Anime Spotlight: Claymore
Volume 2
Released by FUNimation
The pacing of an anime TV series does not always fit nicely into a DVD release. Presumably, this is not one of the higher concerns when scripting the series. The North American DVD is generally a tertiary form after the original weekly serialization and a Japanese home video release that rarely features as many episodes as a North American disc. Especially in an anime with episode to episode continuity, in a 26 episode series, the flow is likely to be badly broken at some point over the course of a release by the time between volumes. However, due to luck or planning, you couldn't ask for a better release than Claymore's second volume. The volume completes the four episode flashback begun in the previous volume. The motivations for why Clare became a half-yoma (demon) hunter Claymore, in the service of the shadowy yoma exterminating "Organization" have been demonstrated. As have the reasons for her grudging compassion for an orphaned kid encountered on a mission. Then, the remaining two-episode segment of the volume projects what the anime has to offer going forward, as it captures the scope of the conflict with teams of Claymore women working together to combat a breed of particularly formidable yoma. This does not substantially change what I think of Claymore. Most of the elements that I found engaging and most of the ones that I found dissatisfying in the first volume of Claymore have been intensified in its second. That said, the volume does make a convincing case for the anime's appeal. Women in white unitards and metal micro-skirts, isolated in the world except for their comrades in arms, in a desperate fight against rampaging monsters? Sounds like the perfect subject for an anime series.
More than ever, I don't think that the frequently invoked Berserk is a valid point of comparison for Claymore. Claymore is not a female version of that grimy, swords against monster low fantasy, increasingly turned high fantasy. The anthology in which a manga runs is a telling indication of the audience that that manga intends to approach. Berserk ran in seinen Young Animal, and as such, it's a messy affair with characters desperately trying to crawl their way out of the pitfalls in which they've landed. The manga from which the Claymore anime was adapted ran in Jump Square, the monthly member of the Jump family that runs Rosario+Vampire Season II and Letter Bee. As such, Claymore is less "Berserk with Women" than it is "Daughter of Kenshiro."
Especially as we see her in the episodes of this volume, there is something of a female version of Fist of the North Star/Hokuto no Ken's Bruce Lee meets Mad Max, punch-of-death hero in Clare's one time guardian/template Teresa of the Faint Smile. In a network of number coded swordswomen, Teresa was number one. The cold look as she slices off limbs... The way that her targets split open and spray blood after a moment given to the audience to ponder the deservingly skewered opponent’s doom... Her chilling promises of the oncoming onslaught... She doesn't get a signature as good as "you're already dead," but she has the brutally righteous act down cold.
To steal from the current anime/manga parlance and maybe add to it, Claymore represents a branch of the neo-shonen movement. Reducing matters substantially for the sake of conversation, once, the hero of shonen stories for a young, male audience were pure action heroes. In this simplified notion of the past, manga editors were satisfied with heroes who were some species of unbridled, throw down and fight pugilist. Fist of the North Star's Kenshiro was a built out martial artist/last man uber-survivor. If you go through the first three stages of the 63 volume generational supernatural action Jojo's Bizarre, it started with Jonathan Joestar, a man defined by his Victorian gentleman principles. Then, it passed the torch to Jonathan's grandson Joseph Joestar, who was a free spirited, pulp age hero. Then, the narrative jumped again, this time to Joseph's grandson, Jotaro Kujo, who was a cold, unflinching delinquent. The reader never had to question the purpose of these heroes.
Then, as the theories go, creators and editors began expanding the appeal of shonen manga by redesigning the look and feel to catch the attention of female readers as well as male. The classic example of this "neo-shonen" is Prince of Tennis, a sports manga with handsome male characters and enough space to read in some implied relationships.
In the case of Claymore, the neo-shonen element is more about spirit than look. While the Claymores are a bit more sensibly proportioned than some of anime's busty action heroines, their form fitting outfits might induce some eye rolling, and seem to be a clear mark of an intension to catch the male glaze. Yet, sometimes in a subtle way, Claymore's confederacy of people alone in the world feels a bit like a martial Fruits Basket. The appeal of a Claymore as an icy, efficient, monster hunting super soldier is an essential element of the anime. Yet, the struggle of the Claymores to reconcile their function as weapons with their buried needs to relate to each other and the world is similarly a critical aspect of the anime. It might not have the texture of something like Berserk, but it's not the smoothed melodrama of old-school shonen either.
An emotional series about people with no time for emotions, Claymore invites the viewer to invest in the characters and pay close attention. This isn't entirely in a rationale regard. Significant points are hammered with resoundingly explicit punctuation. At the same time, over-considering the anime often leads to a dead end pursuit. A respect in which Claymore is not served well by comparisons to Berserk is that Claymore's world is not realized with anything like Berserk's intricate resolution. For example, the society depicted in Claymore and the logical impact of its plague of monster don't match up. It seems like the yoma threat should cripple the cities and commerce as they are illustrations. Instead, Claymore restricts its focus to the travels and travails of its protagonists, and in etching out the impact of those events on the characters, it remains engaging.
In addition to the character drama, the other variable in Claymore's formula is its action. Fights are frequent and furious. Plenty of swords are drawn. Plenty of blood is spilled. In fact, an episode doesn't go by in which some violent spectacle is not presented. However, I have a problem with action that uses effects rather than choreography. There are in-context reasons for this, such as characters who can draw a sword and strike with unseen speed, but that seems like a poor excuse for the flash of light, spray of blood style of action. While I don't want to impugn Korean animation in general, many of Claymore's fight scenes look more like the work of DrMovie than Madhouse, and in fact, if you look at the episode credits far more of the animation planning and direction seem to have been done in Korea than Japan. The consequence is that, while you never have to wait long to see action in Claymore, it will take a while for the lightning strike short hand for attacks and static scenes of swords rubbing against each other to resolve into a sustained, dynamic, intricate battle. This might not hamstring the excitement, but it does knock Claymore back a spot from its potential to be a great fantasy action anime, to its reality as a series that is highly recommendable to fans of fantasy hack and slash, yet not a genre triumph.
Manga Spotlight: Hayate x Blade
By Shizuru Hayashiya
Released by Tor/Seven Seas
Of all the manga that I read in 2008, Hayate x Blade (or Hayate Cross Blade) was the most delightful surprise of the year. It's a cute girl fight manga from Ultra Jump, the older audience Jump family spin-off that has yielded Battle Angel Alita: Last Order, Tenjo Tenge and Bastard!! I knew that yuri (lesbian themed anime/manga) sage Erica Friedman had singled it out as something special, but I could also think of works for which she could muster far more enthusiasm than I. (To name an example, the Bee Train gunslinger anime trilogy: Noir, Madlax and El Cazador de la Bruja; fine in my book; Higher rated in hers.) Except... wow. Shizuru Hayashiya is an amazing cartoonist. There's a liveliness to her characters' buoyant humor that completely won me over. I've now joined the crowd of people who are incredulous that Hayate x Blade has yet to be adapted into an anime series.
Going into Hayate x Blade, I was prepared to contend with some well worn plot paths. North America has not been buried with anime/manga set in private schools, but we have seen enough (Revolutionary Girl Utena, Here's Greenwood, Maria Watches Over Us, Oran High), that a manga set in a fantastic girls' school didn't pique my curiosity. And, that the girls were carrying swords and wearing kindof a military dress uniform crossed with one of those "sailor" style skirt ensembles? Advancement through a regimented hierarchy is a favorite structure for manga. In a not entirely called for associative jump, I glanced at Hayate x Blade's cover, read the summary on it's back, and I started thinking about Norakuro, a pre-Tezuka, pre-World War II manga about a black dog struggling to make a career for himself in a Japanese Imperial army comprised of white dogs. While the outsider who builds a place for themselves in the world by ascending rank is a device familiar in countless popular shonen manga (Dragon Ball, Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh), modern manga's been using it practically since it's inception.
So, set in the elite all-girls boarding school, Tenchi Academy, Hayate x Blade was tied to a specific imagined place. However, between works that I admire greatly (Revolutionary Girl Utena) and ones that bothered me (Best Student Council), I wasn't enthused by the setting. At the same time, while I have plenty of patience for an "I'll be the best" fight manga, in and of itself, I don't find that notion to be effective in drawing interest. Then, there's a cover with two girls, whose swords bear cell phone strap kitty-cat charms, one of which has a Ken Akamatsu-like CB antenna-cowlick and a look more like a precocious child than a teenager. Again, the cuteness itself doesn't speak to me.
Despite those reservations, I felt that both of the manga's principal heroines come out of volume one as stars. The eponymous Kurogane Hayate arrived at Tenchi Academy under convoluted circumstances. First, it was supposed to be her twin sister Nagi who enrolled at Tenchi, but Nagi injured herself sufficiently badly that she hasn't even been able to appear on panel. Secondly, Tenchi's fascist student council president presides over a competition in which young women of the school assert their "brilliance" in a competition in which sword wielding pairs duel to take other team's star epaulets. Hayate has thrust herself into this competition to win the prize money needed to save the orphanage that raised her from Yakuza debt.
Then there's Mudou Ayana, the girl who Hayate latches onto as her ideal "Sister-in-Arms" for the competition. The graceful yet sour tempered yin to Hayate's trip-and-rebound ebullient yang, Ayana had ducked out of the competition, and most other school activities due to painful past experience.
The extent to which Hayate x Blade is a serious, dramatic work is not particularly evident one volume in. It does seem in a hurry to go somewhere. Both the characters and the script have looked to leap ahead. As such, volume one burns through elements that should have sustained an interesting status quo for a while longer. Yet, it is not a short manga; Its eighth collection was release in Japan in mid-November. I'm inclined to think it's not going to exceed the upper registers of the profundity expected from an Ulta Jump version of a cute girl fight manga, but I wasn't expecting to be as wowed by the manga as I've become either.
As long as Shizuru Hayashiya's illustrations remain as charming as they were in volume one, Hayate x Blade will remain on my personal to buy/highly anticipated list. If you take a quick look at Hayate x Blade, you'll probably label it "manga style," and by the standards of most North American readers, it is. Yet, if you look at what it is really doing, it is extraordinary. There is an approach that parallels animated works like Looney Tunes. In their exaggerated expressions and poses, characters deform themselves while remaining perfectly recognizable. Manga readers are doubtlessly familiar with the situations in which an illustrator will draw characters with cute oversized heads and stubby bodies. Hayashiya's repertoire is hardly limited to that motif. Nor is she limited to routine head shots and body placement. You can inspect a small tiny panel with Hayate shadow boxing while Ayana drags her feet, a complex action shot in which Hayate moves towards an oncoming sword in a flubbed sword catching move while Ayana skirts away and a fourth party deflects the attack, or even a panel in which the faces of the characters aren't seen as Ayana knees Hayate in the back. It's all full of dynamic motion. It's always specifically Hayate and Ayana rather than generic forms. And it's always brilliantly fun to read and re-read.
The announcement promated at Bandai Entertainment's "Black Sunday" event was a simultaneous broadcast of the anime series Kurokami (The Animation) from animation studio Sunrise (Code Geass, Gundam 00). The adaptation of the manga, released by Yen Press as Black God, will be broadcast in Japan on TV ASAHI at 2:40 a.m. on January 8th, in the U.S. on ImaginAsian TV (IATV) on January 8th at 8pm, and in Korea on January 9th at 10pm on AniBOX.
The anime is directed by Tsuneo Kobayashi (director of The Twelve Kingdoms) with series story composition by Reiko Yoshida, and character designs and animation direction by Hiroyuki Nishimura (Fatal Fury, Full Metal Alchemist the movies).
The story focuses on Keita, a high school student living on his own, lost his mother in his youth. One night at a ramen stand, he meets a mysterious girl named Kuro. Keita is told the story of how if a person runs into another that looks just like them, they would die. From Kuro, Keita learns of the Doppeliner System and the Coexistence Equilibrium and how his life would never be that same afterward…
The English cast will include
English cast
Kuro Laura Baily
Keita Jason Griffith
Akane Julie Ann Taylor
Excel Stephanie Sheh
Daichi Christopher Kromer
Japanese based multi-media entertainment company, Pony Canyon Inc. has partnered with online media distributor Crunchyroll to stream a selection of anime titles, starting with the Steel Angel Kurumi franchise.
Pony Canyon Inc.'s Deputy General Manager Hideyuki Saida states, "Crunchyroll helps create a new business model for online monetization and we are looking forward to a long and prosperous relationship with them. We want fans abroad to know that we are here for them and want to bring them great anime titles for years to come."
Title Synopses:
STEEL ANGEL KURUMI
An erotic, boisterous comedy starring the absolutely obedient and perfectly invincible "Maidroid" Kurumi, a product of science and magic. A boy named Nakahito, the hero of the story, accidentally kisses her to find he has somehow hit her starting switch. And they manage to get into all sorts of trouble...
STEEL ANGEL KURUMI ZERO
It is the time in the future. There is a girl named Kurumi (not as The Steel Angel) living in the world of gradually ruining. These episodes are stories about Kurumi's first love and with support from Saki and Karinka and new character Exilia. Revealing a secret story about Angel Heart.
STEEL ANGEL KURUMI 2 SHIKI
Once upon a time, in the "Taisho" era (1912-1928), there were some totally invincible, beautiful girl-shaped androids, called the Steel Angels, who obeyed their master's orders absolutely. Time has passed since then and in present day Japan...
A bespectacled junior high school girl Nako, the beautiful shrine maiden, comes across "Canwan", the steel android dog, in the basement of her home. By accident she also unseals the android, STEEL ANGEL KURUMI 2 SHIKI.
Nako's pal from childhood, Uruka is a daughter of Tenkai Sumeragi, leader of the great Sumeragi group which even controls the Prime Minister of Japan. Uruka is secretly in love with Nako and she has been waiting for her chance to steal Nako's first kiss, but Kurumi the android, beats her to it, much to the dismay of Uruka.
Uraka's father promises to take revenge on Kurumi and he employs all means possible to do so. During these battles, Uruka accidentally uncovers another Steel Angel called "Saki 2 Shiki", then yet another Steel Angel called "Karinka 2 Shiki" which somehow follows after Kurumi and Saki.
A series of severe battles over Nako take place, marking the end of any semblance of a peaceful life for her. Nako wonders "How come I am their master?" "What are the Steel Angels, anyway?" "Who made them, for what purpose?" "Is Kurumi really an angel to me? What else could she be?"
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VIZ Media announced that the dubbed versions of NARUTO (Uncut Version) Season 1, 2 and 3 (Volumes 1 & 2), three story arcs of BLEACH (The Substitute, The Entry and The Rescue), and all 37 episodes of DEATH NOTE are now available for purchase and download on the iTunes Store in Canada.
Episodes on the iTunes Store in Canada are C$1.99 each or full seasons can be purchased. These titles are also available on the iTunes Store in the US.
Brian Cronin: “What do you think of digital distribution of comics? Is it a viable additional outlet to print comics?”
Mark Waid: No. It’s the future outlet for comics, period. Not tomorrow, not next week, but soon. Which is a shame, and the end of an era, and I’m not necessarily advocating it–I’m just being realistic.
Mark Waid: Paul Levitz had a great quote about digital comics, though. If I may paraphrase– the reason we’re not “there” yet has a lot to do with trying to find the right synthesis of format and delivery. For the first decade of its existence, television was really nothing more than radio with pictures. Everything was still dialogue driven, and you didn’t really have to WATCH it. You could just listen. But then Lucille Ball came along and wedded the visual comedy of vaudeville to the structure of radio comedy, and the whole medium transformed.
Mark Waid: And that’s what we’re waiting for vis-a-vis cybercomics. That ‘x’ factor that turns it into its own medium and not just pictures of comic books.
Brian Cronin: Right.
Mark Waid: That’s one of the smartest things I’ve ever heard, but then, Paul’s really smart.
Brian Cronin: So if we do NOT see that - will digital comics still work as the “main avenue”?
Mark Waid: It’ll limp along. But we will see it. Too many creative people are striving to find a way to make this new format work. Someone will be digital comics’ Stan Lee, our Elvis, or whoever.
Brian Cronin: True, sort of like how Facebook blew everyone’s mind
Mark Waid: Exactly.
Brian Cronin: Of course, Facebook did not explode until a bunch of comic book companies had already committed to MySpace, but, well…que sera, sera.
Via Nausicaa.net, Ghibli's production diary announced the storyboards for latest Studio Ghibli Museum short film is complete. The contents are still a secret and there is no information about the director. The entry mentions that the film is nostalgic and pretty.
According to Active Anime, Sky Crawlers will be released on Blu-ray in Japan February 25, 2009
Anime Vice has picked up the details on the Internet OVA shorts featuring The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya SD characters
Whew! No surprises there-- the entire cast is back.
Main Staff:
Original Creators – Nagaru Tanigawa and Noizi Itou
Manga Creators (of Haruhi-chan and Nyoro~n Tsuruya-san) – Puyo and Eretto, respectively
Director – Yasuhiro Takemoto (Full Metal Panic!)
Character Design – Futoshi Nishiya
Color Design – Naomi Ishida (The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya)
Art Director – Mutsuo Shinohara (Clannad)
Director of Photography – Ryuuta Nakagami (Full Metal Panic! The Second Raid)
NTV will be replacing their Monday 7:00pm "Anime 7" programming block with an hour long weekday news program. The slot is currently running Detective Conan and Yatterman.
NewType revealed that Koji Masunari (Read or Die, Kamichu!) will be producing his first threatrical anime with A-1 Pictures. R.O.D. collaberators writer Hideyuki Kurata and character designer Masashi Ishihama are working with Masunari on a project called the Uchu Show, which may or may not be the this film.
An OVA adaptation of shoujo manga/TV drama Minami-ke will be released in January
TOHO will be releasing a Duel Masters Cross anime movie in fall 2009.
A magazine advertisement has reportedly announced that an original video adaptation of Tarako Kotobuki's Sex Pistols boys-love manga has been green-lit. Tokyopop's Blu imprint published the manga — which has no relation to the British punk rock band of the same name — in North America under the name Love Pistols. The "science love fiction" story revolves around a high school boy who discovers that he is part of a select group of humans who did not evolve from monkeys, but various animals such as leopards and black bears. The manga ran in Biblos' Magazine Be-Boy from 2003 to 2006, and five compiled manga volumes and four audio drama CDs have been released.
Manga
Anime Vice reports that Shugo Chara will be spun-off into a four panel strip called Shugo Chara-chan. Nafutaren Mizushima will be working with the Peach-Pit created characters.
Speaking of Peach-Pit (DearS, Rozen Maiden), the pair are the latest to put their manga onhold due to health concerns. Their announcement indicates that one of the authors has been admitted into a hospital.
Via Anime News Network
Following his award willing work illustrating the manga adaptation of Imperial Guards, Yu Ito will launch a new fight manga called Shutoheru in the next issue of Weekly Big Comics Spirits .
2009's third issue of Shogakukan's Weekly Big Comics Spirits magazine, which was released on Monday, has announced that manga artist Yu Ito will launch a new fighting manga called Shutoheru in the next issue on December 22. Ito ended his three-year adaptation of Daisuke Sato's Imperial Guards (Kokoku no Shugosha) alternate-history war novels in Shueisha's Ultra Jump magazine last year. The Imperial Guards manga was a runner-up in the 9th Japanese Media Arts Awards, the 11th Tezuka Cultural Prize, and the 1st Manga Taisho Awards.
Live Action Tokyograph reports that foodie manga Oishinbo, upcoming in North America from Viz, will be adapted into a new dramatic special in April. a series of five 2-hour specials that aired between 1994 and 1999, starring Toshiaki Karasawa. Last year, the franchise was revived with two specials titled "Shin Oishinbo," with TOKIO's Masahiro Matsuoka as the star.
The Business
VIZ Media, LLC and Warner Home Video have reached agreement for the home entertainment distribution in the United States and Mexico of new and catalog DVD releases from VIZ Media.
Jeff Brown, WHV Executive Vice President and General Manager, TV, Family and Animation has said “the association between Warner Home Video and VIZ Media demonstrates our continued commitment to the growing sector of anime. Adding to our previous success with The Animatrix and Appleseed: Ex Machina, we are looking forward to a successful relationship with VIZ Media, one of the top players in the anime genre and children’s animation.”
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The Beat has confirmed that TOKYOPOP has laid off eight stuff including Bryce Coleman
Marketing director Marco Pavia told the Beat “It’s one of the worst selling periods in history. We’re trying to be responsive to the new realities, and unfortunately some very talented people have been cut.”
MangaBlog notes that other effected staff members include Jenna Winterberg, who edited the novels and the co-productions with HarperCollins, and Hyun Joo Kim, who oversaw the Hee Jung Park manhwa.
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Citing, the "current challenging economic environment," 4Kids Entertainment, Inc. has announced cost cutting initiatives including a workforce reduction of approximately 15% across all subsidiaries and divisions. As a result of the staff cuts, the Company will be incurring severance costs of approximately $375,000 in the fourth quarter of 2008. . The Company has also completed a comprehensive review of its operations and will be taking steps intended to reduce operating expenses by an additional $4 - $5 million in 2009.
These staff reductions and projected cuts in operating expenses, together with the early termination of the 4Kids/ Fox Broadcasting Company Agreement effective December 31, 2008 which was previously announced on November 10, 2008, are expected to result in pretax savings of $15 - $18 million in 2009.
"We have taken some critical steps to respond to the litany of challenges presented by the worldwide economic crisis," said Alfred R. Kahn, Chairman and CEO of 4Kids Entertainment. “The streamlining of our organization and further reduction in operating expenses will better position the Company to ride out the current economic storm”.
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The Portland Business Journal reports that Laika Inc. (Coralone) has laid off 65 employees. The decision came after executives decided to end production of “Jack and Ben’s Animated Adventure,” which would have been Laika’s second large-scale project.
The company still employs about 280 people.
“Basically, we lost some people on the development side for a project we’re not working on any more, which is a natural part of the animation process because it takes so long to make these films and market them,” Begley said. “The layoffs were the result of the project being shelved and Coraline being no longer in production.”
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Upper Deck has released a statement regarding their ongoing involvement with the Yu-Gi-Oh collectable card game.
Upper Deck Panoceanic C.V. and Upper Deck International B.V. (hereinafter called: “Upper Deck”) wish to broadcast the following press release.
Recently several media have reported that Konami Digital Entertainment B.V. and/or Konami Marketing Inc. and/or Konami Digital Entertainment Inc. and/or its worldwide affiliates (hereinafter called: “Konami”) is/are taking over all operational and business aspects of the Yu-Gi-Oh!TM TRADING CARD GAME with immediate effect, based on an alleged termination of the distribution agreements with Upper Deck. According to this report Konami will also take over distribution and customer support for the Yu-Gi-Oh! TRADING CARD GAME
Upper Deck wishes to point out with great emphasis that the aforementioned reports are false, there is no legal ground or justification for this termination by Konami whatsoever and that this termination is therefore wrongful. Regarding the Yu-Gi-Oh! TM TRADING CARD GAME business Upper Deck is still the sole and exclusive distributor for the European territory and will continue providing the Yu-Gi-Oh!TM TRADING CARD GAME products to all its contractual customers. Upper Deck has already sent a warning letter to Konami demanding that Konami ceases the broadcasting of this misleading and unlawful information and to rectify accordingly forthwith. If Konami does not voluntarily comply with said warning, Upper Deck shall take all necessary legal actions forthwith.
Based on the foregoing, Upper Deck will continue to conduct business with all its counterparties as usual.
Kind regards,
On behalf of Upper Deck
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The Tohokushinsha Film Corporation announced that an unspecified party has agree to pay Tohokushinsha 250 million yen (US$2.8 million) to settle to settle two lawsuits concerns Dai Yamato. Law suits were filed against Animation Soft and the game sellers Sankyo, Bisty, International Card System, and Fields in 2004 over the spin-off to Space Battleship Yamato (adapted for North America as Star Blazers). For more information on the multi-front legal dispute of Yamato, see here.
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The San Francisco Business Times reports that anime-based social networking site Gaia Online has laid off 13% of its staff, including 16 full-time and 20 contractor positions.
On Monday, the San Jose Mercury News had a story quoting Gaia CEO Craig Sherman as saying that the company sells more than $1 million a month of virtual goods and expects a record month in December.
“With the current economic conditions, we found it necessary to turn to staff reductions and other operating cost cuts as we head into an uncertain 2009,” the company said in a statement regarding the cuts. “While we are still anticipating a healthy upcoming year, we’ve adjusted our forecast to reflect the new realities.”
The company said it is growing — just more slowly than anticipated — because its users, and social networks in general, “are somewhat recession-resistant.”
According to Hollywood Reporter, Universal and Stuber Prods. entered into an agreement with Spin Master to turn anime/fighting top game "Bakugan Battle Brawlers" into a movie.
Spin Master's Ronnen Harary will produce with Stuber Prods.' Scott Stuber. Donna Langley and Jeff Kirschenbaum of Universal are overseeing. Jon Mone of Stuber Prods. brought the property to the company through Mike Drake, with whom the company just worked on the upcoming Universal release "Repossession Mambo." Mone acts as executive producer.
The anime version of Bakugan is airing on Cartoon Network.
TOKYOPOP has updated the status of the live action adaptation of Korean manwha horror/western Priest (reviewed here.) According to Hollywood Reporter, Scott Charles Stewart (co-founded special effects house the Orphanage) has signed to direct "Priest," the film that Michael De Luca and Stars Road Entertainment's Josh Donen are producing for Screen Gems. Mitchell Peck will also produce.
During an earlier attempt to get the project off the ground, Gerard Butler and Steven Strait were to star in the film directed by Andrew Douglas
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Buzz from sources such as Entertainment Weekly suggests that casting for M. Night Shyamalan's The Last Airbender will include Noah Ringer as Aang, Nicola Peltz as Katara, Jesse McCartney as Zuko and Jackson Rathbone Sokka. Considering the suggested ethnicities of the cast in the original animated Avatar, fan reaction has been negative.
Cool Figures News
Organic Hobby, Inc in conjunction with Beagles will release Shining Wind “Xecty” in March.’09 with a SRP of $110.00.
"Xecty" is one of the heroine based on an action role-playing game known as "Shining Wind" developed by Nextech and Amusement Vision, and published by Sega for the Sony PlayStation 2 video game console, and the eighteenth game in the Shining video game series. "Xecty" is a 1/8 scale (9½" tall) PVC figure fully painted and comes in a window box.
Organic Hobby, Inc in conjunction with Happinet will release “Real Artwork Series - Godzilla 1954 3-D Poster Art” in February.’09 with a SRP of $420.00.
"Real Artwork Series - Godzilla 1954 3-D Poster Art" is based on the successful landmark1954 "Godzilla" Japanese science fiction film directed and co-written by Ishiro Honda with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya, produced and distributed by Toho Company Ltd. It was the first of many "giant monster" movies (known as kaiju) to be produced in Japan, many of which also feature Godzilla. "Godzilla 1954 3-D Poster Art" is (11 ½" H x 8 ½" W x 6 ½" D) Polyresin poster fully painted and comes in a closed box with a custom base for display. This figure will be limited to 500 pcs worldwide.
Cartoon Network has named Mattel the global master toy licensee for its fantasy-adventure original series, THE SECRET SATURDAYS. Planned merchandise include including action figures, playsets, and role-play items, scheduled for fall 2009.
Schoolgirl Milky Crisis (n.) 1. A silly name for a generic anime show, made up to protect the innocent in Jonathan Clements’ long-running insider column about the Japanese comics and cartoons business. (n.) 2. A hugely entertaining collection of nearly two decades of articles, speeches and interviews by Jonathan Clements, manga and anime translator, sometime voice actor, and co-author of The Anime Encyclopedia.
Titan Books will be releasing Schoolgirl Milky Crisis: Adventures in the Anime and Manga Trade by Jonathan Clements (Anime Encyclopedia, NewType USA) on February 24th for $14.95 / £9.99
The will will mix reviews, cultural commentary, insights into classic manga and anime titles, interviews and profiles of Japan’s top creators, and hilarious insider stories from the anime trade, along with illustrations from Steve Kyte.
Upcoming North American Releases
Advent Children Fanboy Review has confirmed that the new scenes in Final Fantasy: Advent Children complete are being dubbed with the cast used in the earlier English language release of Advent Children for an upcoming North American release.
GENGHIS KHAN: TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH AND THE SEA VOLUME 1
Nakaba Higurashi and Seiichi Morimura
CMX/Flex Comix. Adapted from the same source material as the Japanese – Mongolian film, “Genghis Khan: To the Ends of the Earth and Sea” This manga tells the story of the legendary leader’s journey from boyhood to becoming one of the greatest conquerors in history. At the age of 11, Temujin is already being groomed to succeed his father as tribal leader. One day, while hunting in the woods, he meets a young boy from a neighboring tribe. This encounter paves the way for decades of conflict. Learn the personal story of sacrifice and struggle that transformed this nomadic child into one of history’s most influential leaders.
Advance-solicited; on sale April 22 • 5” x 7.375” • 194 pg, B&W, $9.99 US • TEEN+
VENUS CAPRICCIO VOL. 1
Written and illustrated by Mai Nishikata
Takami is tall, attractive and funny. Akira’s a quiet, musical prodigy who seems much more effeminate than Takami, even though he’s a guy. Best friends since childhood, Takami turns to Akira when yet another would-be boyfriend dumps her. Now will their longtime connection finally turn into something more than friendship?
Advance-solicited; on sale April 15 • 5" x 7.375" • 200 pg, B&W, $9.99 US • TEEN
CRAYON SHINCHAN VOL. 8
Written and illustrated by Yoshito Usui
Advance-solicited; on sale April 22 • 5" x 7.375" • 128 pg, B&W, $7.99 US • MATURE
ASTRAL PROJECT VOL. 3
Written by marginal and illustrated by Syuji Takeya
Advance-solicited; on sale April 1 • 5.5” x 8” • 240 pg, B&W, $12.99 US • MATURE
GO GO HEAVEN!! VOL. 7
Written and illustrated by Keiko Yamada
Advance-solicited; on sale April 1 • 5” x 7.375” • 192 pg, B&W $9.99 US • TEEN
VENUS IN LOVE VOL. 6
Written and illustrated by Yuki Nakaji
Resolicit; on sale April 8 • 5" x 7.375" • 208 pg, B&W, $9.99 US • TEEN
I HATE YOU MORE THAN ANYONE VOL. 7
Written and illustrated by Banri Hidaka
Advance-solicited; on sale April 8 • 5" x 7.375" • 192 pg, B&W, $9.99 US • TEEN
YOUNG MAGICIAN VOL. 13
Written and illustrated by Yuri Narushima
Resolicit; on sale April 15 • 5” x 7.375” • 200 pg, B&W, $9.99 US • MATURE READERS
Media Blasters
Anime Works Releases
3/3/09
DOJIN WORK - Quill and Ink - Volume 2 of 3
3/17/09
AH MY BUDDHA - The Two Uncovered Paths - Volume 2 of 6, Eps. 5-8
3/24/2009
KITE - Remastered Edition - $19.99
KITE DUO Kite Re-mastered & Kite Liberator - $29.99
3/31/09
VOLTRON - Volume 8 of 8, Eps. 37-52
Manga
3/18/09
AKIHABARA@DEEP - Volume 3
Live Action
3/24/09
ART OF THE DEVIL 3
3/31/09
CROWS ZERO
ICHI THE KILLER (Blu-ray)
Dark Horse Kuriousity has located the details on Dark Horse's CLAMP "Mangettes" project, featuring a new work by the popular manga quartet. The 80 page Mangettes: Gate 7 is listed by Amazon for an August 15, 2009 release
Between our conscious, waking world and the subconscious state of slumber, there is a thinly veiled plane of lucid dreaming. While the conscious state belongs to individuals, the hidden plane of dreams is one shared by all human minds, past, present, and future. Yet only a few have ever possessed the power to enter this secret realm at will - where a war is being waged to control the waking world. For our earthly wishes and desires are not our own, but under the manipulation of these unseen masters of dreams. The heroine of Gate 7 is Hana, a high-school girl hailing from Kyoto, the daughter of a temple caretaker. Her peaceful ways give her the self-control to act in the hidden realm. But Hana can only reach it through the strange beast that acts as her totem in the world of dreams - and her companion on a journey to confront the puppeteers of our reality!
Drawn and Quarterly
April releases, via Comics 212
A Drifting Life
By Yoshihiro Tatsumi
$29.95, Trade paperback, 6.5 x 8.75 inches, 840 pages, b/w.
978-1-897299-74-6
The 840 page epic autobiography of a manga master, edited and designed by Adrian Tomine.
Over four decades ago, Yoshihiro Tatsumi expanded the horizons of comics storytelling by using the visual language of manga to tell gritty, literary stories about the private lives of everyday people. He has been called “the grandfather of Japanese alternative comics” and has influenced generations of cartoonists around the world. Now the visionary creator of The Push Man and Good–Bye has turned his incisive, unflinching gaze upon himself. Over ten years in the making, A Drifting Life is Tatsumi’s most ambitious, personal, and heart–felt work: an autobiographical bildungsroman in comics form, a massive 840 page book edited and designed by Adrian Tomine. Using his life–long obsession with comics as a framework, Tatsumi weaves a complex story that encompasses family dynamics, Japanese culture and history, first love, the intricacies of the manga industry, and most importantly, what it means to be an artist. Alternately humorous, enlightening, and haunting, this is the masterful summation of a fascinating life and an historic career.
Backlist Offered Again
Abandon The Old in Tokyo (New 2nd printing)
By Yoshihiro Tatsumi
$ 19.95, Hardcover, 6.5 x 8.75 inches, 224 pages, b/w.
978-1894937-87-0
Good-Bye & Other Stories (O/A)
By Yoshihiro Tatsumi
$ 19.95, Hardcover, 6.5 x 8.75 inches, 224 pages, b/w.
978-1897299-37-1
The Push Man & Other Stories (O/A)
By Yoshihiro Tatsumi
$ 19.95, Hardcover, 6.5 x 8.75 inches, 224 pages, b/w.
978-1896597-85-0
Tokyopop
A look at Tokyopop's upcoming OEL Star Trek releases are online here
UDON Entertainment UDON Entertainment as revealed the detail of their manga for kids 12 and under.
Manga's popularity in North America has exploded in recent years, with diverse titles covering almost every genre imaginable. But for kids 12 and under, there are still almost no age appropriate manga series available on bookstore shelves other than occasional spin off or promotional tie-ins from Anime shows or products. To fill the void, UDON Entertainment has teamed with Japanese publisher Poplar to bring a new line of original Kids Manga to North America.
This new line, branded UDON KIDS will give younger readers their first chance to join in on the exciting world of manga they've seen their older brothers and sisters enjoying so much. Each series under the UDON Kids Manga banner will be guaranteed safe for kids 12 and under, giving parents and librarians a variety of books they can be confident are suitable for their young ones.
"We have spent the last two years researching the Japanese manga market to look for titles suitable for kids in America." says UDON's Chief of Ops Erik Ko. "The titles we`ve chosen to launch this line are meant to be enjoyed for their captivating stories, and are not trying to sell kids on the latest animated series or card game like too many manga series are these days."
The first four titles are
THE BIG ADVENTURES OF MAJOKO - Follow the adventures of a human girl and her new wizard friend Majoko, as they explore the Land of Magic and its many wonders.
NINJA BASEBALL KYUMA - After a little ninja named Kyuma mistakes the team captain for his master, he becomes the local baseball team's first ever ninja player!
FAIRY IDOL KANON - Kanon was just an ordinary girl who loved to sing... but now with the help of a magical fairy, she's on her way to becoming a pop idol!
SWANS IN SPACE - Two young girls are recruited by a cute, bear-like alien into the Space Patrol, a secret organization dedicated to helping others across the galaxy.
UDON Kids Manga launches in April 2009 with the first volumes of THE BIG ADVENTURES OF MAJOKO and NINJA BASEBALL KYUMA. FAIRY IDOL KANON and SWANS IN SPACE will follow in May and June, respectively.
Warner Home Video
Ben 10 Alien Force - Volume Three will be released on April 7th
December 12 - 26: Portland, OR - Living Room Theaters
December 12 - 18: Salt Lake City, UT - Tower Theatre
December 12 - 18: Tempe, AZ - Valley Art Theatre
December 12 - 18: Washington D.C. - E Street Cinema
December 19 - 21: Wilmington, DE - Theatre N at Nemours
December 19 - 26: Lake Worth, FL - Lake Worth Playhouse
December 20 - 31: Montpelier, VT - The Savoy Theater
December 25 - Jan 8: Key West, FL - Tropic Cinema
December 26 - Jan 2: Santa Fe, NM - Center for Contemporary Arts
December 26 - Jan 2: Athens, GA - Athens Ciné
December 29 - Jan 4: Gloucester, MA - Cape Ann Community Cinema
January 2, 4: Cleveland, OH - Cleveland Cinematheque
January 9 - 15: Seattle, WA - SIFF Cinema
January 10 - 11: Columbus, OH - Wexner Center for the Arts
January 16 - 17: Bellingham, WA - Pickford Film Center
January 16, 18: San Joaquin, CA - San Joaquin Children’s Film Festival
January 16 - 23: Olympia, WA - Capitol Theater
January 16 - 22: Muskegon, MI - Harbor Theater
January 17-19, 24-25: Pleasantville, NY - Jacob Burns Film Center
January 23 - 29: Denver, CO - Starz Denver Film Center
January 30 - Feb 5: Tucson, AZ - The Loft Cinema
February 6 - 12: Pittsburgh, PA - Regent Square Theater
February 13 - 19: Philadelphia, PA - Ritz at the Bourse
February 13 - 19: San Diego, CA - Ken Cinema
February 15 - 26: Boston, MA - Museum of Fine Arts
February 20 - 26: Minneapolis, MN - Landmark Theaters
February 21: Phoenixville, PA - Colonial Theater
February 27 - Mar 5: Atlanta, GA - Midtown Art Cinema
February 27 - Mar 5: St. Louis, MO - Tivoli Theater
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The Cinefamily in LA their Late Fridays @ midnight: Beyond Anime schedule
SWORD OF THE STRANGER STORY SYNOPSIS:
Hunted by the Mings from China, a young boy named Kotaro and his loyal dog Tobimaru meet a nameless samurai (“Nanashi” or “No Name”) who is haunted by his past – a memory so terrible he has vowed to never draw his sword again.
Among the Mings is Luo-Lang, a ruthless Western swordsman with the Chinese name who has walked the earth in search of a worthy rival. When both groups clash with a feudal lord and monks torn between faith and survival, the truth behind the Mings’ pursuit of Kotaro tests the bond between the boy and the samurai with no name…
SWORD OF THE STRANGER REVEALED - A LOOK BEHIND THE SCENES FEATURETTE:
This event will conclude with all new interviews with the English voice actors plus rare footage shot behind the scenes at Studio BONES (Cowboy Bebop) during the making of SWORD OF THE STRANGER. Director Ando and Bones President Minami highlight this unique look behind the making of a modern anime classic.
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"Hangry & Angry" will make their US premiere at Sakura-Con 2009, April 10-12 at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center.
Hangry & Angry is a collaboration with a Harajuku fashion store which goes by the same name and is the brand of popular Japanese designer h.NAOTO . Illustrator GASHICON draws the gurokawa (grotesque-cute)-style characters "Hangry" and "Angry". What is Hangry & Angry? Hangry & Angry represent a potent synthesis of fashion, illustration, fantasy and music.
The characters "Hangry" and "Angry" are said to come from the H44 Star Nebula in order to save the world from global warming. They arrived in the present in their time machine dubbed "LOVE MACHINE."
Anime on North American TV
According to 21media, Toei magic girl action Pretty Cure will be airing on Canada's YTV starting in Q1 2009. The lead pair will go by the names Natalie and Hannah.
4Kids licensed the anime, but never found it a TV deal.
Kim Manning's post on the Adult Swim board revealed that the network's airing of political mecha anime Code Geass R2 will be on a three week hiatus, between now and January 10th.
Voice Actress Maddie Blaustein Passes Away
Publishers Weekly's the Beat blog as posted news and remeberences of the death of voice actress and comic book professional Maddie Blaustein. Blaustein would be best known to anime fans as the voice of Meowth in Pokemon and Solomon Moto in Yu-Gi-Oh.
There are various elements that I don't agree with (for example, Bat-Manga under a "kids" header) but it's still worth noting that Graphic Novel Reporter has launched.
