Logo handmade by Bannister
Column by Scott Green
Congratulations to Black Jack Anime Give-Away winners: Chuck C. Alain M. Neftali M. Christopher C. Josh P.
Win a Copy of the Manga Guide to Statistics or Manga Guide to Databases
Win a Copy of Schoolgirl Milky Crisis
Anime Spotlight: Claymore Volume Three - The Hunter Is Prey Released by FUNimation
Three volumes in, I'm convinced that Claymore's Daughter of Kenshiro appeal has coalesced. It's Fist of the North Star with feelings... a shonen protagonist capable of giving and receiving profound injuries, informed by shojo sentiments. It tracks the lowest ranked member of a contingent of purpose driven swordswomen, alienated and dehumanized in their mission to hunt down a lurching threat. Because of the steps taken to prepare these warriors for the conflict, the general population fears the women as much as rely on them. Meanwhile, their masters in the Organization demonstrate little regard for these operatives. Blocked off from society in this way, there is a sense of camaraderie against the world. However, this isn't X-Men. Especially when sent into the field alone or in small groups, the women are locked into echo chambers of their own justification, often to brutal effect. A demonstration of how nasty this can get rears its head in volume three, when one of these women decides that she doesn't care to let another live, and that, far removed from any witnesses, she can make her own rules. So, the superior warrior literally cuts off the heroine at the knees, then proceeds to "play a game" in which she incrementally presses an attack against the protagonist's young travelling companion, sadistically slashing into his flesh with teasing swipes of her sword. In scenes like this, Claymore pulls off the trick of having a character capable of surviving being torn to pieces, yet whose physical fortitude does little to suppress rage and frustration with which we can empathize. Here's a fantasy series in which a warrior can persist in attacking after having their head twisted backwards. Visually and conceptually, it's grotesque, but, at the same time, its view of the psychology of the people willing to fight through that sort of injury becomes compelling. Put the description above aside for a moment, because it takes a while for Claymore to narrow in on this dynamic. The initial proposition behind Claymore is broadcast on its cover. Sword wielding woman versus hideous she-beast... the scenery bursting all around... The promise of a bloody showdown between warrior women and fantastic monsters is explicit. Since volume one, my response to the proposition has been "how does Claymore differentiate itself from video games?" Yes, there are people who'd rather sit and watch anime than try to navigate the world of a video game. I'm one of them. Yet, I've seen plenty of anecdotal evidence that video games and anime vie for the attention, funds and time of people who'd be inclined to be interested in seeing this sort of fantasy action scenario play out. Given the capabilities of the current generation of games, and given the considerable budgets of some of those games, the discussion is no longer resolved by pitting spectacles than can only be produced through anime against the vicarious thrills of games. With games able to produce comparable visual accomplishments, the discussion narrows to questioning what about the characterization, the narrative, or the direction makes an anime like Claymore more worth while than a well made hack and slash game. While weighing this, I've had my reservations about Claymore. In terms of the spectacle, it wasn't up to Madhouse's (Ninja Scroll, Paprika, X, Black Lagoon) best. Before I checked the credits, I had the impression that a lot of the animation was done by Korean animation studio DrMovie. I was soon able to confirm that they were in charge of Animation Production Coordination, as well as Photographic Direction, 2nd Key Animation, In-Between Animation, In-between Inspection and Key Animation. Especially in those early episodes, the methods used to mask the shortcuts in weren't as sophisticated as they should have been. In terms of the anime's concept, I was having trouble suspending disbelief. The anime follows the warrior women called Claymores or "Silver Haired Witches" by outsiders who are uniquely capable of detecting and combating the yoma, a plague of creatures indistinguishable from humans when not engaged in their cannibalistic feedings. Because Claymore's depictions of relationships and motivations aim to be credible, I found its world to be incredible. I'm not able to buy into the notion that a society can sustain cities and trade, or even thrive beyond the level of communities small enough for every individual to know every other if population decimating monsters are able to assume human form to prey undetected. After some sample encounters and introductions, Claymore has worked towards a position where the anime can be taken on its own terms. Encapsulated in the conflicts of the Claymores, we can largely ignore the day to day implications for the larger world. At the same time, the blurred attacks and other ways in which effects are emphasized over fight choreography have been established as the look of the conflict, dulling the impression that short cuts are being employed. My test for Claymore has been whether the anime can distinguish itself from similarly themed games, and once it get to this focused point, I believe it does. At this point, there is a feedback loop between the violence and the motivations of the characters that gives Claymore gravity in a narrative that proves to be better suited to anime than games. Despite the perception of anime as a medium that's awash in genre work, a good, serious fantasy anime is a rarity, making Claymore a welcome addition to the field. Three volumes in, the anime has developed into a low fantasy spectacle with an effective twist on the theme of outcast heroes. If there's one thing that now concerns me, it's when the heroine's young, male, human companion articulates the sentiment "I'll become stronger. I'll protect her." It's cliche AND it's antithetical to what the series does well. If Claymore transitions to the route of watching a headstrong male prove his indomitable resolution, I think the series will have thrown away what distinguishes it.
Manga Spotlight: Eden: It's an Endless World Volumes 10 and 11 by Hiroki Endo Released by Dark Horse Manga
Volumes 10 and 11 of Eden: It's an Endless World circle back around to the manga's central premise. A generation after a pandemic outbreak of the Closure Virus killed a third of the world's population, Elijah Ballard acts as a fulcrum in the conflict between the Propater Federation (Japan, America, Europe and South America) and its opponents, who count Elijah's drug lord father Ennoia Ballard and mercenary/refugee alliance Nomad among their numbers. These volumes find Elijah no longer a philosophical teen or a novice to the grittier realities of military and criminal conflict. College aged, exhibiting a hedonistic streak and remarkablely wilder than he once was, Elijah has almost completed his time living in a Peruvian brothel, acquiring some martial skill, learning the joys of sex and drugs, and involving himself at the ground level of narco-conflict. Now with the Closure Virus mutating and an AI calling itself Maya manifesting at key hot spots, Elijah has teamed with a female cyborg instance of Maya called Letheia Aletheia and Peruvian/English special division police officer Miriam to step back onto a global stage. In other words, Eden's transitioning from the catastrophic ocular injuries and bomb threat scenarios of recent volumes to something no less intense, but far more sci-fi, with lectures on bacteriophage and quantum computers, Chinese ICBMs and a reshaping of Ayres Rock. There's been some debate as to whether Eden: It's an Endless World is overrated. I've seen people with good taste in manga and credible opinions on the subject roll their eyes when mentioning the effusive praise that the manga has received. While I've been a proponent of the manga, I agree that the assertion that Eden is the greatest manga ever" is difficult to support. I'd also agree that it's hardly flawless. Yet Eden is doing something different, it is doing it well and consequently, I would place Eden very high on the list of works that I recommend to anyone, regardless of whether they're predisposed to being interested in manga. While I've thought about and discussed Eden fairly recently, it was slightly over a year since I actually read any of the manga. That was sufficient time to forget that I'd not only read volume nine, but reviewed it. I'd also forgotten that the volume dealt with China's Uyghur ethnic minority. Here's where writer Hiroki Endo really demonstrates his command of global affairs. If you're a news reader, you may have caught mention of the Uyghur people. One of the hot button issues regarding Guantanamo Bay is the twenty-two Uyghurs being held. To fit the manga into the case's timeline, the Japanese collected edition of volume nine was released in July 2003, before most of the international debate on the issue. These people were probably Islamic separatists, but they also probably were not engaged in anti-American activities and there's plenty of ambiguity concerning how and why they came into American custody. While all but one have been "approved for release," America has faced considerable difficulty repatriating the Uyghur detainees. The Uyghur issue may not have garnered high profile space on CNN.com, but it is illustrative of the complex, intractable fallout of how the "War on Terror" was pursued. Looking back at volume nine a year later, I see it as an example of Eden's outstanding approach to the complexities of the current, global condition. You don't see 24 or Lost evoking issues like this. But, what does Eden do after broaching the subject? The question I've asked myself, and presented in the AICN Anime column is "how profound is Eden?" Two things occur to me upon returning to Eden after a year's break. First, I remember getting a heady hit from Hiroki Endo's complex, graphically violent fight illustrations. I can still see why I get that impression, and I still think that it effectively conveys a feel of ferocious motion and sudden, grievous consequence. Established by its own, particular look, the illustration has that quick cut tempo used in movies like Bourne and Batman Begins, only with the clarity of Endo's fine lined, detailed rendering. Maybe I'm being fussy, but I'm now seeing the action work as slightly flawed. Many of the motions seem more iconic than real. Like everything in Eden, Endo evidentially studied the reality of what he was depicting, then considered how to reflect that real model in the manga. What I'm now noticing is that Endo seems to fall back on a library of fight postures. It's as if he developed a set of tools for building the action sequences, and had trouble extending beyond the range afforded by that kit. This looks apparent in volume 10's knife fight. Endo's thoughtful creativity pays off in panels that snap to combatants readying their concealed weapons from sleeves or behind belts. Then, looking at the knife work, it's all cross thrusts, ear to full, straight armed lateral extensions and pitch throws in which the shape of the knife seems to bend. This generally looks fine, but it does not hold up well under a dissection of the fight logic. The issue is by no means that Endo's fight illustration is ineffective. It's that after putting it on a pedestal, I'm noticing significant imperfection. The fact that I'm evaluating the quality of its fight scenes is indicative of the second thing that occurred to me when revisiting Eden. I've re-arrived at the conclusion that I'm unsure of whether Eden offers a cogent examination of the topics that it raises. Eden runs in Afternoon, Kodansha's monthly, slightly younger audience sibling magazine to the publisher's weekly, adult male aimed Morning. It's an anthology that collects an eclectic range of work, from artistically violent samurai epic Blade of the Immortal, to geek affirmation Genshiken, to historical fiction Vinland Saga. Yet, this isn't an alternative anthology manga anthology or a science and philosophy journal. Eden has been carried in Afternoon since 1998, and you don't run a decade plus in an anthology like this by being a thought piece. I don't want to discount Eden because it mixes truly adult sex scenes with tittering about characters' virginity or homosexually or that it slings a few severed arms seemingly to maintain a reputation for grisly violence. My concern is that 11 volumes in, I'm still not convinced that Eden adds up to something or that the presented ideas form a thorough argument, or even a question. Volume 10 opens with the story "Idiotic, Useless, and Beuatiful Behavior," an Elijah-less narrative concerning imbalanced, deadly Nomad operative Kenji and Uyghur separatist Marihan Ishaq's involvement with a plot to detonate a bomb in a crowded Chinese shopping complex. In this, Marihan's actions are guided by a stated motivation to die "doing the right thing." Later, in relation to people infected with the Closure Virus, the manga offers a Selfish Gene argument; that preservation of genetic material is what constitutes victory from an evolutionary perspective. The biological imperative and the willingness to sacrifice ones life for a human notion of righteous seem to be at odd with each other, but is Eden juxtaposing these ideas, developing a conversation between them or jotting them onto the page because these interested Endo when it came time to write the chapter? Endo has laid the groundwork for an outstanding dialectic here. Humanity invents (or, if you're religious, is given) a code of morality that is supposed to superseded the biological imperatives to survive and procreate. Yet, in the snap shots we've seen, Eden has charted Ennoia Ballard's course from a high minded adolescent to an adult who maintained his noble goals, but built a brutal criminal empire to achieve them. Similarly, we're watched Elijah start on a hero's journey and, still pursuing his objectives and ideals, wake up in a room with a pair of naked women, strewn with empty booze bottle and marijuana residue, briefly escaping a path of severed limbs, broken ribs and murdered friends. Conversely, while the notion of human equality brought about by a viral pandemic sounds like nihilistic, supervillian rhetoric, in this context, it's an intriguing counterpoint to political, commercial and religious wars engaged in by the likes of the Ballards an Propater. Yet, the manga seems to be churning rather than developing. I don't know if Endo is going to resolve this debate with a knife fight, a full out war, an Akira like assault on comprehendiblity or a conversation, and I'm not know if Endo knows either. My skepticism as to whether there is a cohesive framework for the ideas brought up during the course of Eden's plot is informed by the nature of the medium. Frederik L. Schodt's Dreamland Japan notes that Morning and Afternoon are anthologies that are not marked by a tremendous amount of editorial edict. However, "like nearly all Japanese manga magazines today, Morning has established a feedback system with its readers to tell whether a story is popular or not." Beyond the demands of fostering popularity, there are the demand of producing a serialized story month after month, year after year. To paraphrase Jonathan Clements' Schoolgirl Milky Crisis, you have you're whole life to write the first chapter of your manga. Once a publisher picks up the title, you have until your deadline to write the second. With the pressure for popularity and constraints of time, I can see a slowly developed intellectual argument getting fairly ground up in the machinery of commercial manga publication. Despite these reservations, my reaction to Eden is reminiscent about how I recently felt reading Stieg Larsson's much praised mystery novel The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Like Eden, North America received a translated edition of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, a while after it was written (first published posthumously in 2005, published in North America in September 2008). While I ultimately had some problems with the structure and plot, I was amazed by its characterizations and a sense of up to date modernity rarely seen in popular media. Even if Eden is thrashing, the consequence is only a matter of sussing out the degree of success to adjust my high respect for the work. Regardless of whether Eden builds up a substantial argument amongst its provocative ideas or develops a satisfactory resolution, the process has been tremendously worth while. A specific scene that represents why I react to Eden isn't one of the momentous moments of sci-fi or violence. It's Miriam going through her morning rituals in front of a bathroom mirror... brushing her teeth, applying make-up, clipping nose hairs. In the background, there is an ignored TV news broadcast going on about new outbreaks of the Closure virus and other calamities "...the New York Stock Exchange with an overall average monthly loss of twelve percent... chemical and pharmaceutical corporations soar... the number of suspended airline flights has climbed to forty percent..." Scenes like this are the work of someone in tune with the currents of how the world is developing and how people might react to those changes. Though it wasn't written recently (2003 in this case), it feels like it reflects our current moment.
Imagi Astro Boy Updates
Variety reports that Imagi Entertainment has completed a $25 million financing plan that will also the studio to proceeds with Astro Boy for its October 23 release as well as continue to develop "Gatchaman" and "Tusker" Erin Corbett, told Daily Variety that the company's has already called back all but 23 of its staffers to complete "Astro Boy." About 100 of Imagi's 120 staffers - most of them in Sherman Oaks -- were furloughed last month. The Animation Guild has also posted an update on the situation Steve Hulett blogged I met with Imagi administration for an hour, and here's what they related: * Checks for "pay in lieu of notice" came in late Friday, and the company has been issuing them to employees who haven't been recalled, with other staff to follow. * The company, though it isn't required to do so under the TAG contract, says it will be paying laid-off employees through February 14th. Vacation pay will also be paid out. * Dismissal pay that's due under the TAG contract will be paid to individuals who haven't been rehired 110 days after layoff. (Assuming employees are paid wages through February 14th, the clock starts running on February 15th.) * Employees being brought back include 1) Crew working on Astro Boy. 2) Individuals who have term Personal Service Agreements (with those agreements honored). 3) Some board artists working on Tusker and Gochaman, to help get these projects up on reels.
Upcoming in North America
Criterion KF Cinema notes that Akira Kurosawa's 'Ran' will be released on Criterion Blu-ray on May 12th.The disc figures New, restored high-definition digital transfer Audio commentary by Kurosawa scholar Stephen Prince An appreciation of the film by director Sidney Lumet A.K., a 74-minute film by director Chris Marker A 30-minute documentary on the making of Ran, part of the Toho Masterworks series Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create New video interview with actor Tatsuya Nakadai Theatrical trailers New and improved English subtitle translation Plus: a 28-page booklet featuring film critic Michael Wilmington and interviews with Kurosawa and composer Toru Takemitsu Sadly, a 35-minute video reconstructing Ran through Kurosawa's paintings and sketches, which was on the DVD was not available for the Blu-Ray release. Digital Manga Publishing Digital Manga Publishing announced the launch of a new DokiDoki imprint, which will serve as a special co-publishing line exclusively between popular Japanese publisher SHINSHOKAN and DIGITAL MANGA. Digital Manga Publishing describes the DokiDoki line as "The Gateway from Shojo to Yaoi", with stories varying between shojo and shonen-ai to yaoi, serving audiences at ages anywhere from 13+ to 18+. Each DokiDoki title comes with a special promotional item exclusive to their particular book with purchase. To kick off this giveaway will be the first two titles on the DokiDoki line, TRAIN TRAIN VOL. 1 by Eiki Eiki and PRINCESS PRINCESS PLUS by Mikiyo Tsuda. Each of these two titles comes with "fukuseigenga", two full-size (B5) prints of the original artist pages. For more on the promotion, see www.dokidokibooks.com TRAIN TRAIN VOL. 1 written and illustrated by EIKI EIKI - Rated YA+ (Ages 16+), 5" x 7.2", MSRP: $12.95 US, Available: April 22, 2009 Welcome to Minami-Kitazawa Station, where the trains run strictly on time, customer service is an important priority, and the staff is entirely made up of super good-looking guys! That's the environment 18-year-old Asahi Saruta gets dropped in the middle of when he finds himself assigned there. Asahi's goal is to one day become a train operator like his father, but never in his wildest dreams did he imagine he'd have to deal with a group of strange co-workers like this. Even though Asahi may have been chosen more for his cuteness-factor than his job skills, can he rise to the challenge, or will the day-to-day mayhem of working in a train station cause him to reevaluate his career path altogether?! PRINCESS PRINCESS PLUS written and illustrated by MIKIYO TSUDA - Rated YA+ (Ages 16+), 5" x 7.2", MSRP: $12.95 US, Available: April 22, 2009 The new school year is here! Fujimori Academy students Kiriya Matsuoka and Tomoe Izumi have been chosen as this year's princesses, but it's going to take a lot of hard work to bring them up to speed. Enter former princesses Kouno, Shihoudani and Yutaka for a bit of princess training! Although Matsuoka and Izumi seem willing and able to take over the job of dressing up as girls and cheering at school events, they're not exactly what you'd call ìfriends.î In fact, they seem to be about as opposite as two people can get. This animosity spells trouble for a student body that depends on their princesses to give them a warm, glowy feeling all year long. Can President Sakamoto and the ex-princesses convince Matsuoka and Izumi to bond for the sake of the school? Or will it take more than a common experience to bring two very different people together? EIKI EIKI is the creator of THE ART OF LOVING, WORLD'S END and DEAR MYSELF all published on Digital Manga's June imprint. MIKIYO TSUDA is creator of the popular PRINCESS PRINCESS series, FAMILY COMPLEX and THE DAY OF REVOLUTION, all published on Digital Manga's DMP imprint. The two are best friends and are known to collaborate frequently on projects together. DrMaster DrMaster has recently released Lunar Legend Tsukihime volume 6 by TYPE-MOON & sasakishonen, Dark Edge volume 10 by Yu Aikawa, and a new fantasy shojo series by I-Huan, Divine Melody volume 1 fro $9.95 each. Lunar Legend Tsukihime vol. 6 Dark Edge vol. 10 Divine Melody vol. 1 Cai-Sheng is a young celestial fox demon being raised by a bevy of wild fox demons, who hope she will master the celestial ability to transform into a male and save them from extinction. One day, she sneaks out to the nearby village, where she befriends a little boy and girl. When they save Cai-Sheng from a dog attack, her caretaker marks them with special symbols that will not disappear until Cai-Sheng repays her debt to them. 200 years later, Cai-Sheng meets the reincarnated boy and girl, and decides to repay her debt to them by trying to match-make the pair. But things get complicated when the reincarnated girl falls in love with Cai-Sheng's male form! FUNimation FUNimation Entertainment announced that it has acquired home entertainment, broadcast, internet and merchandise rights to the supernatural anime series Rin ~ Daughters of Mnemosyne from Showgate , Inc. FUNimation holds the rights to the series in the U.S. and all of its territories in addition to Canada. The series is directed by Shigeru Ueda (Elemental Gelade, Ghost Hunt). About Rin ~ Daughters of Mnemosyne Rin Asogi doesn't stand out in a crowd, but that's okay by her. Going unnoticed is an occupational necessity for any private eye, and she's the best in the business. It doesn't matter if she's rescuing lost kitties or infiltrating high-security laboratories, Rin is the dame you want handling your sensitive materials. Sure, she crosses paths with some shady characters in her line of work, but not having to worry about the little things ñ like bullet holes or brutal beatings ñ makes the job almost bearable. Life, on the other hand, is a different story. And it won't get any easier with sadistic Apos the immortal sending wave after wave of assassins to claim a much sought after prize ñ the secret which lurks within the hunted Rin. FUNimation Entertainment will release the complete series on DVD later this year. IDW More Ashley Wood Astro Boy cover art and E.J. Su interior work Lionsgate Marvel Animation and Lionsgate to release a DVD collection of Wolverine And The X-Men on April 21, 2009 for the suggested retail price of $14.98. In the debut release, Wolverine And The X-Men: Heroes Return Trilogy, the world has spiraled out of control and it's up to Wolverine to reunite the broken heroes formerly known as the X-Men to prevent the world's destruction and save the future. The trilogy includes the first three-story arc of the Nicktoons series that began broadcasting regularly on January 23, 2009. Universal Studios Home Entertainment Pokemon: Giratina and the Sky Warrior,the 11th Pokemon movie, will be release on DVD on March 31st Warner Home Video A collected package of all 34 Chuck Jones produced Tom and Jerry theatrical shorts will be released on June 23 for $26.99
Upcoming in Japan
Previews Fullmetal Alchemist (third trailer for new series) Isekai no Seikishi Monogatari Anime Ghibli World reports that Studio Ghibli's Suzuki Toshio has reveiled that Miyazaki Hayao is currently planning his next movie. Suzuki described that Miyazaki often tells him small details, but does not tell the whole image.After some uncertainty, it looks like Shin Mazinger Shougeki! Z Hen is a go! Yasuhiro Imagawa (G Gundam, Giant Robo, Tetsujin 28) will be writing and directing the BEEMEDIA ( New Getter Robo, Shin VS Neo Getter, and the Mazinkaiser OVA) produced update of the Go Nagai created, first piloted mecha. Other staff includes Shinji Takeuchi (Gintama) on character design and Tsuyoshi Nonaka (DICE) on mecha design. Rumors on Japanese message board suggested that the anime had been altered or scuttled by a Imagawa departure. More pictures and translated information can be read here The original Mazinger Z aired on American TV in the 1985 s as Tranzor Z If you're excited that this is happening (again), Justic Ace, has a video of virtual singer Miku Hatsune performing the ìMazinkaiserî (an incarnation of Mazinger, released in North America by ADV Films) theme song In an event marking the 9/22/09 fictional launch of the Super Dimension Space Fortress Macross, the theatrical version of the latest Macross series, Macross Frontier was announced for a tenative fall release. Photos of the Macross 2009.2.22 Launch Event and the figures showcased. Collection DX has more photos of the Bandai Chogokin DX Macross Quarter Via Anime Nation The logo from the Dragon Ball Kai remastered anime Daizenshuu-EX reports that a V-Jump ad is promising the following
- The story will be developed speedily! "Kai" starts from the invasion of the Saiyans. This version will be re-edited to hew more closely to Akira Toriyama's original story, so the story's development will progress all the faster!
- The opening and ending songs will be completely renewed!! The opening and ending songs will together be made anew! Furthermore, in "Kai", the background music will be newly recorded. Let's enjoy "Kai", where even the music has been powered up!!
- Through digital processing, the image will be made vibrant!! All the grime, damage and noise remaining on the "Z" film will be removed! In HD, the image will be even clearer. We've carefully made the ultra-powerful "Kai" world even more impressive!
- An all-star voice cast will record the lines anew!! The original main cast, centered around Masako Nozawa as Son Goku, will reunite, yo. They'll breathe life into the characters again, to support their appeal!!
via Anime News Network Monthly Gundam Ace manga magazine has revealed new details about the anime being produced to mark the 30th anniversary of the Gundam franchise. The series will feature the RX-78-7 mobile suit as designed by (Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory, Mobile Suit Victory Gundam, Mobile Suit Gundam MS IGLOO: The Hidden One Year War). Tatsuya Suzuki (Gaogaigar, The Legend of Reyon, Aniyome wa Ijippari) will design new characters focused on the Phantom Sweep Team, a Earth Federation task force commisioned to hunt the hold-out Zeon forces following the conclusion of the One Year War. Main characters include 32 year old officer Hugues Couraud and 24 year old test pilot Sherry Allison, as well as Zeon officer Eric Blanke. Kiddy Grade, a scif-fi action anime about a pair of operatives from an economic coalition with be spun off into new anime Kiddy Girl-and. gimmick and Satelight will be producing the anime with Hidefumi Kimura (Kiddy Grade, Generator Gawl) is supervising the scripts. Director Keiji Gotoh (Kishin Taisen Gigantic Formula, Uta?Kata) and character designer Megumi Kadonosono (Clannad film, Uta?Kata) also return from the first series in their same production roles. According to violinist, composer, and producer Masatsugu Shinozaki (Haibane Renmei, Wolf's Rain) King Gonta and Yi Hagin's Soten Koro historical manga will be adapted into a television series, scheduled to air on NTV starting in April. The manga centers around Cao Cao, a warlord and second-to-last Han Dynasty chancellor who is best known through the Romance of the Three Kingdoms literary classic. Executive Director: Toyoo Ashida (Fist of the North Star, Ultimate Teacher, Vampire Hunter D video) Director: Tsuneo Tominaga (They Were 11, Initial D: Fourth Stage, Genma Wars) Character Designers: Takahiro Umehara (Claymore), Akira Kano (Initial D: Fourth Stage), Cindy H. Yamauchi, Daisuke Yoshida (Super Kuma-san), Yuichiro Hayashi Costume Research/Secondary Characters: Akiko Matsushita Animation Production: Madhouse Shinji Takamatsu (Gintama, School Rumble) at Studio Comet will direct an anime adaptation of Mami Kashiwabara's astromony club based romantic comedy manga Sora no Manimani Cookin' Idol Ai! Mai! Main!, an educational cooking anime for elementary schoolchildren will launch of NHK March 30th. Hiroshi Watanabe (Slayers, Orphen, Video Girl Ai) will direct off the scripts supervised by Miharu Hirami (Kodocha) in the series, which alternates between animated and live action cooking demonstrations. A Strike Witches 2 anime has been confirmed. The series features anthropomorphizations of military planes. Kotaku notes that PS3 role-playing-game Tears to Tiara, described as featuring "rope play, suggestive udder spray and touching tentacles," will be adapted into anime from WHITE FOX animation studio and directed by Tomoki Kobayashi (Ichigo 100%). Doko Machida (Lucky Star, Ramen Fighter Miki) is overseeing the scripts. Voice actors Toru Ohkawa, Yuko Goto and Makoto Ishii round out the cast. Canned Dogs reports that Type-Moon horror The Kara no kyoukai (literally Boundary of Emptiness, also known as The Garden of Sinners) the Kara no kyoukai Remix -Gate of seventh heaven-, remixing the first fix chapters, will hit Japanese theatres on March 14th. Japanator reports that director Jun'ichi Satou's (Sailor Moon, ARIA, Kaleido Star, Yume no Crayon Oukoku, Fushigiboshi no Futago Hime) will be a magical girl anime spin-off of a popular pachinko game produced by Sanyo called Umimonogatari ("Sea Story"). The rest of the staff includes series director Kouyuu (Zero no Tsukaima 2nd/3rd seasons), original story creator Toshihiko Tsukuji, series composition Yuka Yamada (Hataraki Man, Rental Magica), and character designer Haruka Iizuka (Skygirls), with animation production handled by ZEXCS. Manga Rumic World reports that Big Comic Original will be publishing new Rumiko Takahashi (Inuyasha) one shot manga "Unmei no Tori" (The Bird of Fate). ANN translated the tagline "the great modern recession that you couldn't see coming. Have you ever wondered Ö if you could know if the future holds happiness for you orÖ?" Takahashi next ongoing manga series will launch this spring. Via Anime Vice Kiyohiko Azuma's Azumanga Daioh four panel comic strip about a group of highschool girl friends will mark its 10th anniversary with a re-release of the manga, featuring new art work by Azuma. Anime Vice points out Azuma's manga upon which it's based is a 4koma comic strip, and in my opinion helped pave the way for later such strips to be made into anime (Lucky Star and Sunshine Sketch, anyone?). Okay, admittedly, it's not like it was the first-- Sazae-san, whose anime adaptation started in '69, was a 4koma, as did Di Gi Charat, but still. Street Fighter Blog reports that Masahiko Nakahira (Street Fighter Alpha manga and Street Fighter 3 Ryu Manga, also Sadamitsu the Destroyer) and Masaomi Kanzaki (Street Fighter II, also Ironcat, Flag Fighters, Xenon) will be contributed to a new Street Fighter Manga anthology, scheduled for release in Japan on March 13th. The manga will be published by Entrebrain and will be in full color. Rumor has it that even Udon is part of this manga. Via Anime News Network Chihiro Tamaki (Walkin' Butterfly) announced that her next manga will launch in the May issue of the CUTiE fashion magazine on April 11. According to the magazine's editor-in-chief, Tokiko Yamada, the new manga's title and contents have not been set in stone yet.
The Business
Following a report from the Media is Dying twitter feed that North American manga publisher laid off "multiple employees," CEO Hidemi Fukuhara released the following statement to Anime News Network Viz Media is in the process of refining its focus and is restructuring to adjust to changing industry and financial market realities. VIZ feels confident that with these changes, the company will be more streamlined to face the current economic climate. Tina Anderson's blog reports that two people in editorial were let go out of about 12-15 people.* Simon Jones of Icarus Comics and Anime News Network compiled a list of releases that have been cancelled by Diamond Comic Distributors, the distributor of comics to specialty comic shop. The cancellation code attached to the list indicates that Diamond, rather than the publishers, cancelled the solicitations. Product Cancellations by Previews: March #246 ABRAMS JAN094661 LAUGH OUT LOUD CATS SELL OUT HC JAN093925 MANGA SHAKESPEARE AS YOU LIKE IT GN JAN093926 MANGA SHAKESPEARE OTHELLO GN ADULT SOURCE MEDIA JAN095268 ALL SEX HENTAI DVD VOL 01 JAN095269 ALL SEX HENTAI DVD VOL 02 ATTAKUS AMERICA INC. JAN095019 APPERO GIRL RESIN STATUE JAN095008 DBZ CELL STATUE JAN095009 DBZ VEGETA STATUE JAN095020 NOA SKYDOLL RESIN STATUE EIGOMANGA JAN094214 DRWAING MANGA FOR BEGINNERS SC JAN094212 FROG PRINCESS JAN094213 GOD DRUG JAN094215 NATURA MORTA FUNIMATION PRODUCTIONS INC JAN095222 BACCANO DVD VOL 02 JAN095226 DARKER THAN BLACK DVD VOL 03 JAN095242 WALLFLOWER SEASON 1 DVD SET PART 02 GRAPHIC-SHA PUBLISHING CO. LTD JUL084557 HTDM SKETCHING MANGA STYLE VOL 05 ILLUSTRATING SPORTS GREAT EASTERN ENTERTAINMENT JAN095032 CODE GEASS LELOUCH WALL SCROLL JAN095031 CODE GEASS MILITARY CAP JAN095033 CODE GEASS STAND OFF WALL SCROLL JAN095030 CODE GEASS SYMBOL MESSENGER BAG JAN095034 NARUTO LEAF VILLAGE METAL SIGN WRISTBAND JAN095035 NARUTO MIST VILLAGE METAL SIGN WRISTBAND JAN095036 NARUTO SAND VILLAGE METAL SIGN WRISTBAND JAN095037 NARUTO SOUND VILLAGE METAL SIGN WRISTBAND ICARUS PUBLISHING JAN094267 BLUE EYES GN NEW PTG VOL 02 JAN094270 BLUE EYES GN VOL 04 MEDIA BLASTERS JAN095271 LAST TRAIN TO GROPESVILLE DVD JAN095248 LONE WOLF & CUB TV DVD SUB VOL 06 JAN095270 LOVER IN LAW DVD JAN095233 MORIBITO GUARDIAN OF THE SPIRIT DVD VOL 03 JAN095236 NIGHTHEAD GENESIS DVD SUB VOL 03 JAN095249 ONE MISSED CALL FINAL DVD PROTOCULTURE JAN094603 PROTOCULTURE ADDICTS #99 THE TIN BOX COMPANY JAN095059 HELLO KITTY MINI CATCHALL CASE 18 PC ASST TOHAN CORPORATION JAN094684 CODE GEASS LELOUCH O/T REBELLION R2 COMPLETE JAN094685 GURREN LAGANN MOVIE OFFICIAL FANBOOK JAN094686 HYAKKO PICTURES COLL HARUAKI KATOU WORKS JAN094687 KANOKON FOXMARK ART WORKS JAN094688 MACROSS FRONTIER 2059 MEMORIES BK JAN094689 MACROSS FRONTIER OFF FILE #2 JAN094690 MANDRILL 3 KANTAN JOSEI-CHARA HEN BK JAN094691 NGE ALL ABOUT KAWORU NAGISA CHILD O/T EVANGELION JAN094692 OTOMATE ART GALLERY BAROCCO JAN094693 PANZER ANGEL GABRIEL BK JAN094696 SODOUKA BK JAN094697 SOUL EATER OFFICIAL FANBOOK JAN094698 SOUL EATER OFFICIAL FANBOOK CRISIS ED VIZ LLC JAN094529 PONYO ON THE CLIFF BY THE SEA GN VOL 01 JAN094530 PONYO ON THE CLIFF BY THE SEA GN VOL 02 YAMATO USA INC. JAN095022 GN-U DOU MACHINE ROBO KENRYU PVC FIG In most, if not all, cases, the releases will be available from other sources. Brigid Alverson (of Manga Blog) has said that Seven Seas's Hayate x Blade v.3 and Tetragrammaton Labyrinth v.5 didn't make Diamond minimums but will be available in bookstores. Diamond had recent set a minimal order threshold for carried products.* Japanese publisher Kodansha announced results for its 2008 fiscal year (December 2007 to November 2008). Declining advertising revenues were credited wtih a loss of 7.686 billion yen (about US$81.2 million) for 2008. This represents the largest annual loss in the company's history. Sales dropped 6% to 135.058 billion yen (about US$1.4269 billion)* MangaCast has crunched the numbers on The Japan Magazine Publishers Association's 2008 manga list. Ed Chavez says "and what do the numbers sayÖ Things look bleak for magazines as numbers for most sectors are down."* Enthuist magazine Wizard has reportedly laid off staff writers Rachel Molino, Kevin Mahadeo, David Paggi and Steve Sunu, as well as Senior Vice President/Operations Joe Yanarella, Art Director Eric Goodman, and Operations Manager Jodie Westhoff.* Pre-orders for the sale-priced Production I.G animated Abunai Sisters OVA have closed. 265 were sold, setting the price of the 90 DVD at $360* Comics rumors column Lying in the Gutter gave a yellow light to I understand that mid-March, DC staffers are expecting a second wave of redundancies. Two or three mid-level editors and a few in advertising sales.* Bandai Entertainment has confirmed to Anime News Network that they've cancelled the limited edition of volume six of geek comedy Luck Star."It's very regrettable -- the Limited Editions did not perform up to expectations, therefore, we've made the tough decision to eliminate the last volume LE. Just to be clear it has been canceled not delayed. The regular edition will be released as planned, completing the series," said Director of Marketing Robert Napton.* Cartoon Network has announced that the channel increased its February '09 prime time delivery and ratings performance by significant double digitsóbetween 20% and 29% across kids 2-11, kids 6-11 and kids 9-14ócompared to the same time period last year, according to preliminary data from Nielsen Media Research. Among Cartoon Network's February programming highlights, Friday nights (8-10 p.m.) continue to perform exceptionally well compared to 2008, with average kids 2-11 delivery (1,046,000) increasing by 29%, kids 6-11 delivery (750,000) by 32% and kids 9-14 delivery (541,000) by 31%. Star Wars: The Clone Wars (9 p.m.) propelled much of this growth, earning 105% delivery gains among kids 2-11 (1,418,000), 96% gains among kids 6-11 (1,043,000) and 98% gains among kids 9-14 (809,000). Boys demos grew by triple-digit delivery growth: 136% among boys 2-11, 119% among boys 6-11 and 128% among boys 9-14. Batman: The Brave & The Bold (8 p.m.) also scored double-digit delivery growth among kids and boys 2-11 and 6-11: 18% among kids 2-11, 39% among boys 2-11, 11% among kids 6-11 and 32% among boys 6-11.* Video Businss reports that DreamWorks Animation SKG's fourth-quarter earnings fell 45%. While Kung Fu Panda beat company expectations, they didn't match sales from last year's Shrek the Third. First quarter sales are expected to be boosted by the release of Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa. DWA's net income fell $51.6 million, or 58¢ a share, from $94.1 million, or 98¢, a year earlier, as revenue dropped 31% to $199.8 million, the company said in a statement today. Revenue from non-theatrical releases, which includes sales from DVDs, pay and free TV broadcasts and consumer products, was about $160 million. DWA CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg noted that Blu-ray Disc, which tripled its sales last year, had little effect on company revenue because DWA primarily releases family titles. ì[Blu-ray] is not a meaningful percentage of our business,î said Katzenberg.* Tiamat's Disciple asks How can publishers make Light Novels profitable?
Event News
Don't forget that the New York Int'l Children's Film Festival runs Feb 27 to March 15. A Secret Of Moonacre screening has been added at Cantor Film Center, Sunday, March 8 at 5:30pm. Wallace & Gromit's A Matter Of Loaf And Death makes it US Premiere in the FILM & FOOD event, at Scholastic Theater, Sunday, Mar 1 at 3:00pm, with proceeds to benefit the Festival.* Otaku USA's staff will be appearing at the Otaku USA LIVE: Manga, Anime and More panel at San Fransisco's Wonder Con Saturday, February 28 11:00-12:00 in Room 232/234Talk about the future of manga, anime, idols, tokusatsu and Japanese video games with editor-in-chief Patrick Macias (Japanese Schoolgirl Inferno), manga editors Jason Thompson (Manga: The Complete Guide) and Ed Chavez (mangacast.net), writer/artists Shaenon Garrity (CLAMP in America) and Leia Weathington (The Legend of Bold Riley), and video game reviewers Emily Balistrieri and Heidi Kemps, AKA Zerochan. It's half Q&A, half steel cage match, plus a massive manga giveaway! Astro Boy distributor Summit will be offering a presentation at Wonder Con. Also on Saturday, fans of the beloved anime favorite Astro Boy will be treated to a special presentation of the all-new feature film version by Summit Entertainment, along with a look at the new film, Knowing, starring Nicolas Cage. Check out the WonderCon Saturday programming guide for more info. Looks like a great convention. Comic publisher IDW also has a panel on Saturday, and it's quite possible that their Astro Boy movie adaptations will be among the topics of discussion as well. VIZ Media will be appearing at WonderCon booth # 835, showcasing their IZ Signature and VIZ KIDS imprints. VIZ Signature is the company's dynamic outlet for classic and literary manga titles aimed at more mature and sophisticated readers - some of the titles included are 20th CENTURY BOYS, PLUTO, BLACK LAGOON and VAGABOND among others. Also featured at the show will be VIZ Media's VIZKIDS imprint, which is designed for younger readers. Some of those titles to be featured at the show include; POK…MON, LEGEND OF ZELDA, DRAGONBALL EVOLUTION Chapter Books, NARUTO Chapter Books and more VIZ Media will have a sampling of these great titles for consumers to peruse, we will be doing giveaways of manga, tee shirts, bags and other goodies as well as have a "Meet The Editor " opportunity each day. A few comments from our Editors.... “With the VIZ Signature line VIZ Media is committed to bringing our readers the finest in seinen manga. We're proud to offer works from such landmark creators as Takehiko Inoue, Naoki Urasawa, and Taiyo Matsumoto, and in the near future we'll be making some exciting new additions to the list.” Says Leyla Aker, VIZ Signature Editor, VIZ Media. "There's a real need for quality manga and manga-related content for younger children, and we're thrilled to be able to meet that need with our VIZKIDS imprint." Said Traci Todd, VIZKIDS Editor, VIZ Media. eigoManga will be at WonderCon booth #847 They will participate in screenings of Tower of Druga Strike Witches Blassrener And the manga debut of Frog Princess * Prof. Ian Condry has announced that the next MIT/Harvard Cool Japan seminar, in conjunction with MIT Women's and Gender Studies and Comparative Media Studies will be presenting "Gendering Robots: Posthuman Sexism in Japan" with Prof. Jennifer Robertson of University of Michigan's Anthropology Dept. on March 5th.The event is March 5, 2009 (Thursday) 5-7pm free & open to public, reception to follow MIT, Room 32-141 Stata Center, 32 Vasser St. (@ Main St.), Cambridge, MA 02139 Map Abstract: In humans, gender--femininity, masculinity--is an array of performed behaviors, from dressing in certain clothes to walking and talking in certain ways. These behaviors are both socially and historically shaped, but are also contingent upon many situational influences, including individual choices. Female and male bodies alike can perform a variety of femininities and masculinities. What can human gender(ed) practices and performances tell us about how humanoid robots are gendered, and vice versa? Robertson explores and interrogates the gendering of humanoid robots manufactured today in Japan for use in the home and workplace. She shows that Japanese roboticists assign gender to their creations based on rigid assumptions about female and male sex and gender roles. Thus, humanoid robots can productively be understood as the vanguard of a "posthuman sexism," and are being developed in a socio-political climate of reactionary conservatism. Jennifer Robertson is a professor of anthropology at the University of Michigan. She is the author of five books including Takarazuka: Sexual Politics and Popular Culture in Japan and editor of the journal Colonialisms. She will be speaking about research-in-progress on Japanese roboticists. The Cool Japan research project explores the cultural connections, dangerous distortions, and critical potential of popular culture related to Japan. Cool Japan acknowledges the generous support of the MIT Japan Program, the Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies at Harvard, and MIT Foreign Languages and Literatures. Prof. Robertson's seminar is co-sponsored by MIT Women's and Gender Studies and MIT Comparative Media Studies. * Japanamerica author Roland Kelts has announced the following tour dates
- Mar 1st, Pasadena, CA, The Pacific Asia Museum (*RSVP required)
- Mar 3-5th, Geneva, NY, Hobart and William Smith Colleges
- Mar 10th, New York, NY, The Consulate General of Japan in New York
- Mar 12th, New York, NY, The Japan Society
- Mar 22nd, New York, NY, JETaaNY Author Showcase (*RSVP required)
* NEW YORK - TOKYO will be presenting, TOKYO!, the anthology by directors Michel Gondry, Leos Carax and Bong Joon-Ho on opening weekend March 6-8.Michel Gondry and Leos Carax will be person for a Q and A at the Sunshine Theater in New York for selected shows The film consists of three parts, each directed by a different director. Gondry's piece, entitled "Interior Design" tells the tale of a young couple trying to find their way in Tokyo only to find themselves dealing with a surreal, transformation situation. Leos Carax presents the viewer with "Merde", the bizarre story of a malicious subterranean creature's short-lived reign of terror over Tokyo and the resulting trial and media circus. The final featurette, directed by Bong Joon-Ho, is called "Shaking Tokyo" and it revolves around love between a shut-in and a pizza delivery girl. * GKids has announced the San Francisco visit by celebrated director and animator Michel Ocelot for his new film, Azur & Asmar, which opens at the Landmark Opera Plaza Cinema on Friday, March 6th. In celebration of Michel Ocelot's artistic vision and visit to the Bay Area, the French American Cultural Society will be presenting a free public screening of Ocelot's breakthrough film, Kirikou and the Sorceress, with the director providing an introduction and post-film audience Q&A. The free event will take place Wednesday, March 4th at 6:40 PM at the Landmark Opera Plaza Cinema (601 Van Ness Avenue). Michel Ocelot will introduce the film and do a post-film Q&A. There will be prizes from his new film, Azur & Asmar, including ticket giveaways and autographed posters. Attendees must RSVP to the French American Cultural Society by emailing their name and expected number of guests to contact@facs-sf.org. Arrive early for seats, as RSVPing does not guarantee admission. Kirikou and the Sorceress France, Michel Ocelot, 1998, 75 min In French with English subtitles This animated film exquisitely recounts the tale of tiny Kirikouóa clever, courageous little boy born in an African village in which Karaba the Sorceress has placed a terrible curseóas he sets out on a quest to free his village of the curse and find out the secret of why Karaba is so wicked. Kirikou's stunning visuals are accented by a traditional music soundtrack by African music giant Youssou N' Dour. Note: The film shows has nudity (bare breasts) in a traditional village setting. Azur & Asmar France, Michel Ocelot, 2006/2008, 99 min In English ñ Rated PG, Recommended for ages 6+ Azur and Asmar is the story of two boys raised as brothers. Blonde, blue-eyed, white skinned Azur and black-haired, brown-eyed, dark-skinned Asmar are lovingly cared for by Asmar's gentle mother, who tells them magical stories of her faraway homeland and of beautiful, imprisoned Fairy Djinn waiting to be set free. Time passes, and one day Azur's father, the master of the house, provokes a brutal separation. Azur is sent away to study, while Asmar and his mother are driven out, homeless and penniless. Years later, as a young adult, Azur remains haunted by memories of the sunny land of his nanny, and sets sail south across the high seas to find the country of his dreams. Arriving as an immigrant in a strange land, Azur is rejected by everyone he meets on account of his "unlucky" blue eyes, until finally he resolves never to open those eyes again. The once-beautiful child clad in gold is reduced to a blind beggar. Yet, blind though he is, little by little and step by step, he discovers a beautiful and mysterious country. Meanwhile, back in her homeland, Azur's nanny has become a wealthy merchant and Asmar has grown into a dashing horseman. Reunited but now as adversaries, the two brothers set off on a dangerous quest to find and free the Fairy of the Djinns. For more about the film, see http://www.gkids.tv/azur * The New York City, Japan Society will be presenting KRAZY! The Delirious World of Anime + Manga + Video Games from March 13 through June 14, 2009. Exhibition Catalogue KRAZY! The Delirious World of Anime + Manga + Video Games is accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue titled KRAZY! The Delirious World of Anime + Comics + Video Games + Art, published by the Vancouver Art Gallery, Douglas & McIntyre, Vancouver/Toronto, and University of California Press, Berkeley. The catalogue addresses an international spectrum of writers, illustrators, and programmers in the fields of comics, graphic novels, and art from around the world. With commentary devoted to such illustrators and designers as Art Spiegelman, the creator of Maus, and Will Wright, the creator of The Sims, the volume complements the Japan Society's focus on Japanese practitioners. ($34.95, soft-cover, retail) Anime Film Screenings Several anime films featured in KRAZY! will be shown full-length in the recently upgradedówith digital projectors and 5.1 surround soundóauditorium at Japan Society, including Katsuhiro Otomo's classic, Akira (1988); Masaaki Yuasa's Mind Game (2004); Satoshi Kon's, Paprika (2006); Patlabor 2: The Movie, by Mamoru Oshii (1993); The Place Promised in Our Early Days (2004), by Makoto Shinkai; and Super Dimension Fortress Macross: Episode 9 and 27 (1982-83), designed by Ichiro Itano. Screenings begin Saturday, March 14 and continue until June 14, 2009. Viewing times are Friday: 3:00 to 9:00 pm; Saturday and Sunday: 11:00 to 5:00 Selected Public Programs Konnichiwa Friends Family Tours of KRAZY! Saturday, March 14, April 11, May 9 and June 13, 2009 from 2-3 pm Slated for the second Saturday of every month between March and June, this series of tours engages young children ages 2 to 4 and their families in fun, interactive learning experiences. Using games, puzzles, storytelling, and other techniques for discussing art and culture, tours explore exhibition themes and include Japanese vocabulary-building activities. FREE with adult admission to the exhibition. No reservation required. For more information, the public may call (212) 715-1224. KRAZY! Cosplay Party Saturday, March 28, 5:30-8:30 pm In conjunction with the exhibition KRAZY! The Delirious World of Anime + Manga + Video, Japan Society holds its first-ever Cosplay Party, inviting local fans to create and showoff costumes of their favorite characters, and share their enthusiasm for anime, manga, and video games. The Cosplay Party includes classic anime film screenings, a costume competition with prizes from Kinokuniya Bookstore and Manga Entertainment, and free admission to the KRAZY! Only costumed individuals are eligible for the competition. Tickets are $10 advance www.japansociety.org/cosplay or $15 at the door. Art Cart: KRAZY! Sunday March 29, 2009 2-4 pm Led by a Japan Society educator, children and their families receive an introduction to KRAZY! by exploring the galleries through sketching, movement, and discussion. Working with an artist and educator, children learn about a range of media in the exhibition, including manga (graphic novels), anime (Japanese animation), and video games in
