Father Geek with another of Scott's crammed-full Manga/Anime columns for our AICN readers.

Of course the big news of the week is that WETA is on board to produce a live action feature-length version of NEON GENESIS EVANGELION as was reported in a breaking news story on this site earlier in the week. (In case you missed that report, its covered again here)

As is usual our report's editor Scott Green has everything concerning the worlds of Anime-Manga from the week that you could possibily care about grouped together in one column. There's Comic releases; videos; DVDs; Games; Festivals; interviews; public appearances, even backroom business deals and economic breakdowns. Yep, it all here in one easy to locate spot every week... in the...

AICN Anime Report...

by Scott Green

Manga Spotlight: Alien Nine Volume 1 by Hitoshi Tomizawa

Released by CPM Manga's Original Manga line

Alien Nine is the perfect sample of why the bar for "strange" is set much higher for anime and manga. How about a school girl series with almost loveable alien creatures, the way Pokemon might be lovable if you met one, and it possessed Giger style biological menace. Alien Nine exploits its high concept is exploited to its full visceral impact.

Hitoshi Tomizawa achieves the kind of pop hipness roller-blading/BMX filled TV advertisements fail so miserably at, in a coming of age drama will action, humor, and consequence. The engaging story, and its odd spectacles appeal to both young and older audiences.

A trio of sixth graders, are elected as their classes' Alien Party representative, and given their own borgs, symbiotic aliens, that look like a cross between a frog and a bicycle helmet with wings, that sit on the recipient's head, and protect the wearer in return for eating the wearer's body waste (sweat, ect.)

The students also outfitted with roller blades, and pads, and tasked with catching the aliens that menace their school: using lacrosse stick to net basketball sized parasitic mites, corralling head-less bull like creatures with an extra set of horned fist appendages, even bored boys with mind-controlling head sitting squids. It's a job that is cool in the way being a bike messenger is exciting and appealing from afar, but something that most people would never want when given some thought. The rollerblades, ect play to the job's arbitrariness.

Untlike the two girls who shares her office, Yuri Otani doesn't take well to having a sweat licking creature around her at all times. She's resoundingly typical girl, whose hobbies are warching TV and reading magazines. Whose family isn't especially good at dealing with problems.

Yuri's reluctance is understandable. Beyond having the shellfish like bottom of a borg on her head, and getting splattered by the occasional skewered alien, it's a constant war, losses and all. Here are sixth graders that have a job subduing dangerous creatures, then working with the captured creatures in a series of chores that would try pharmacology grad-students. It all fuels the fire of pre-teen uncertainty, responsibility and pressure.

Creator Hitoshi Tomizawa was part of the recent Superflat exhibit which recently toured American art museums, based on Takashi Murakami's theory tracing Japanese pop-culture design back to the Japanese painting in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, as well as examining the surreal qualities of the 2D design, and the use of cuteness in culture and marketing.

There's something subversive about marketable-looking creatures reeking havoc the way they do in Alien Nine.

The design seems to incorporate both human psychological, and nature is its design. Big eyes on open faces are used to establish sympathy (in human, borg, and benign aliens), expansion, and projections of piecing appendages for threat.

On jarring side note to Alien Nine is an element of sexuality is the series that seems very inappropriate. It doesn't crop up often, and some of it, in the context of the story is pre-teens being pre-teens, or works with a scene. However, there are instances where the author, seemly consciously goes too far, such nudity that could have been handled more tastefully, or at its worst, a title chapter illustration that uses a crotch shot.

Anime Spotlight: Sakura Wars TV Volume 1: Opening Night

Release by ADV Films

Sakura Wars was genre firing on all cylinders: alternate history, steam tech, psychic powers, demonic conspiracies. It was a video game tailor made for anime adaptation, but given that the game was never translated for domestic relation, prior anime adaptations, a prequel, and a six episode look at the characters seemed too target to an audience that was already familiar with the title.

Sakura Wars TV is a variant on the original game, with a darker tone, less romance and altered timeline. The titular Sakura, is a country girl with a samurai upbringing, and psychic powers who is brought to the capital to protect the city as part of the anti-demon Imperial Flower Combat Troop (it sounds a little more threatening as "Hana-Gumi"). In a Clark Kent/Superman jerry-curl and glasses disguise, the Imperial Flower Combat Troop operates the members operate under the front of a theatrical troupe, where the division's soldiers are stage actors.

Simultaneously the series is telling a character drama, where fish out of water Sakura interacts with a group of anime style flawed characters, and building a conflict between a squad of psychic soldier equipped with steam-tech battle armor, and a demonic threat.

This mix, and the many aspects of the setting are more coherent, and well constructed that they may sound. The series knows when to be campy, maudlin or sentimental, but also knows when to add the determination or intelligence to make a character likable.

There are a number of action scenes in the first volume with some nice flash, a combination of samurai aesthetic and horror adversaries that resembles armor plated zombies (and gush organs when cut). However, if the protracted battle in the last episode on the volume is a sign of things to come, Sakura Wars may prove riveting to watch. Besides being an excellent threat establishing, first confrontation rout, the combination of the character's palpable emotional desperation, and the complex interplay of strategy, battlefield, and skill set it above most animated skirmishes.

Beyond animation with expertly establishes these qualities, the asset the really gives the action scenes in edge is the series' sound effect. Despite the fact that the script goes overboard with designing steam-tech gadgets from cell phones to VR simulations (the series is supposed to take place in the 1920's), the hulking steam battle suits look right for the time, about a generation post invention, and more importantly sound right. The hulking clunk, and screech as they move. If they hit something, or something its them, the sound resonates with a little realism.

One asset to the Sakura Wars franchise, is that through its various game, and anime incarnations, rather than slacking on the design (as sometimes happens), Sakura Wars settlement into an appealing, slightly modified version of the original design by Oh! My Goddess creator Kosuke Fujishima. It is the right balance of visual shorthand, and personality.

Live Action Neon Genesis Evangelion

In case you missed the separate update:

ADV Films, who released the Neon Genesis Evengelion anime series in the US has announced that they are working with the series producer Gainax and digital effects company Weta Workshop, Ltd. to produce a live action feature film based on the series.

"The three main players here represent something of a 'dream-team' for a project like this one," said ADV Films President and CEO John Ledford . "Between the quality and significance of the Gainax title, Weta's industry-leading skill in the creation of special visual effects, and our expertise in the marketing and promotion of anime and anime-related content, this project is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

The Story...

"Neon Genesis Evangelion" is the story of a reluctant young hero, called upon to pilot an immense robotic weapon in battle against alien invaders. Including both a 26-episode television series and at least two animated motion pictures, "Neon Genesis Evangelion" has long been both a fan favorite and an extraordinary critical and commercial success, with the worldwide franchise producing many millions of dollars in revenue.

Timetable...

The "Neon Genesis Evangelion" live-action motion picture is in the earliest stages of development. Ledford confirmed, however, that the timetable is an aggressive one, and that more information on the project is forthcoming.

This Week's Anime and Manga Releases

Anime

• Banner of the Stars - Only the Beginning (Vol. 3)
• Dragon Ball GT Vol. #03: Baby: Creation
• Dragon Ball GT Vol. #04: Baby: Proliferation
• Geneshaft - Volume 1
• Great Dangaioh Vol. #4
• Hello Kitty's Paradise Collection
• Lupin III - Voyage To Danger (Uncut)
• Samurai X - Trust & Betrayal (Director's Cut)

Manga

• Bastard Vol 3 Tp
• Battle Royale Vol 1 Gn (Of 5)
• Ceres Celestial Legend Vol 4 Tp Chidori
• Dragonball Vol 10 Tp Shonen J Ed
• Dragonball Vol 11 Tp
• Dragonball Vol 8 Tp Shonen J Ed
• Dragonball Vol 9 Tp Shonen J Ed
• Dragonball Z Vol 10 Tp Shonen J Ed
• Dragonball Z Vol 11 Tp
• Dragonball Z Vol 8 Tp Shonen J Ed
• Dragonball Z Vol 9 Tp Shonen J Ed
• Ghost In The Shell 2 Man Machine Interface #4
• Gundam Wing Ground Zero Tp 2Nd Ed
• Invu Vol 2 Gn (Of 4)
• Priest Vol 6 Gn (Of 9)
• Raijin Comics #23
• Rebound Vol 1 Gn (Of 10)+
• Vampire Yui Vol 5 #2
• Vampire Yui Vol 5 #3
• You And Me Vol 1 #4
• You And Me Vol 1 #5
• Yu Gi Oh Vol 1 Tp Millennium Puzzle

See last week's column for a review of Battle Royale

Viz's releases of Yu Gi Oh, and the DragonBall second editions retail for $7.98 as part of their Shonen Jump line of graphic novel collections.

Shaman King and Sonic X Coming to Fox

4Kids Entertainment, who adapted Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh for American television has announced that they will be brining 26 of the 64 episode Shaman King, and the 52 episode Sonic X to the Fox Box programming block, starting this September.

Sonic X, features the returns of Sonic the Hedgehog, and co-stars Knuckles, Tails and Amy .

Shaman King is a twist of progressive fight anime (Dragon Ball, ect), about a boy who is a modern day shaman, and can work with the spirits of the dead. The manga version of the series appears in the English Shonen Jump anthology.

FUNimation will be handling home video distribution of the series.

Anime Game News

Wandaba Style, one of the more popular anime series this series, is being adapting into a dancing games (the description sounds simular to Space Channel 5, or Parrappa) for the Playstation 2. The game will feature 15 news songs from the group Mix Juice, and an anime DVD.

Atari announced at E3 that they licensed the rights to create a video game based on Yu-Yu Hakusho for "certain next-generation consoles."

Atari also announced that Dragon Ball Z: Budokai will be released for the Nintedo Gamecube this October.

Dragon Ball Z: Budokai spans from the Saiyan Saga through the Cell Games and allows players to experience the fantastic DBZ universe. The game features five heart-pounding fighting modes, including Story Mode, where players reenact some of the most exciting scenes from the animated series, and Tournament Mode, where players can face off to crown a single DBZ fighting champion. With 23 of the most famous DBZ® heroes and villains in full 3D, Dragon Ball Z: Budokai spans 29 heart-stopping levels and features over 60 different combo moves per character, including their most infamous attacks from the animated series.

Budokai 2 is being developed for the Playstion 2. The game will add 11 never characters, and change the fighting system to reflect the anime.

Dragon Ball Z Taiketsu, a fighting game for the Game Boy Advance is schedule for release this Novmber.

Footage of several of the upcoming games can be seen at http://www.dragonballz.com/

From The Magic Box

TDK Mediactive announced they are currently developed Robotech 2 for PlayStation 2, this time the game will not feature cel-shading graphics as in the first game, and the game will have massively multiplayer online elements.

Oh! My Goddess Creator Kosuke Fujishima will be doing character design for Namco's Tales of Symphonia. The GameCube game will feature an anime opening and cut scenes. Screenshots can be seen at here.

Also of note, DreamWave will be teaming with Capcom for a line of comics based of Capcom games, including Mega Man, Devil May Cry, Maximo, Darkstalkers, and Rival Schools.

Online Interviews

* Yoshiki Sakurai, screenwriter on the Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex has an interview with Comic World News here.

* Newsarama has talked to Marvel's C.B. Cebulski about Lone Wolf and Cub co-creator Kazuo Koike's upcoming work in X-Men Unlimited here

* Comic Book Resources has talked to Jake Forbes of TOKYOPOP about their upcoming shonen-ai titles here.

Upcoming in Japan

Anime:

Shoji Gatoh has stated the the sequel to Full Metal Panic, entitled Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu will premiere on Fuji TV on October 4th. The series was animated by Kyoto Animation, rather than first series Studio Gonzo.

A sequel to romance anime Ai Yori Aoshi is being produced.

Megami magazine states that R.O.D (Read or Die) - The TV - is to commence broadcast this summer.

Onegai Twins, the follow-up to Onegei/Please Teacher is to commence broadcast on WOWOW on 15 July 2003.

The June issue of monthly manga magazine Dragon Age has revealed that Moriyama Daisuke's fantasy manga Chrno Crusade will be adapted into anime.

The Dai Ginga website for the Dai Ginga Series Dai Yamato Hen 7 vs 7 (Great Galaxy Series ~ Great Yamato Arc 7 vs 7) anime - has a short little (four second) animation clip available for download in relation to Space Zero.

trailer is up for the anime movie Momoko, Kaeru no Uta ga Kikoeru yo. The movie is scheduled to be completed in May 2003. This is the story of twins Riki and Momoko. Riki is a young, genki boy, but his sister Momoko is disabled and has trouble breathing. She has to attend a special school but is slowly introduced into her brother's primary school.

Someone's posted to the Aniota BBS suggesting that at a screening of the RahXephon movie there was a preview of a work titled "Spirit" to be released by the movie company Shochiku in 2004, perhaps Gonzo's first theatrical release. I don't have anything to confirm this though.

The anime Super Kuma-chan (Super Bear-chan), the scenario for which won the 1st Animax Grand Prix, will be broadcast on 1 June 2003. Super Kuma-chan (the story of a stuffed toy) was chosen from among 1021 applications on the theme of an action hero and then realised by Toei Animation and Animax Broadcast Japan. Source: Aniota.

The website for the upcoming TV bishoujo fighting anime Ikki Tousen, based on the manga of the same name, is now officially open. The series commences broadcast on AT-X in July 2003.

Manga:

Dragon Age manga magazine has announced that Zerion, the new manga from Inoue Sora (Real Bout High School), will commence serialization its July 2003 issue, on sale 9 June 2003.

Manga author Tomizawa Hitoshi (Alien 9 etc) has written on the BBS of his official website that his new manga should commence serialisation in Akita Shoten's semi-monthly manga magazine Young Champion in around June 2003.

Kotegawa Yua will have a four chapter short suspense manga serialized in Shonen Ace magazine, starting with the August 2003 issue, on sale 26 June 2003 see here. Title of the manga has yet to be determined. Kotegawa Yua best known for Anne Freaks, a dark series about parent killing.

Related Live Action: The website for The Killers, a set of five live action movies, one by Ghost the Shell's director Mamoru Oshii, is online.

A second trailer is now available for download at the official website for the live action movie Dragon Head, to be released 30 August 2003. The movie is based on the manga thriller by Osamu Tezuka Cultural Prize winner Mochiduki Minetaro.

Misc: Bandai of Japan has announced plans to open a Bandai Museum in Chiba Prefecture (just outside of Tokyo). The museum, scheduled to open on July 19th, will include a cafe and theater, and exhibit famous properties including Kamen Rider, Ultraman, Sailormoon and Gundam. Admission to certain exhibits will be free, but other exhibits will require an entrance fee. Bandai hopes to attract 400,000 visitors by February 2004.

Manga Entertainment News

From Anime on DVD's report on Anime Central.

A DVD release of Gunbuster, the famed sci-fi series from Gainx (of Evangelion) is scheduled to be release in late October on two discs or a DVD-10. The release will include special features, but no dub.

Regarding the Eva movies and box, if Manga finds and is able to license a significant amount of footage that was not in the original release they will delay the box to incorporate it. Right now this process is in a fact-finding stage.

Ninja Scroll Tenth Anniversary edition might possibly receive a theatrical release. The DVD will be a two-disc release including the original, and remastered versions. It arrives on June 24 along with Kaidoh maru, which might also see theatres alongside Ninja Scroll.

Street Fighter Alpha 2 will begin production in September.

The Macross Plus movie may be remastered if a dub can be arranged, which may require legal wranglings with Harmony Gold. Macross legal matters in general make Manga more cautious, but certainly won't stop them from Macross work. The box will be two discs; various menu glitches from the original OVA should be fixed in the box. Macross 7 remains prohibitively expensive.

Manga has an option on the Read or Dream TV series and will most likely exercise it.

The frequently announced and delayed Giant Robo DVD is in negotiation as Manga wants to include the specials.

In addition, the manga.com forums should activate sometime in September. They will use a Q&A format where users e-mail in questions, which are posted with the answers. The live chat currently remains in limbo while Manga determines a convenient time for their customers.

FUNimation News

From Anime on DVD's report on Anime Central.

FUNimation confirmed that all of the Dragonball and Dragonball Z will be released eventually.

The eighth Dragon Ball Z movie will be released on August 26th, and packaged with three trading card.

Dragon Ball GT was released starting at episode 16 because they wanted to start the "mass-market" title at a point where the action picks up. Episodes 1-15 will be released following after the rest of the series has been concluded.

Yu Yu Hakusho will stay with the relatively low episode count to keep the price point low; low price point helps Funimation sell product through WalMart. The number of episodes per volume on Yu Yu Hakusho has been kept so, so that the volume price can be kept low enough for for WalMart sales.

The Sakura Taisen (Wars) OAV will feature the voice actors from either the Pioneer or ADV English dub cast.

Central Park Media News

From Anime on DVD's report on Anime Central.

The surreal anime title Cat Soup will be releases with the director's commentary and creator interviews. The dialogueless short feature following two anthropomophic cats' encounter with death.

Animation Runner Kuromi releases in September, featuring a dub by Lisa Ortiz, full frame storyboards as an alternate angle, interviews and commentary with Daichi, and a feature by a US animator about the animation process in the US and Japan. The feature is director Akitaroh Daichi's (the Kodocha anime, Now and Then, Here and There) comedic look at anime production.

The Alien 9 anime will be released this July.

CPM is looking to re-release manga in books will smaller dimensions. Current titles for consideration are Nadesico 1, Dark Angel 1, Call Me Princess, and Aquarium

ADV Films News

From Anime on DVD's report on Anime Central.

ADV has announced that they have license Nuku Nuku TV series, Happy Lesson TV and OVA, and the live action Gun Crazy.

Happy Lesson is a comedy about a recently orphened highschool student, who ends up living with five of his teachers. The series has been described as cute, humorous and rather un-sexual for the genre. The Japanese site can be seen here.

No specific informaiton was given, but they did mention that they are working on entering the manga industry.

AN Entertainment at Anime Central

From Anime Nation

AN Entertainment announced at last weekend's Anime Central convention that tentatively, predicated on strong sales of DVD volumes 1 & 2, all copies of Risky Safety DVD 3 will include a "hard" series collector's box at no additional charge.

The Risky Safety DVDs will also feature reversible covers and inserts printed on high quality matte paper rather than standard glossy DVD cover/insert stock in order to match the quality of the Japanese DVD release.

The first Risky Safety DVD will be available on July 8, followed by volume 2 in October and volume 3 in December.

Pioneer News from Anime Central

From Anime on DVD's report on Anime Central.

Pioneer announced that they have licensed the Maho Tsukai ni Taisetsu na Koto aka Someday's Dreamers, a cute drama with high production values about a girl travells to a skewed version of modern Tokyo to train to be a magic user.

Haibane Renmei, the series from Serial Experiments Lain character designer yoshitoshi ABe will be released in America with its Japanese name unaltered. The first DVD will include a limited edition pencil board. The limited edition DVD 1 with series box will include 2 pencil boards.

Lupin III movie 1: Mystery of Mamo will be released to DVD with anamorphic video remastered by the Japanese licensor and a new 5.1 English dub. The Lupin TV series released in America was edited because the licensor was already sued in Europe over trademark use, so potentially problematic images were removed from the animation before its American release.

The Sakura Wars movie will be released to DVD on September 9th in regular and limited edition versions. The movie soundtrack will also be released simultaneously.

Synch-Point News from Anime Central

From Anime on DVD's report on Anime Central. As previously reported, Tenshi ni Narumon DVD 2 will be released late this summer and include English dubbed audio and Japanese audio with "fan friendly" literal subtitles. The "mainstream" subtitle track found on the first DVD was dropped to avoid confusion, and in part because most sub version viewers preferred the literal translation subtitles.

The July 22nd release of the third volume of FLCL DVD 3 will include the heavily demanded music video for the FLCL theme song performed by The Pillows.

300 (out of 10,000) copies of FLCL DVD 3 with series collector's box will be available for sale before street date at Fanimecon next month. Synch-Point will also have an exclusive Di-G-Charat T-shirt available for sale only at the Animazement convention later this month.

Anime Economics

Nikkansports.com reports that Pokemon movie 6 has sold 280,000 advance tickets in two days in Japan, almost twice the 150,000 advance tickets which was sold over a period of 13 weeks for the previous Pokemon movie last year.

According to Animaixs Japan Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) has anime and games industry as one of the main blocks around the Japanese export industry. This places the two industries in a category of importance similar to the manufacturing industry. A new research society has been established to expand the markets for anime and manga outside of Japan.

Anime News Network reports that as a result of a forecast stating that Toei Animation expects to see its pre-tax profit fall in the coming year, investors have cooled to the company, causing its stock price to fall.

In the fiscal year ending in March the company saw it's pre-tax profits rise over the previous year despite previous warnings that profit would fall by as much as 19%.

Toei Animation was the first Anime production company to ever be listed on the stock exchange. T

he company's stock, traded under the TSE code 4816, hit a high of approximately 8000 yen have since fallen to the sub 6000 range, hitting a low of 5750 yes last month. The share price has now risen somewhat to 6100 yen yesterday.

In March Toei announced that it planned to start producing Anime specifically for the overseas market.

This year's list of Japan's of top Japanese income tax payers includes the following anime and manga creators:

• Rumiko Takahashi (Ranma ½, Inu-Yasha): 172,140,000 yen
• Takeshi Konomi (Prince of Tennis):170,000,000 yen
• Fuyumi Ono (Juuni Kokki): 39,890,000 yen
• Shuuhou Satou (Black Jack ni Yoroshiku) : 36,890,000 yen
• Hayao Miyazaki: 26,840,000 yen

Animage 25th Grand Prix Results

From Anime News Service's translation of Animage mangazine's poll results.

Anime Ranking:

• 1 - Gundam Seed
• 2 - Azumanga Daioh
• 3 - Inu Yasha

Male Character:

• 1 - Kira Yamato (Gundam Seed)
• 2 - Asuran Zara (Gundam Seed)
• 3 - Inu Yasha (Inu Yasha)

Female Character:

• 1 - Rakusu Kurain (Gundam Seed)
• 2 - Kagari Yura Asuha (Gundam Seed)
• 3 - Honda Touru (Fruit Basket)

Seiyuu (voice actor) Ranking

• 1 - Hoshi Souichirou
• 2 - Hayashibara Megumi
• 3 - Ishida Akira
• 4 - Horie Yui
• 5 - Yamaguchi Kappei
• 6 - Kawasumi Ayako
• 7 - Tanaka Rie
• 8 - Seki Tomokazu
• 9 - Kuwashima Houko
• 10 - Ogata Megumi

BAAF Anime Premieres

The Big Apple Anime Fest has announced that they will screening an English subtitled print of A Tree of Palme. Director Takashi Nakamura will be present and responding to audience questions.

The Big Apple Anime Fest (BAAF), announced that BAAF will host the World Premiere of Satoshi Kon's Tokyo Godfathers at BAAF 2003, in Times Square, New York City, during the Labor Day Weekend (August 29 to 31, 2003). Eagerly awaited by U.S. anime fans who made his Perfect Blue one of the best selling anime DVD's of all time, and coming on the heels of his Millennium Actress from Dreamworks, director Kon's latest film will reveal a comprehensive collection of artwork styles. According to Kon, Tokyo Godfathers represents an attempt to restore "miracles and the unexpected" to rational, logical thought processes. Produced by MadHouse, Japan's leading animation studio, the film boasts the planning of Masao Maruyama of MadHouse, the man responsible for many of the most famous anime of all time, including Osamu Tezuka's Metropolis, Record of Lodoss War, Urusei Yatsura, Cardcaptor Sakura, Trigun, and Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust.

In Tokyo Godfathers, three homeless people - Gin, a former professional bicycle racer; Hana, a transvestite; and Miyuki, a run-away young girl - are living together in Shinjuku, Tokyo. On Christmas Eve, the three accidentally find a baby girl at a garbage dump. They head for the brighter parts of the city, where people are enjoying the holiday festivities to look for the baby's parents. Will the baby lead these three protagonists to their destiny? While the three looking for the parents, uncanny luck results in their meeting other people while continue their adventure with the baby. This small adventure lets each of the trio confront their own lives, which they almost threw away, while maintaining their dignity and happiness under unfortunate circumstances. Tokyo Godfathers reveals how a series of what appear to be insignificant events to some can become a dramatic adventure for others.