Father Geek here with Darius25, pigmon, Scott Green, AccSpy, and the rest of our hardworking Asia-AICN crew with this week's Thursday column covering the Asian cinema scene. Buuuuut 1st a couple of bits that just came across Ol' Father Geek's desk this morning...

Ye is here!

The Touch

Michelle Yeoh's upcoming film The Touch just had its first news conference. Academy Award winner, Crouching Tiger's cinematographer, Peter Pau has taken the seat of director and the budget has soared more than 50%. For poster and pictures of the news conference, go here: And Just Click

Rush Hour II

Zhang Ziyi pictures at the news conference: Just Click Here

Flying Dragon, Leaping Tiger

After a negative response on the film's ending from a screen test, Sammo Hung has gone back to the desert to re-shoot the ending.

Ye Meng

Father Geek back... Speaking of Sammo here's this little note sent in by one of our loyal readers...

According to an early report from Sammo Hung's website, he is supposedly going to direct the movie version of the Soul Calibur video game,this time with permission from Namco. It's a big budget(50 million)for Sammo, maybe starts shooting later this year.

And then there is this sent in from Kenevil on the same subject...

The film will probably have an international cast to reflect the global popularity of the game. Hopefully this film will get Jackie Chan and Yuen Biao involved in some capacity--a reunion of sorts. And of course this is what fans have been dying for all along. Rhythm & Hues will more than likely be the CG effects house for the project because of their relationship with Namco. Shooting is planned for late Summer/early Fall 2001. US release planned for Summer 2002. More news on this later. (you can check out This Site and the Rhythm & Hues site for more!

Cooooool!!! I just saw PEDICAB DRIVER on the big screen for the first time at the Alamo Drafthouse last weekend and it kicked Father Geek's ass all over Austin's old warehouse area turned cafe/entertainment/coffeehouse district, totally NOT what I expected from several viewings of its trailer. Which painted it as a total action-comedy-farce. Our whole AICN crew (Harry included) loved the very serious undertone nature of the film. Definitely a well rounded motion picture. Bring on more Sammo...

Asia-AICN

Hi guys, we're back with more cool info for all of you. This week, you can read all about the Indian version of "Charlie's Angels" (!), "Om, Jai, Jagdish", some really AWESOME news regarding John Woo's upcoming films and more details on the special edition of "Battle Royale". We even have the teaser poster for Michelle Yeoh's upcoming film, "The Touch". Now here's the latest from Asia.

INDIA

- Tabu has dropped out of Anupam Kher's "Om, Jai, Jagdish" due to date problems. The film has been shooting since last week yet the actress couldn't join the shoot because of prior commitments. The producers are considering either Madhuri Dixit or Mahima Choudhary as her replacement. The film stars Anil Kapoor, Fardeen Khan, and Abhishek Bachchan in the title roles.

- Actor Atul Agnihotri will turn director for the film, "Dil Ne Jise Apna Kaha (Who the Heart Wants)". The film stars Salman Khan and Sohail Khan as two friends who fall in love with the same girl (Aishwarya Rai). Om Puri and Rati Agnihotri also star, while A.R. Rahman will conduct the music. The film is scheduled to start shooting in November.

- This one's a silly rumour that is not confirmed. Apparanty, producer Rajeev Babbar and director Pankaj Parashar are considering to make an Indianized version of "Charlie's Angels". To make matters worse, they are considering Raveena Tandon, Sushmita Sen and Shilpa Shetty to star as the Angels. Why is this, I don't know. Were Aishwarya Rai, Karisma Kapoor and Sonali Bendre not available? How about Ameesha Patel? Thank god the filmmakers are hiring some HK choreographers to do the action sequences.

- Speaking of Raveena Tandon, it seems that she is all set to do a negative role in an upcoming film for director Manoj Agarwal. Raveena will play a femme fatale opposite Govinda (!). I think she can easily take him on. Sonali Bendre was signed to appear as the "good" girl.

- Some new pictures have been released from Suneel Darshan's upcoming blockbuster, "Ek Risha - A Tale of Love (One Relationship - A Tale of Love)". The film deals with the troubles of a wealthy family headed by Amitabh Bachchan. The cast includes Akshay Kumar, Juhi Chawla, Karisma Kapoor, and Mohnish Behl.

Click here to a pic with Karisma Kapoor and Akshay Kumar: Just Click Here

Click here to see a pic with (from left) Shakti Kapoor, Akshay Kumar, Ashish Vidhyarti, and Amitabh Bachchan: Click

Here's a classic '70s pair reunited after nearly two decades. Click here to see a pic of Rakhee Gulzar and Amitabh Bachchan: Just Click

- Last week's new release was the much awaited "One Two Ka Four (One Two then Four)", directed by K. Shashilal Nair. The film stars Shahrukh Khan, Juhi Chawla, Jackie Shroff and Nirmal Pandey. Right off the bat, let me just say that non-SRK fans will HATE this film. Many critics trashed it, and it didn't really open to packed theatres. The story is a rehash of the cops vs. criminals films that were very popular in the '80s and early '90s. But, as you all know, anything with SRK can't be HORRIBLY bad. Shahrukh stars as a trigger-happy cop out to find his partner's killer. In his way are many gangsters, many corrupt politicians, an undercover cop, an obnoxious housekeeper, 4 annoying children, and a whole lot of bullets. The acting is decent for the most part. Shahrukh performs decent action and comedy while not overacting too much in the dramatic scenes. Juhi Chawla is ok and performs some excellent comedy opposite SRK and the kids. Jackie probably gave the best performance out of the whole cast, it was too bad he's only in this film for the first half hour. The direction was pretty bad - many scenes did not flow at all, while the action was really stale. I mean why copy some really good scenes from famous Hollywood films (including Seven, and the beginning of Face/Off) and then make it look like crap? The cinematography was really, really aweful. The film looked as it was made for $2!! For a big-budget blockbuster, I wonder where all the money went. To sum it up, only SRK fans (like me) might think that One Two Ka Four is a decent fare, while everyone else will be disappointed.

CHINA/HK

Here is AccSpy's weekly column:

- Apple Daily reported that Brad Pitt has been hired to team up with Chow Yun-fat in John Woo's "Honor Among Thieves (aka King's Ransom)". John Woo mildly confirmed the source yet he refused to say anything until the official announcement. In the interview, John Woo said that after "Windtalkers", the next two movies will most likely star Chow Yun-fat. The first one will be HAT, while the second is a period drama about early Chinese immigrants in USA. On a related topic, Chow will come back to America in two months later for his next film, "Bulletproof Monk", in which he will once again have his head shaved for the role.

- Due to the rising status of Asian cinema and the international success of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", this year's Cannes' Film Festival will hold a section dedicated to HK. Over 20 HK films will be shown during the festival. Actors Chow Yun-fat and Michelle Yeoh have already agreed to attend this year to promote the section, while Jackie Chan may also join - depending on his shooting schedule.

- Michelle yeoh will start shooting "The Touch" soon. The film features Oscar-winner Peter Pau, who is double-billed here as the director and cinematographer. Daniel Wu also stars. Here's the teaser poster: Just Go Here.

- For the third straight week, the teen romance "Feel 100% II" stayed at the top of the BO chart. "Miss Congeniality" kept its no.2 position while a new film, "Dracula 2000", entered no.3. The Japanese horror flick "Tales of the Unusual" landed at no.4. With 4 Oscars, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" re-entered the top 10 at the sixth place. Next week, Tsui Hark's long-awaited live-action/animated film "Master Q 2001" and Robert DeNiro's "15 minutes" will open, while Leon Lai and Cecilia Cheung's rapidly finished romantic comedy "Everyday is Valentine" and Ekin Cheng's dramedy "Goodbye Mr. Cool (aka Kowloon Tea House)" open on Easter weekend. Ekin Cheng likes Kowloon Tea House so much that he decided to name his restaurant (in Tokyo) after the film.

JAPAN

Here's the latest report from "Pigmon":

- Visual effects work on "Godzilla, Mothra, King Gidorah: All Monsters Attack!" will begin from the first week of May.

- Toho is making a big budget period film titled "Onmyoji" which is set during the Heian era (about a 1000 years ago). You can tell from the trailers alone that the film is full of VFX. It will be in Japanese theaters this October.

- Kentaro Fukasaku, the son of Battle Royale director, has explained some of the differences between the original and the upcoming special edition. 8 more minutes are added in the special edition and total running time now is 121 minutes. More blood was added and the sound effects are even more powerful. This version features several new scenes, including a basketball scene with the students, and a longer version of the speech given by Beat Takeshi.

- Universal Studios Japan finally opened in Osaka on March 31st. Arnold Schwarzenegger paid a visit to commemorate the opening. Most attractions are the same as the American versions. On a related note, Disney's first sea-oriented theme park, Tokyo Disney Sea, will be opening here on September 4. It will be located right next to the Tokyo Disney Land. According to my friend, a new simulation-ride called "Storm Riders" will feature tonnes of cool effects and will be hard to miss.

- Here is Toei's 2001 Japanese release schedule:

4/07 - "Battle Royale: Special Edition"

4/28 - "Hashire Ichiro"

5/26 - "Hotaru"

July - the newest "Digimon" film

Aug. - "Akakage: Red Shadow"

Sep. - "Kamen Rider Agito" and "Gao Ranger" (Double feature)

Oct. - "Go"

Nov. - "Shigosen No Yume"

Dec. - "Hikaru Genji Monogatari"

ANIME

from the desk of Scott Green

Love Hina Licensed

Bandai Entertainment has licensed the romantic comedy Love Hina for North America. As a young boy Urashima Keitaro promised his playmate that he would meet her again when they are students of the prestigious Tokyo University. Years pass, and he has failed the entrance exams several times and he begins working at his aunt's girl's boarding house/hot spring. As one could easily surmise this introduces a cast of odd potential romantic relationship, and awkward situations for the protagonist.

FLCL & I'm Gonna Be An Angel acquired by Synch-point productions Digital Manga Inc. has announced the creation of Synch-Point www.synch-point.com, a new entry in the pantheon of companies releasing anime in the US. The first titles they have announced are I'm Going to be An Angel (Tenshi ni Narumon) and FLCL.

I'm Gonna be An Angel is from an original concept by HEAVEN PROJECT and produced by BANDAI VISUAL, STUDIO PIERROT, and TV TOKYO.

FLCL (pronounced Furi Kuri) is a humorous sci-fi OAV about a boy, the flirtatious girlfriend of his brother who is abroad, and a crazy girl on a motor scooter, from Gainax, who is best known for Neon Genesis Evangelion, and Production I.G. The official Gainax site can be found at http://www.gainax.co.jp/flcl (its in Japanese, but you can get some of the series' flavor from the character art).

Fox Kid's Announces 2001-2002 Line-up

Fox Kids announced its shows for the 2001-2002 season. The bad news is that no new episodes of Spider-man Unlimited, or Big Guy and Rusty the Boy Robot are scheduled (though both will run through the summer). The new season will feature more than 300 new episodes with the return of Action Man, Digimon: Digital Monsters, Los Luchadores, Power Rangers Time Force and Woody Woodpecker, and eight new shows. The shows that will interest anime fans include: Shinzo 30 episode series by Saban "in classic anime style" about a girl who is the last human on earth after the species is replaced by genetically engineered evil creatures called Enterrans. Shinzo appears to be the Toei anime series Mushrambo. See http://www.toei-anim.co.jp/TV/mashura/index.html, Transformers: Robots in Disguise, which appears to be a translated version of the recent Tranformers: Car Wars anime series "Dr. Onishi, a very powerful scientist, has influenced the "star" called Earth. The malicious and spiteful !

Destolonga robots want to capture Dr. Onishi because he has the ability to help them gain control of Earth. Only the good Transformer Car robots, called Cyber robots, can stop the Destolonga's evil plan and save the Earth from being seized. Asatsu has produced 39 animated episodes. " The other series include The Ripping Friends, a 13 episode series by Ren & Stimpy's John Kricfalus about three superheroes, Evolution, a follow up to the upcoming Ivan Reitmam film about a single celled organism that lands on Earth and begins taking over, Outer Dimension a 26 live-action episodes with CGI elements about a fantasy parallel dimension, What's With Andy, a series about a boy who specializes in practical jokes, Buffy The Vampire Slayer: The Animated Series and Tai Kwon Dos - A 26-episode Saban series that's about three little kids who fight crime and giant monsters while still managing to go to school. The swords and sorcery comedy anime series is noticeably absent from the list though there had been semi-confirmed rumor it would be heading to Fox as soon as this past February.

Eva Movie News

According to Jim Lazar's report on Fanime con from Anime on DVD's forum manga stated that their would be no editing of Eva movie, so stop asking them. They have no intention of editing it and are going to do their best to translate and sub/dub it as close to the original as possible, They are dubbing it via Gaijin Production, the studio that Amanda Winn Lee started with her husband Jason Lee. Most of the orignal cast will be back (Tiffiny Grant for sure, since she and Amanda were on the panel). Nikki Bennet, Steve Bennet's (Studio Ironcat) wife, will be providing translations. The two movies will be released together as a set sometime in the 4th quarter of 2001.

Manga is releasing Death & Rebirth plus the theatrical release of End of Eva. Probably on a DVD collection (one package).

More Anime on International Channel

In April, the International Channel is very excited to bring you the following movies - all movies will be in Japanese with English subtitles -

Ninja Cadets - April 7 at 1 am Eastern time

Sailor Victory - April 7 at 2 am Eastern time

Shinesman - April 8 at 1 am Eastern time

Tokyo Vice - April 8 at 2 am Eastern time

Earthian (Parts 1 & 2) - April 14 at 1 am Eastern time

Earthian (Parts 3 & 4) - April 15 at 1 am Eastern time

Princess Rouge - April 21 at 1 am Eastern time

Sailor Victory (rerun) - April 21 at 2 am Eastern time

Also, in April and the first week of May, IC will air all five Captain Tylor OVA's. These will air on the following dates -

April 5 - 1:30 am Eastern time

April 12 - 1:30 am Eastern time

April 19 - 1:30 am Eastern time

April 26 - 1:30 am Eastern time

May 3 - 1:30 am Eastern time

The OVA's are one hour long. Armored Trooper Votoms will not be seen on these dates. Votoms will resume with episode 27 on May 10 at 1:30 am Eastern time (which is the same as May 9 at 10:30 pm Pacific time). We will repeat Tylor in its entirety starting with episode 1 on May 10 at 2 am Eastern time (which is the same as May 9 at 11 pm Pacific time).

Vampire Hunter D Movie News

According to Jim Lazar's report on Fanime con from Anime on DVD's forum Urban Vision is reiterating that they are really pushing the new Vampuire Hunter D movie. They hope to get it into wider release than Princess Mononoke into at least the top 8 markets, hopefully top 20. Premiers in Japan and Korea in April, in the US probably late summer (September was mentioned). English is the original language for this title. Japanese and Korea wide releases will actually be in English with Japanese/Korean subs. A DVD release is likely for Christmas with tons of extras since UV has been involved from the beginning with the production. It will have Japanese and English languages and most likely anamorphic. Anime News Network reports Speaking at the Urban Vision panel at Fanime, Rhona Medina explained that the biggest thing on Urban Visions plate for 2001 would be the theatrical release of the new Vampire Hunter D movie, and the eventual home video release. The Movie, which will soon be renamed to something along the lines of "Vampire Hunter D - Eternal Thirst" (this title may change between now and the theatrical release), will be released to theatres in Japan and Korea on April 21st, followed by America sometime in September. A home video release (VHS and DVD) should follow for Christmas 2001.

Theatrical plans for North America are a top 20 release (top 20 cities) or, failing that, a top 8 at the very least. During D's art house run many people complained about not being able to see the movie in its original Japanese, somewhat of a misunderstanding because the movie's original language is English. VHD was animated in Japan, but the initial voices were done in America, in English, and the script was written with this in mind. The Japanese and Korean theatrical versions will be in English with Japanese or Korean subtitles. The eventual DVD release will include both Japanese and English tracks as well as a Dolby 5.1 audio track. Final touching up, re-dubbing and 5.1 mastering has just been completed.

In an e-mail Urban Visions has confirmed the statements that were reported from the Fanime Con. If all goes according to plan, they will follow up with a home video and DVD release around Christmas. They should be finalizing the schedule soon, and will let everyone know what develops. At the panel, they had voice actor information, storyboards and original press materials for viewing, such as the Korean and Japanese movie posters. On April 21, 2001, Vampire Hunter D will make its theatrical debut in both countries. Not mentioned at the panel is the fact that there will be a whole lineup of Vampire Hunter D merchandise along with the movie.

Anime on Toonami line up forum

http://www.evanews.cjb.net Eva Faction The New Toonami Reactor has been updated with a forum, and the opportunity to answer the following question "What classic animation tv show would you want to see on toonami?" at This Site.

New Akira Toriyama Project

According to an ad in the April Monthly Jump appears to be announcing a new Akira Toriyama (of Dragon Ball Z) manga series. The ad can be seen at http://www.planetnamek.com/newtoriyama.jpg It says " Witness Akira Toriyama's New World! In the June issue...Akira Toriyama enters again! At last, his new drawn work will be released! This is Akira Toriyama's trump card! " Toriyama's last anime series Sand Land has yet to be animated, but given the success of Dragon Ball, a Akira Toriyama manga series had a higher than average probability of being animated.

Robotech Info

According to a news update at Right Stuf, the first two Robotech DVD's are being delayed from 5/22 to 6/19. There's a twist though! ADV will be releasing Robotech Macross Saga Box DVD Set on 6/19! The set will feature an audio commentary track by Carl Macek (Story Editor for Robotech), production sketches and an international clip featuring French, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese audio tracks.

ADV has sent out a press release about their upcoming Robotech.

From the press release: This June, hold onto your seats as the premiere collections of the original Robotech series hit the shelves with a giant robotic force never seen in the DVD retail industry! With 6 exciting episodes on each DVD and a suggested retail price of only $14.98 each, Robotech The Macross Saga: First Contact and Robotech The Macross Saga: Transformation will literally fly off the shelves, and you do not want to miss out on that action! Robotech The Macross Saga: First Contact
When a mysterious battleship crashes onto Macross Island in the South Pacific, the future of mankind is changed forever. Realizing that there are hostile forces in the universe, the people of Earth race to rebuild the SDF-1 as their first line of defense against a possible alien attack. But even as they struggle to master the science of Robotechnology, the vengeful Zentraedi armada is approaching the Earth!

Robotech The Macross Saga: Transformation

The danger continues to mount for the survivors of Macross City and the crew of the SDF 1 as the ship's arrival on Mars sets up a new turn of deadly events. Under constant attack by the giant Zentraedi, hounded at every turn and desperately short of resources, the humans wage a desperate battle for survival. But in the shadow of war, the power of love takes on an unexpected significance, for it is the strength of the human heart that may turn the tide of the battle!

Macross Saga 1: The Robotech Legacy will also be available, which will include not only the DVDs for Robotech The Macross Saga: First Contact and Robotech The Macross Saga: Transformation, but also a special edition Extras disc. This bonus disc will contain the English version of Codename: Robotech (75min.), an audio commentary track by Carl Macek (Story Editor for Robotech) and abundant production sketches. It will also include an international clip featuring French, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese audio tracks, and this Macross Saga 1: The Robotech Legacy carried the extraordinary suggested retail price of only $44.98. Strap into your Veritech and get ready for the ride of your life! Don't miss out on the phenomenon called ROBOTECH when this classic animated sci-fi series that's thrilled millions of viewers for over fifteen years finally arrives on DVD! To find out more about this anticipated release, check out the Official Robotech Website at .

Macross Pictures

AnimEigo has posted some pictures from their restoration of the Macross series at http://www.animeigo.com/images/macross.t (For those confused, AnimEigo is releasing the Japanese language Macross, which can be ordered through their site at http://www.animeigo.com/products/macross.t , ADV Films is releasing the English dubbed Robotech, which is a combination of Macross, Mouspeda, and Southern Cross).

More Official FAQ Updates From www.dragonballz.com

Q: Why does FUNimation censor Dragon Ball Z episodes?

A: There just would not be any Dragon Ball Z in North America without our censoring it because the Japanese company who owns it would never have allowed it into North America without having it broadcast on TV and broadcasters would never take it without censoring. In addition to our uncut versions, we produce a direct translation version on DVD with original music and voice and we subtitle it in English.

Q: When will Dragon Ball GT videos be available?

A: We plan to move forward with GT as soon as we are finished with DBZ. Therefore, the earliest videos would be available is 2003.

Q: What is FUNimation's plan for the remaining 10 DBZ movies that are unreleased?

A: Currently we have the rights to Movies 1 - 6, of which we have released 1-3. We are planning to release Movie 4 in the fall, and movies 5 and 6 should also be released within the next 12 months.

Q: How will the remaining episodes be released and when will the newest set of episodes broadcast?

A: Expect us to continue to release episodes on home video and DVD as fast as retailers will take them until we have completed the series. Cartoon Network plans to air approximately 50 episodes beginning this September and finish the remaining episodes starting in September 2002. Here is the home video release schedule for the next 3 months:

March 20: Great Saiyaman - Declaration; Great Saiyaman - Gohan's Secret

April 17: Perfect Cell - Temptation; Perfect Cell - Perfection

May 15: Great Saiyaman Crash Course; World Tournament - Junior Division We provide both the uncut and edited versions. Be sure to look for these new splendorous videos at Musicland, Sam Goody's, SunCoast, Camelot, Best Buy, Target, Walmart, Blockbuster, Coconuts, Saturday Matinee, Record Town, Strawberries, the DBZ Store online and many other retailers.

Stephanie Nadolny Wins Dragon Ball Goku Vote

From From www.dragonballz.com: The envelope please...and the winner is voice #1. Stephanie Nadolny, voice #1, will be the voice of Goku in Dragon Ball. FUNimation would like to thank everyone that participated in this, the first ever voice vote. We appreciate your help in making this an overwhelming success (Give yourselves a big pat on the back). We want you as fans to enjoy Dragon Ball and any show that FUNimation produces as much as possible. Thanks again and stay plugged in here for more chances to vote on the upcoming characters.

Voice samples can still be found at http://www.dragonballz.com/html/news/vote/index.html

Blood DVD Date

Manga will be releasing Blood, the 45 minute theatrical film about a mysterious school girl hunting vampire like creatures on a US military on 7/31 for $24.95. The 90 minute feature Landlock will be released by Manga on DVD on 6/26 for $29.95

Mononoke Hime In Germany

According to a post to the Nausicaa.net mailing list the German dub of Mononoke Hime, named "Prinzessin Mononoke", will be released to German cinema theatres starting April 19, 2001. The first reviews in movie magazines are being published, already.

The Japanese version with German subtitles is already being shown at festivals before that, one chance to catch it is the Japanese movie festival at the 3001 cinema in Hamburg (http://www.3001-kino.de) on April 16. Someone on the German anime newsgroup says that the German voice of San is done by the same voice actress who did Sailor Mercury. the German dub has been shown on several festivals already in the last two years, including a special screening on the EXPO, the 2000 world fair in Hannover. It is reported to be well done

The poster stated that in February they a Buena Vista Germany spokesman told them a "small scale" release, after it hasn't been as successful in foreign markets as they had hoped. "We're devastated. It wasn't successful in any market outside Japan yet." Buena Vista Germany Vice President Wolfgang Braun recently called himself a "true fan of the movie" and it is obvious that he is sincere about this (see here http://anime.no.tomodachi.de/html/artikel/interview/bvi_mononoke_hime.html for the full German).

You can find the German trailer here: Quicktime 3, 6.3 MB , very bad audio http://www.movie.de/mononoke/monono_qt3.mov and Quicktime 4, 7.6 MB, far better audio http://www.movie.de/mononoke/monono_qt4.mov

Digimon on Top in Japan

This year's Spring Toei Anime Fair has spent the last two weekends and the week in between (March 17-25)as the number one Box Office title in Japan, moving up from the number 3 position the preceding week (March 10-16), and the number 2 position 3 weeks ago (March 3-9).

This spring's Toei Anime Fair is a two picture program featuring Digimon Adventure and One Piece. Every spring, Toei makes the two or three picture program for children.

Angel's Egg U.S. DVD Update

Anime News Service contributor Daniel writes in with news that upon writing into Anchor Bay Entertainment on the status update with their U.S. release of the Angel's Egg movie on DVD, he received the following response: "We are still hoping to bring out ANGEL'S EGG in late 2002."

ADV Dates

Gasaraki: From the Ashes.(dubbed VHS, biligual DVD) , Sailor Moon: Green Eyed Monster(dubbed VHS), Sailor Moon: And in this Corner, Sailor Venus(dubbed VHS), and Martian Successor Nadesico: Friend or Foe? (dubbed VHS, and subtitled VHS), will be released 5/1/01

According to Right Stuf ADV will be releasing the DVDs of Bubblegum Crisis 2040 Vol. #6 6/5 with five episodes, and Arc the Lad volume 2 on 6/12 with three episodes.

David Williams of ADV recently revealed that the DVDs Martian Successor Nadesico Vol. #5 and Neon Genesis Evangelion Vol. #7 will arrive on 5/29.

Bandai News

Anime on DVD received a report from Pete Plank on Bandia's statements at the Fanime convention.

All Gundam "One Year War" series slated to appear this year. (08th MS Team, 0083, 0080, and the original Gundam TV series). Beginning in June more Gundam series, including some OAV series ill be released. The original Gundam TV series will be DUB ONLY, however the original Gundam movies will be released on DVD, subtitled, in November as a box set. 08th MS Team is due in August (sub/dub). The DVD release of other catalogue titles in being delayed in favor of progressing with the Gundam release.

A large 18 wheeled Gundam truck will begin traveling around the country starting this weekend and extending through September. It will be showcasing merchandise such as model kits, and action figures. The Big-O DVD (no VHS) will be released, much like Jubei-chan on four discs. VHS will only be used for mass-market titles. Other titles currently in work include Fancy La-La, Betterman, Z-Mind and Saber Marionette J to X (which includes three dub tracks: English, Spanish and Japanese). The Crest of the Stars, a science fiction series about a boy sent to live with a conquering alien race, DVD has been delayed 2 months. They also stated that they are still experimenting with how many episodes to distribute on a DVD. Love Hina will not be coming out for a while; Bandai was not planning on announcing it at this con since they wanted to prevent the anticipation generated by "other" companies when announcing titles too far in advance. (Editor's note: huh? you mean not announcing a series that many fans are greatly anticipating with no plans for release it. After all, its not like its based on a video game, why should it be a priority. Then, even when you haven't received a copy of the series from the Japanese licensors yet, make jokes about the difficulty of translating it. Bandai doesn't want to do that? Wow)

There is no hard date set for Candidate for Goddess, which will air on Cartoon Network's Toonami as "Pilot Candidate". Bandai is considering things like a reversible cover (with the original title "Candidate for Goddess") or an alternate angle intro animation with the correct title if fans request. Bandai is only calling this series "Pilot Candidate" for US release; all other markets will refer to it as Candidate for Goddess.

A full theatrical wide release for Escaflowne has not been decided. Jin-roh will premiere on the 28th of May in Long Beach. Mamoru Oshii will be attending (and potentially many anime-fan celebrities such as James Cameron). Full rollout will begin at the end of June in New York and Seattle. This will be a limited release initially; if it does well it may be expanded. Viz will be handling the theatrical release while Bandai does the home release. For more info and release information visit http://jin-roh.net It hasn't been decided if there will be extras included with the Cowboy Bebop DVD box set, though things like an extra disc, toy, poster, etc. have been discussed. Blue Sub will be released on a single disc, but this will be the Cartoon Network version only. Other boxes are not actively planned due to brisk sales of individual discs. No upgrade plans for existing Cowboy Bebop single disc owners due to the logistics involved. Escaflowne Vol. 8 may have a Maaya Sakamoto (singer of opening song, and voice of the protagonist, Hitomi) concert as an extra, with Yoko Kano (composer of the series music, as well as that of Cowboy Bebop, Turn A Gundam and others) on piano.

CPM Announcements

Central Park media has announced the acquisitions of Labyrinth of Flame from the makers of fan service filled Aika and Now and Then, Here and There AKA Ima, Soko ni Iru Boku. The series is about a kendo student with an indomitable spirit who is transported to a parallel world where an army is raiding villages to recruit children. The series is a Pioneer title, but Pioneer explicitly opted not to release it in the US. Upcoming DVD release include:

RG Veda; Slayers Try - which has 12 min dub cast feature; Harlock Saga also has a dub cast feature ; Aika Final Battle has the Special File (a music thing apparently) on it; Angel Sanctuary will be out 3rd quarter, all eps on one (1) DVD; Patabor TV - they dubbed 5 eps, how well sells will determine if the do more they do more; More Ping Pong club is coming not just to vhs, but dvd ; Night on the Galactric Rail Road ; Detonator Orgun ; Strange Love ; Battle Skipper.

Final Hunter x Hunter Episode Aired

The final episode of the popular Hunter x Hunter anime series has been aired. Viewers have expressed dissatisfaction with the ending. The current story line of the manga series that the anime is based on is still running in Jump magazine, so rather than slow the pace of the anime, as was done with Dragon Ball Z, Hunter x Hunter ended.

New Anime on Italian TV

Starting this Thursday Italia 1 will broadcast Dragon Ball GT, the third Dragon Ball TV series. After its conclusion they will likely broadcast Gundam Wing. After the current airing of Saint Seiya they will be airing Samurai Troopers. There are conflicting reports that that they will be airing Berserk on late nights. Many American fans are looking forward to be the series, but last time any company made a statement about releasing the series in the US, it was Urban Visions stating their negotiations were not going well. Berserk is medieval drama of military and political conflict with gradually encroaching super natural elements. Gatts (also translated as Guts or Gatus) is a huge mercenary who was found under the corpse of his mother as a baby, and whose life had followed that auspice.

FUNimation Focuses on Dragon Ball

Planet Namek has received a report that FUNimation has currently halted production of Dragon Ball Z, Yu Yu Hakusho, and Blue Gender so they can focus entirely on the original Dragon Ball.

Anime Jump Big O Features

Anime Jump has updated their Big O feature with impressions of the first episode on Cartoon Network at This Spot , and an interview with Big O screenwriter Chiaki J. Konaka at This Location

Darius 25 back to say goodbye. Remember, if you have information regarding any film industry in Asia, please contact our Asia-AICN offices at atshrivas@home.com. See you all next week.

Darius25