't there a more setting appropriate way for him to demonstrate that he's an earnest, good natured guy without the traditional samurai attributes?

Volume 2 features the infamous episode seven, which viewers will adore or loath depending on their taste in animation. The first half of the episode bares the signature style of Hiroyuki Okuno, animator of a sprinkling of episodes through well known anime, and the Digimon movie. Many have commented that the episode is a substantial drop in quality. In truth, its not a change in quality, but in style. Hiroyuki Okuno's work is simpler than the popular styles in some respects and more complex in others. His forms are less detailed with almost shaky roughness. Yet, there's precision and expressiveness in the motion that makes the typical cleaner styles look dull and sloppy. The style runs for a half episode in which a character is introduce in a geisha house, allowing animation to be exercised through drinking, dancing and intimidation. If you like animation that takes non traditional routes, its a real treat. If well rendered extensions of what is generally done are more to your liking, and judging by the reactions of most anime fans, that's the majority opinion, its a grating half episode.

Manga Spotlight: Galaxy Angel: Beta
Volume 1
By Kanan

Released by Broccoli Books

With its second go-around, the Galaxy Angel manga is closer to the surprisingly good anime incarnation of the multi-media property. It finds the right note of personable irreverence to distinguish itself from the body of works with broad appeal collections of action sci-fi heroines. The Angel Troupe aren't dissimilar to the harem model of collected anime women, minus the male central axis and theyre genuinely funny.

More than the pervious manga series, this volume addresses what makes the characters lovable: demure Mint's sinister streak, theme park costume obsession, supposed telepathic abilities and inexplicable lamb's ears, Forte's violent childhood, and all the other character goodies. It even gets into a few points of mythos like Vanillas religious up brings. The characters are warped enough to be hilarious and multi-faceted enough to be endearing. The inching storyline of galactic power beings is still flat, but its even less a factor this time around. Fans of the property should be sure to check in to see the Troupe do what they do best, and address some of their hidden qualities.

Manga Spotlight: Beauty is the Beast
By Tomo Matsumoto

Released by Viz's Shojo Beat Manga Line

Beauty is the Beast will probably work better for younger shojo fans than older ones. Focusing on dorm life, despite a few nice touches, like assigning role of "messiah" for the person assigned to go out and get nightly stacks, most people who have lived in a dorm probably can tell a few more interesting stories. Topically, the obvious comparison is Here's Greenwood. Beauty differs in that its co-ed, female centric, and a little more continual rather than short story based, but the two aren't miles off.

One of the manga's strengths is its body shot illustration. There's nothing too sexual, but plenty of model-like shots of people, especially male characters, looking attractive. Ogling human form is a point within the context of the story itself, and designed to be one of the appeals of the series.

The series follows a high school girl who enrolls in a tradition minded academy where she'll be living in a dorm rather than move with her relocated parents. On her first night, her dorm mates put her through an initiation that requires that she go into the boys' dorm to retrieve a memento. On the mission she meets a darkly handsome guy with a dark streak.

The drama in the series achieves what it needs it. Matsumoto attempts humor far more often that achieving it. Much of it relies on face faults, which get old real fast. Far too often the payoff is the heroine looking like a deer in headlights.

There are mature aspects that will appeal to younger readers. Older ones will find it fairly well illustrated, but without a real hook to get attached to.

Manga Spotlight Kingdom Hearts
by shiro Amano

Released by TOKYOPOP

The video game origin of Kingdom Hearts was highlighted by novelty of encountering Disney favorites from the core classics like Donald Duck to the popular periphery properties like Nightmare Before Christmas' Jack Skellington in a player controlled context. The icing the cake was that that the work was put together by the RPG masters Square with characters from their own Final Fantasy Series. Seeing everything from Chip and Dale and the Disney rendered Alice In Wonderland to Mog and Final Fantasy VII Cid in manga form has a definite charge, but its not the same as controlling the exploration of the world. The illustration is bold and attractive with design that true to its origins. Chapter illustrations crossover scenes are a real highlight.

The manga's plot is close to the original game's. In one world there's a kingdom of Disney characters. Donald and Goofy as royal retainers toMinnie Mouse and her maid Daisy Duck. In another world are three childhood friends: the hero Sora, the rival Riku and the girl Kairi. Sora chases Riku and Kairi into the shadows. He acquires a key sword and hooks up with the questing Donald, Goofy and Pluto. It's a fun, frantic adventure, but like the game, novelty makes up a large part of the appeal.

TOKYOPOP tweaked their format to make the release more accessible to younger readers. It's a bit shorter, a bit cheaper, and left to right formatted. It would have been a good series to tackle sound effect illustration translation. They're prevalent enough that the absence of meaning to the text is an obvious deficit.

Next Ghibli/Disney Round

Ultimate Disney reports the next round of Disney Ghibli movie releases will be Hayao Miyazaki's My Neighbor Totoro (with a new English language dub starring Dakota Fanning), and Howl's Moving Castle and Yoshifumi Kondou's Whisper of the Heart.

Advent Children Delay

Anime on DVD and Right Stuf report that the DVD release of Final Fantasy 7: Advent Children, the CGI continuation of the classic Playstation RPG has been delayed until March 28th, 2006.

Oshii Project News

Twitch points out that Production IG has posted an English language look at Mamorou Oshii's upcoming Tachiguishi Retsuden here and here. The movie will follow "fast food grifters" who eat at dining stalls and manage to never pay.

Oshii calls the animation technique superlivemation, which will use photography and digital effects. The movie is scheduled for a Spring 2006 release.

The official website is here/a>.

Live Action Adaption News

Anime News Network reports the live adaption of Prince of Tennis will be directed by Yuichi Abe and will star Hongo Kanata as Ryoma. The movie will be released in 2006.

The live action adaption of Osamu Tezuka's samurai fable Dororo will start filming in New Zealand next January for a 2007 release.

Twitch reports that a live action version of Naoki Yamamoto's Asatte Dance/Dance Until Tommorow, a sexual relationship comedy/drama will debut in Tokyo theatres on December 10th. The movie is directed by Ryichi Honda and stars Hiroaki Matsuda and Ai Kurosawa.

YTV Skips GITS Episode

Anime News Network reports that Canadian YTV skipped episode 10 of Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex. The network stated that they believe that the graphic content of the episode was beyond what was appropriate from the network, regardless of air time.

Once Upon A Time Animated

AnimeNation reports a 30 million yuan ($3.6m) production adapting the story of famous martial artist Wong Fei Hong, entitled Once Upon A Time In China Animation: The Warrior will open in Japanese theatres this December. A 30 million yuan production (US$3.6m),will premiere in Chinese theaters in December.

Oscar Elligable Anime

The anime movie elligable for nomination in this year's Oscar race are Howl's Moving Castle and Steamboy.

Rating Problems Closes Candanian Anime Store

Anime News Network reports Tokyo 7, a Regina Saskatchewan anime shop was forced to stop carrying unrated anime. The Saskatchewan film classification board told the store owner to stop selling and renting DVDs that did not have the province's rating stickers.The owner exlained that obtaining stickers for the 2000 anime titles he had in stock would have been too expensive.

YYH Movie Repriced

Central Park Media announced the January release of the re-priced Yu Yu Hakusho: The Movie - Poltergeist Report the explosive motion picture which pits a band of super-powered warriors against almighty demons in a battle for Earth. The DVD containing this feature, which was created by some of the top names in anime, will be available on January 31, 2006 and will priced at $9.95 SRP

Restored to life by supernatural forces, high school delinquent Yusuke was granted paranormal fighting powers to protect the innocent. Demons are posed to take over the Earth, and Yusuke must lead a posse of mismatched warriors into battle against them. With spirit guns, swords and martial arts, our heroes will use any means necessary to wipe out the demons!

DVD Features: Art Gallery, Character Profiles, Trailers, English & Japanese with English Subtitles, DVD-ROM

Central Park Media has also made the first episode of its "Shamanic Princess" available for free download at www.centralparkmedia.com/ipod/ . Formatted for the Apple iPod, it is playable on any Mac or PC.

Viz Talks German TOKYOPOP Work

VIZ Media B.V., a recently launched joint venture between San Francisco based VIZ Media and London-based Copyright Promotions Licensing Group, Ltd. (CPLG) to drive the long term growth of Japanese manga and animation brands in the European market, has announced a groundbreaking partnership with TOKYOPOP GmbH Germany to publish and distribute the latest manga titles to the German market.

The first titles to be offered will include a cross section of both shonen manga, aimed at male audiences, and shjo manga aimed primarily at female readers, from the Japanese publisher Shueisha. Upon the launch of the partnership, the strength and diversity of manga will be fully displayed with an array of action, fantasy, supernatural, and romantic plots to be released including BLEACH, ICHIGO 100%, DEATH NOTE, PRINCE OF TENNIS, MARIA SAMA and CRAZY FOR YOU. In particular, there are high expectations for the shjo titles, as they have gained increased momentum as more young girls discover an array of compelling series with romantic subplots that break down the myth that manga is only for male readers.

One Piece and Mew Mew Power To Return

ICV2 reports 4Kids has confirmed that though One Piece and Mew Mew Power have been pulled from Fox's 4Kids Saturday lineup as part of "normal sort of mid-season shuffle," but they will be returning at some point.

Speed Racer Merchandise License

ICV2 reports Art Asylum has announced the acquisition of the Speed Racer toy license from Speed Racer Enterprises. Art Asylum plans to introduce its new Speed Racer toy line, which will include Mini-Mates, "Then & Now" Action Figure 2-Packs," plus die cast and gyro racers for the MACH 5, MACH 9, MACH 10, X Factor and Shooting Star cars, will debut at the New York Toy Fair in February, 2006.

Art Asylum will create new Speed Racer animated episodes, which will appear on the Internet during the summer of 2006 and prepare the way for the new toy line, which should be in retail toy stores next fall.

New Gundam SEED Finale

Gunota reports a special program consisting of a compilation of all 50 episodes of SEED DESTINY plus a new "after episode", "Erabareta Mirai" ("The Chosen Future"), that will be broadcast in Japan on Christmas. The new after episode will reveal the path of Shinn, Kira and Athrun after the battle.

Zeta Gundal Glasses

Gunota points out that Quattro Bageena sunglass from the Zeta Gundam character, designed by Yutaka Izubuchi and modeled by Tomino, is now available through Bandai's online shop, LalaBit Market. They can be seen here

Times on Nationist Manga

The New York Times has run an anticle on the popularity of anti-Korean manga Hating Things South Korean and anti-Chinese manga Introduction to China here

Paradise Kiss Store

Akadot reports a temporay store dedicated to product productions based on fashion design manga Paradise Kiss has opened in Tokyo Odaiba district now through March.

Wings Of Rean Trailer

A trailer of Wings of Rean, a semi-follow-up to 70's classic Dubine is online at the site here.

Upcoming in Japan

AnimeNation reports the second season of Ah! My Goddess TV has been official announced.

Studio Bones will be producing an adaption of Bisco Hatori's Ouran Koukou Host Club manga series next year.