Father Geek once again with Scott's column touching on all things Anime & Manga for those of you without the time or resources to surf all over looking for the info. Yeah, Ol' Scott's done that for you, just like every week, so you can enjoy all the latest news of the anime world with alot less labor. Its all right here in...

AnimAICN...

by Scott Green

Manga Spotlight: Slayers Special: Lesser of Two Evils Written by Hajime Kanzaka Illustrated by Tommy Ohtsuka Original Design by Rui Araizumi

Released by CPM Manga

If you were to brainstorm ideas for a fantasy adventure, took the bottom 5% and made them more outrageous you'd approximate Slayers Special. How about a necromancer who needs to get acclimated to the undead, or a girl who uses her gift to control animals to steal all the local livestock. The twenty page quick hits aren't bad, especially if you are in the mood for it. They're inane, but that's kind of the point of Slayers special: stupidity at a sugar high, brought to explosively levels.

Starting with the original novels, and continuing through other adapted media, there have been two brands of the swords and sorcery comedy Slayers. Slayers Special is generally goofier, and oriented to one shots stories than straight Slayers. The stories team fiery sorceress Lina Inverse with busty partner/rival Naga, who are lead by their greed and or vanity into some strange escapade. Generally Slayers Special tends not to play with the demon cosmology of the Slayers universe.

The stories hit or miss depending on whether their theme gag works. The third collection, "Lesser of Two Evils" has a good track record of stories that click. They play to Tommy Ohtsuka's strengths in attractive, cartoonish character design, and are much better at avoid his weakness in depicting motion than some of the previous entry.

"Lesser of Two Evils" does trade on the mythos a little. There are a number of topics that the Slayers creators enjoy teasing the readers/viewer with. There's Lina's mysterious older sister. Then there's the connection between Naga and Lina's future companion Amelia, a self-styled heroine do-gooder. The Two may be sisters, and the creators love to hint at a relationship without ever putting them in the same room. "Lesser of Two Evils" plays this in a manner that is very amusing if you follow the series.

Manga Spotlight: Battle Royale Volume2 by Koushun Takami & Masayuki Taguchi

Released by TOKYOPOP

Battle Royale may be the pinnacle of teen-sploitation stories: an explosive charge of sex, violence, authority and rebellion. It's Lord of the Flies meets Survivor via 1984 as a classroom of students are armed, put on an island, and forced to kill each other as their exploits are broadcast on TV.

Battle Royale is a magnet of post-Columbine forbidden lure that's rewarding bother as a gruesome thriller, and as a thought provoker.

After establishing the rules of the Program in the first volume, the second primarily concerns itself with who is playing the game, who isn't, and what not playing constitutes. If Battle Royale isn't cogent social commentary, it has found a brilliant way of hiding its deficits. Battle Royale invites itself to be seen as a metaphor, even the name is likening the story to a pro-wrestling event. However, the precise parallel to is loosely defined. Take your pick as to what it is saying about tuning out, when non-participation means you still have to carry a gun and teacher everyone you meet like a potential enemy combatant.

As in the original novel, and famed movie, the manga makes jabbing critiques on modern society. Not preaching, but suggesting examination. It nudges you to examining at disconnect between a tv viewer, and the subject being. How do you interpret viewing the news after Battle Royale points out that one year a girl bets on the survivor of The Program, the next she's a participant.

The creators' intentions may seem so elusive due to the continual contractions, and ironies of the series. The teenagers are free of constraint and supervision, except that they are being if they don't whittle their numbers down to one survivor, they all die.

The Battle Royale movie gained notoriety for the context of the it's violence, but the manga takes up a notch. Not only are high school students killing each other, but they are doing so in a very gruesome manner.

Few horror movies are as innovatively grotesque as the Battle Royale manga.It follows the map of the points guaranteed to causes squirming: bent digits, severed limbs, disembowelment.

Anime Spotlight: Sakura Wars: The Movie

Released by Pioneer

Sakura Wars is a franchise that completely overstacks its plate from the sci-fi salad bar, piling on steam tech, alternative history, robot armors, psychics, demons, complicated military structures. While this story of a squad of robot piloting girls has been adapting into anime a number of time, non have visualized the concept as boldly as Sakura Wars: The Movie.

Fans of the Sakura Wars franchise should be sure to pick the up the movie, their favorite characters have never looked this stunning. The concept begged for a big budget movie rendition. The streets and technology of this fictionalized world are given splendid visuals thanks to Production IGs 2D and 3D work. The villains, and final battle have the look of the video games that spawned the franchise, but it is more of an homage than a flaw. The cgi rendering can be a bit overindulgent, as in one of animations longest launch sequence, but it serves the design and situation very well.

Those looking for some hard steam punk alternate history are going to be continually teased, but never satisfied by Sakura Wars. There are plenty of neat constructs and clever deviations, and if always offers a few moments of brilliant robot combat, often with interesting edges of clunky ironclad realism, but they are dominated by drama, and scenes meant to spotlight the aesthetics of the heroines character design, and their voice actresses.

Some of the aspects, while brilliantly constructed are strikingly odd, such as lavish musical scenes with the characters in there cover/day job as a theatrical troupe. Depending on your temperament, familiarity with the series, and taste for voice actresses singing, these numbers can be highlights of the movie or dumbfounding.

Anime movies based on longer series have a tendency not to be effective as separate entities. The problem isn't that the plots are impenetrable, but that they are hollow. Sakura Wars: The Movie offers up a corporate America sponsored demon invasion of Tokyo, but little in the way of a tangible threat. Lot's off light and noise, without with substance. The movie's plot is mildly accessible to those unfamiliar or only vaguely familiar with the Sakura Wars franchise stories. For those less familiar, there is a nearly overwhelming amount a characters, with cameo type appearances that would only have significance to the initiated, but for the most part, the characters' motivations and personalizes are simple, an easy to pick up on.

This Week's Releases

Anime

• .hack//SIGN Vol. #4: Omnipotence Special Edition
• Full Metal Panic - Mission 03
• King of Bandit Jing (Vol. 2)
• Love Hina Again - The Movie
• Medabots Vol. #11
• Ninja Scroll - The Series Volume 1
• Please Teacher - Honeymoon's Over (Vol. 3)
• s-Cry-ed Vol. #2
• Saiyuki - Storms (Vol. 4)
• Spirit of Wonder
• Yu Yu Hakusho: Yoko Kurama (Vol. 16)

Manga

• Baby Birth Vol 1 Gn (Of 2)
• Castle In The Sky Vol 4 Tp
• Cyborg 009 Vol 1 Gn (Of 8)
• Demon Diary Vol 3 Gn (Of 4)
• Dot Hack Sign Vol 1 Gn (Of 3)
• Duklyon Clamp School Defenders Vol 1 Gn (Of 2)
• Escaflowne Vol 2 Gn (Of 3)
• Flcl Vol 1 Gn (Of 2)
• Gto Vol 14 Gn (Of 25)
• Kare Kano Vol 5 Gn (Of 13)
• Kodocha Vol 9 Sanas Stage Gn (Of 10)
• Love Hina Vol 14 Gn (Of 14)
• Lupin Iii Vol 7 Gn (Of 14)
• Mars Vol 14 Gn (Of 15)
• Peach Girl Change Of Heart Vol 4 Tp (Of 7)
• Raijin Comics #37
• Ranma 1/2 Tp Vol 3 2Nd Ed
• Rebirth Vol 4 Gn (Of 11)
• Record Lodoss War Chronicles Heroic Knight Book 6
• Saber Marionette J Vol 2 Gn (Of 3)
• Scryed Vol 4 Gn (Of 5)
• Shonen Jump Vol 1 #10 Oct 2003
• Under The Glass Moon Vol 2 Gn (Of 3)
• Wild Act Vol 2 Gn (Of 3)
• Yu Gi Oh Vol 2 Tp Cards With Teeth
• Yuyu Hakusho Vol 1 Tp Goodbye Material World
• Zodiac Pi Vol 2 Gn (Of 4)

More Shinshen Gumi

During the Japan's Meiji revolution in the 1860's, which toppled the ruling shogun, a violent counterrevolutionary paramilitary band of swordmen known as the Shinshen Gumi came to prominence. The group gained some international notice in Ruorini Kenshin, which featured their historical captain Hajime Saitoh.

Lately the group has been popping all over Japanese media from anime to video game, even the homosexual themed live the action movie Taboo. The paramilitary band of samurai known as the Shinshen Gumi are showing up in even more Japanese media. Kurono Nanae's manga Peacemaker Kurogane will be adapted into an anime series to air this October. See www.pm-kurogane.com.

Yoji Shinkawa, the artist for the Metal Gear Solid series will be providing character design for the Playstation 2 game Shinshen Gumi. See The Magic Box for screen shots.

For notes on the history of the group see here

Anime Game News

From Magic Box

Screenshots of Sega Hitmaker's Astro Boy: Tetsu Wan for the GameBoy Advance can be seen here

Here are some new images of Atari's GameBoy Advance fighting game Dragon Ball Z: Taiketsu, the game will be released on October 15. (Source http://www.the-magicbox.com/game080803e.htm

Trailers for Mobile Suit Gundam: Megurial Sora Trailer can be seen in 56k and 300l versions Screenshots can be seen here

Capcom's arcade game Mobile Suit Gundam Z: Aeug Vs Titans, the sequel to Mobile Suit Gundam: Federation Vs Zion can be seen here

The latest Zoids robot combat game, Zoids VS. II can seen here.

Banpresto will be releasing Super Robot Taisen: Scramble Commander, featuring robots from 19 anime series including Evangelion, Mazinger, Gundam for PlayStation 2 . Unlike previous Super Robot Taisen games, this one will feature full sized version of the robots, rather than the mini miss proportioned super deformed versions. The game can be seen here.

12 Kingdoms

According to Anime News Network, despite a misunderstanding reported at the Otakon convention, Del Rey has not currently licensed the 12 Kingdoms manga or novels.

The official Japanese NHK Juuni Kokki website appears to state that the planned 68 episode broadcast of Juuni Kokki (Record of 12 Kingdoms) has been trimmed down to 45. The slightly confusing site lists episode 45 as the last episode of the current story arc, and lower on the page, as the last episode of the series.

New Dragon Ball on Cartoon Network.

Jagged Team points out new episodes of the original Dragonball will premier on Cartoon Network's Toonami on Monday, September 1 at 5:30 p.m. (ET, PT).

• Dragonball GT will begin airing Fridays at 6:30 p.m. (ET, PT), beginning October 3.
• Also, Every Friday at 6 p.m. (ET, PT) for four consecutive weeks beginning September 5, Cartoon Network will present Dragonball Z movies that have never been seen before on U.S. television.
• September 5: Bardock: The Father of Goku
• September 12: The History of Trunks
• September 19: Cooler's Revenge
• September 26: The Return of Cooler

TOKYOPOP to Release CLAMP Hardcover

TOKYOPOP will be releasing a hard cover edition of CLAMP's Shirahime Syo Snow Goddess Tales this November for $19.99

Legends say that when it snows, it is because the snow princess is crying. From CLAMP, creators of Chobits and Cardcaptor Sakura, comes a collection of five tragic tales, all connected by the bond of snow. Shirahime-syo is CLAMP's return to traditional Japanese form and storytelling. Featuring luscious watercolors and gentle brushstrokes, it is a beautiful departure from CLAMP's usual fare. Discover for yourself the mystery behind the snow in this beautiful hardcover edition.

Tezuka's Buddha in Comic Shops

Vertical Inc. will be releasing hardcovers of the first two volumes in comic shops this November for $24.95 each this November.

Japanese comics godfather Osamu Tezuka tells the story of Buddha's life like it's never been told before. Entertaining, visually spectacular, and warm, Buddha is the ultimate example of Tezuka's storytelling genius and artistic mastery. The progenitor of manga as we know it, and the inspiration for countless artists, Osamu Tezuka continues to elicit the deepest awe with his sweeping grasp of the human condition. This life of Buddha is one that all ages and persuasions can enjoy.

Anime on Canadian TV

Canada's YTV will be showing Inu-Yasha, and Knights of the Zodiac (aka Saint Saya) starting September 5th.

Kingdom Hearts Anime

Anime News Service reports that Disney announced that there are plans to make an animated spin off Square's video game Kingdom Hearts, which featured characters from Square's Final Fantasy games, as well as Disney's animated characters. Disney also stated that a Kingdom Hearts sequel will be shown at Tokyo Game Show.

ADV's Sailor Moon R Missing 1 Episode.

Anime on DVD reports that the ADV's Japanese language collection of Sailor Moon R, the series' second second will be missing episode 67, Ocean, Island, Vacation! Senshi's Day Off by Toei's, the series' Japanese licensor, request.

Del Rey Announces Two CLAMP Titles

Del Rey Books, an imprint of The Random House Publishing Group, announced two new major Kodansha manga acquisitions today, both geared for release in May of 2004.

Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle and XXXHolic are both creations of CLAMP, Japan's wildly popular four-woman manga artist and writing team. CLAMP is the creative team behind such lucrative properties as Cardcaptor Sakura and Chobits, which is currently one of the most successful manga properties in the United States. Chobits Volume 7 hit #17 on Bookscan's adult trade paperback bestseller list, and #1 on their graphic novel bestseller list.

Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle is the most highly-anticipated U.S. manga releases of 2004 and will feature crossover characters with XXXholic. In addition, both titles will also feature crossover characters from the Cardcaptor Sakura and Chobits series, in addition to many other CLAMP titles.

"CLAMP have created some of the most beautiful and compelling works of manga published in the U.S. or Japan. Tsubasa and XXXHolic are the best work I've ever seen come out of their studio," said Dallas Middaugh, Del Rey Director of Manga. "Manga readers have made CLAMP the most popular manga creators in America, and given the quality of this work, I don't see any reason for that to change in 2004!"

The acquisition of these two titles rounds out the four-title May 2004 launch of Del Rey's new manga program. The first two title acquisitions, Gundam Seed, a manga adaptation by Masatsugu Iwase of the latest Gundam anime and Negima, a new series by Love Hina creator Ken Akamatsu, were announced at San Diego Comic-Con this past July.

Less Children Watching Television

In a trend that may effect network animation blocks, IMDB points out a Nielsen Media Research report stating that although the number of people watching television continues to expand, rising from 272.04 million in 2002 to 275.58 million currently, the percentage of children in the viewing audience has declined slightly, according to demographic figures released by Nielsen Media Research. The number of children 2-11 watching television dipped to 14.3 percent from 14.7 percent. The percentage of teens 12-17 fell to 8.9 percent from 9.1 percent.

Megatokyo Confirms Move to Dark Horse

Dark Horse has confirmed that they will be handling the print version of anime/manga inspired web comic Megatokyo starting with volume 2, which will be released in January. Dark Horse will be printing the first volume, formerly from IC Entertainment in Spring 2004.

Adult Swim News

Cartoon Network's airing of the new seson on InuYasha will be free of editing.

The six episode FLCL OAV will be returning to Adult Swim on October 20th.

The Fate of Hand Maid Mai

The mystery of the status of the missing releases of Hand Maid May's direct to video follow-up Hand Maid Mai has been resolved. Accoring to Anime News Network, volumes 2 and 3 never hit the market because its distrobution firm Five Ways has gone brankrupt.

" Both Wonderfarm and the production staff are greatly embarrassed. The 2nd and 3rd volumes have been completed. We hope to make them available as soon as possible, we believe it is our responsibility. But we cannot proceed with the release until various legal matters related to the bankruptcy are resolved. "

Technology's Footprint on Manga

Comic Journel's Journalista points out an article reporting that Matsushita has teamed up with the New Tokyo International Airport Authority to test the device, called the Sigma book, at the Narita International Airport, where it will be loaded up with "Japanese comics, novels and how-to books" and loaned to travelers on round-trip tickets.

Japan Corporate News Network is reporting that the Toshiba Corporation is set to begin testing a digital rights management (DRM) system for tracking the downloading of comics at the Japanese website Manga Town. Publishers in a wide variety of media regard DRM, which in theory can prevent the unauthorized copying of legally purchased works, as a prerequisite to posting intellectual properties online.

Anime on ABC Family

ABC Family will be adding mecha anime series Daigunder to its lineup Saturday mornings at 9:30 starting September 13.

Metabots' weekday showings will be replaced by Digimon.

Article on Superflat Exhibit

The New York Times has an article about Takashi Murakami's Superflat exhibit at Rockerfeller center here

Anime and Previews Online

From Natsume Maya Independant anime anime Kentou Miko Kobushi-chan (Fighting Shrine Maiden Kobushi-chan) can be seen here

Trailers for the sci-fi anime Ougon no Hou (The Golden Laws) can be seen here

NHK's website for the upcoming anime version of Planetes (based on the manga by Yukimura Makoto) has a preview for download from the main page.

animate.tv has commenced internet distribution of the Gunparade March TV anime. You can find the main streaming download page here.

Hollywood Sky High

In what sounds a little like a Ring-type situation, an English language Animaxis article is reporting that Tsutomu Takahashi's horror manga series Sky High is being adapted into a live action movie, or possibly a drama television series.

The manga, which was recently adapted into a live action movie in Japan collect revenge stories. When someone dies under unnatural circumstance, a gateway spirit givees them three choices: 1) To accept death and to prepare for rebirth, 2) Not to accept death and to eternally lurk over the Earth, and 3) To put upon a curse to death over one particular living person (but if one chooses this option s/he will end up in the eternal flames of hell without release).

Takara Acquires Majority of Broccoli

Animaxis reports Japanese toy company Takara has purchased a majority state in Broccoli, who is responsible for Japan's speciality Gamers stores, and related characters such as Di Gi Charat. Broccoli has involved itself with English language releases through Digital Manga, and Synch-Point.

TOKYOPOP Announces Marmalade Boy Anime

TOKYOPOP announced at the Big Apple Anime Fest that they will be releasing the anime version on DVD starting in April 2004. The first set will feature 18 episodes on three DVDs.

From the Press release:

Marmalade Boy comes from the imaginative mind of Wataru Yoshizumi-one of the world's premiere shojo creators. A cult classic in its native Japan, the property boasts 72 TV episodes, a movie prequel, eight volumes of highly successful manga also published by TOKYOPOP and-of course-a bevy of dedicated fans.

Modern day family life gets complicated in this teenage soap opera, a unique love story twisted with romance and angst. If you thought your family was strange, meet Miki, whose world is turned upside down when her parents swap spouses with another couple after a trip to Hawaii. Miki's life only gets weirder when she realizes that she's falling in love with her new stepbrother!

Adv Manga Sets Street Dates For Four New Manga Releases

Seven Of Seven: Volume 1 Set For Release October 14, 2003; First Volumes Of Demon City Shinjuku, Demon City Hunter And Demon Palace Babylon Due In Stores October 28

Seven of Seven: Volume 1

A hilarious new romance, only from ADV Manga! When the light of the full moon falls on a mysterious crystal, it turns Nana Suzuki into seven versions of herself! There's Dynamic Nana, Sexy Nana, Crybaby Nana, Smart Nana, Easygoing Nana, Mean Nana, and of course the original Nana. They're all attending the same school, they all have a crush on the same boy, and no one knows what's happened except Nana. Er, Nanas.

Street: 10/14/03

200 black & white pages (color intro pages) Author: Yasuhiro Imagawa Illustrator: Azusa Kunihiro

Demon City Shinjuku: Volume 1

A demon plague is gripping Shinjuku, and the President of Earth is dying from an evil curse! The only one who can lift the curse is the one who made it-the diabolical Levi Rah, master of magic and demonic legions. The fate of the world is in the balance, and it's up to the President's plucky daughter Sakaya Rama and high school-age martial arts expert Kyoya Izayoi (with his mystic sword Ashura) to save the world.

Street: 10/28/03

200 black & white pages (color intro pages) Author: Hideyuki Kikuchi Illustrator: Shin-ichi Hosoma

Demon Palace Babylon: Volume 1

High-school swordsman and martial arts expert Kyoya Izayoi is invited to come aboard a giant floating palace that appears in the skies over Tokyo. Fortunately, his favorite young lady-Sayaka Rama, daughter of Earth's President-is along as well. But then it turns out that the ruler of the palace has ulterior motives toward Sayaka. Good thing Kyoya brought his sword....

Street: 10/28/03

Age Rating: 13+ 216 black & white pages (color intro pages) Author: Hideyuki Kikuchi Illustrator: Shin-ichi Hosoma

Demon City Hunter: Volume 1

The Defense Agency and an evil organization known as the Dark Order are struggling for control of an uncanny force that's already created a horde of weird creatures. The Defense Agency enlists the help of high schooler Kyoya Izayoi, master of the obscure martial art of nenpo. It's going to be quite a fight!

Street: 10/28/03

216 black & white pages (color intro pages) Author: Hideyuki Kikuchi Illustrator: Shin-ichi Hosoma