Ol' Father Geek here reporting in from my hi-tech ultra cool computer control center at Geek World Headquarters inside AICN's barbed wire enclosed wooded compound in the heart of the Central Texas Hill Country with the very latest from the worlds of Manga & Anime in the form of our regular weekly column...

AnimAICN...

by Scott Green...

Anime Spotlight: Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence

Released by DreamWorks Home Entertainment

In his sequel to the cybernetic sci-fi Ghost in the Shell, the original movie's director Mamoru Oshii returns as writer and director, departing from franchise's lead Major Motoko Kusinagi in favor of her metal eyed partner Batou. From bringing innovative camera work to anime, the prominence of a mascot hound dog and key, an intelligent examination on the definitions of humanity and human perception, the movie is pure Oshii-ism, an enthralling movie with its own beat.

Expectation can't prepare you for what is accomplished in Innocence, it need to be seen. Which is the problem with the DVD release. In order for a non-Japanese speaker to follow the movie, its picture needs to be obscured.

Where as the first original Ghost in the Shell balances beautifully rendered, but only subtly departing mundane cityscapes with action sequences that shatteringly engages the abilities of the sci-fi concepts in play, Innocence flips the scales. Innocence's action focuses on the concrete, with character mannerisms and fighters that move like fights. Its cityscape burst into a fantastic momentum to animation.

Largely by through the strength of its visuals, the original Ghost in the Shell was a key piece in evangelizing anime in the mid-90's. As stunning as the movie was, aspects of now look dated, especially held next to it successor. From its parallel cyborg construction opening on, the technical and artistic leaps in the use of comic effects are marveling.

The DVD does not feature an English language dub track, a fact which many anime fans wouldn't think twice about. The issue is that rather than a traditional subtitle overlay, there is a closed captioning for the hearing impaired. It isn't just a nit-picking difference. Not only does the text attribute the speech, ie "Batou:...", and present sound directions, but that the text is noticeably larger than most subtitles (and present in dialog free moments), obscuring the beautiful images in the letter-boxed picture.

The text can be disabled, and for some scenes it is definitely worth doing, but it isn't what anime or foreign language movie watchers have some to expect, readable subtitles that do not obscure the image. The DVD presentation rings as an effort-lacking, or at least unadvisable production.

Starting in the Masamune Shirow's original Ghost in the Shell manga, Batou has held the role as the traditionally more physical side-kick in a detective work. The soldier of the pair, with a shared history, he was veteran within the context of Section 9 and the world at large. A large but not hulking, but a man with a military background and experienced in some blacker operations. The appeal of the character was that in an cerebral sci-fi world, he was man's man, a drinker and fighter, intelligent, but a bit uncouth.

Set after Motoko's evolution at the end of the original Ghost in the Shell, Batou is now partnered with the younger, less experienced, less cybernetically augmented, more family oriented Togusa. In Innocence, he's effected like a believably constructed human being who has been thrown out of what in life would be a familiar groove, what in the story, has been his meta-textual role. He's a sidekick without his lead. Oshii works this singular unique evolution for the character, and pacing the movie around frustrating willed shift. It isn't that Batou was unused to or adverse to independent thinking, but that he used to worked with a specific person, in a specific style that allowed him to be narrowly focused. With a more fragile and less experienced partner, he can't be so blunt and finds himself emulating his former partner.

Batou's solvent mental state is reflected in the movie itself. It's as much about a paused self-configuration as it is solving as case .The flow of a traditional investigation procedural is co-opted, taking on heavy, too much on the mind pacing. Maybe because Innocence follows two other Ghost in the Shell sequels Man-Machine Interface and Stand Alone Complex, freed Oshii from expectations to work within Masamune Shirow's context to create a literally cerebral work without having to substantially expand its technologies, following up on with its sexed up outfits or outdo the action. There is nothing that makes the movie the sole domain of Ghost in the Shell initiates, but knowing characters helps to see the stark differences that sets the movie apart from simpler, colorful adventures in a sci-fi playground.

Anime Spotlight: R.O.D: The TV Volume 4: The Turning Point

Released by Geneon

One of the most unique and boisterous action anime series shifts plot gears at its half way point, converging its plot with the jaw-dropping Read or Die OAV series. The volume also illustrates some idiosyncrasies that work their way into anime, during its televised and video releases.

The three Paper Sisters, young-hot headed athlete Anita, gregarious, light headed Michelle and tall, detached Maggie, low grade detectives, bodyguards and international agent go-for-er's with the ability to manipulate paper from weapons to slicing surfaces to animate creatures have gone to war against their former employers.

What was brief, intense action spaced with character humor or drama has given way to sustained action. Maybe not the he submarine tossing spectacle of the original OAV, but fast, creative and by putting wholly different abilities into familiar big budget action movie scenarios, singularly memorable.

The first of episodes on the volume concludes the action climax of ROD's first arc with one hell of a fight. It works around the abilities of the characters, creating the spacing to feature the paper forms at its most dramatic and explosive. Still, the episode works better if you re-watch the previous episode first. Unfortunately, it re-engages the fight in the middle of a shuffle-step, more an interruption in flow than a cliff hanger resolution. Without having recently seen the building episode it is missing momentum.

When watching anime, it is sometimes helpful to remember the different impression of anime based on the time interval between watching episodes, and that in the case of televised anime, it directors work with a a week spacing in minds.

The building story arcs underscore the trouble translating week spaced episodes into arbitrary clustered home video releases. Particularly in series will three or four episode chapters, ROD and Full Metal Panic being recent examples, there is a likelihood for bad divisions best served with re-watchings.

The second episode prepares for the next phase of the story by revealing the secret alternate history behind ROD, including the back-story behind the original Read or Die OAV, recasting its role in the franchise back to the Victorian styled technology, in a darker light. It reveals the histories of the Paper Sisters' employer Dokusensha, and OAV star Yomiko Readman's British Library.

The episode has it introduces a number of interesting concepts, and it is an innovative and entertaining means of handling a re-cap/minimal new animated high way point episode, on the other, it is doing a lot of telling rather than showing within the context of the series. In story telling, an episode long info-dump may not be ideal, but in an industry were budgets and production times necessitate short cutes, it can be a superlative way of handling a midway light point.

The second half of the volumes ramps up for the second half of the series, and in a manner that will please OAV fans.

Anime Spotlight: Case Closed Like Old Times (Episodes 59-60)

Released by FUNimation

Case Closed is an undeniably entertaining mystery series, but it isn't readily apparent how it managed to became a Dragon Ball dwarfing juggernaut. It's attention maintaining episodes would be perfect for television if its story of a teen sleuth reduced to a child's body after being poisoned didn't create such a demographically unplacable combination of youthful conceits and violent crime.

"Like Old Times" balance the two aspects with a two episode story in which Shinichi/Jimmy Kudo (subtitle vs English dub name differences) turned child detective Conan Edogawa pursues an adult oriented case, and one in which he works with children.

Footsteps of the Hero packs of Conan with his teen life girlfriends and her brash PI/unwitting mouthpiece father to a Sherlock Holmes, of whom Conan and creator Gosho Aoyama are fans, themed weekend retreat.

With the presence of Kudo's friendly rival Heiji Hattori/Harley Hartwell it feels like a mythos episode in that it develops the hero's relations with a re-occurring character. The character's introduction was missed in the series' staggered released, but enough is recapped in the episodic stories to alleviate the absence. Hattori suspects Conan is Kudo, and the two are able to share a friendly duel of egos, especially surrounded by a crowd full of people who also consider themselves the smartest person in the room.

It's a classic odd forensics murder mystery that works has more than enough room for the unique predicament that differentiate Conan from other mystery franchise, an in addition to some identified Holmes trivia, there are a few nice nods to real Conan Doyle affection, such as the "Mycroft" building.

The other episode isn't unenjoyable. Watching the discomfort in the role of a child, and need to assert himself as the most intelligent person around, even if the competition consists of a trio of high strung kids, is one of the joys of the concept. Even after a few children episodes in FUNimation's release, it's clear that the means and motives of children based cases are limited. The problem is that innocence and danger are a tough mix. You can have good children's stories with mortal peril, but while finding novels ways to kill a fictitious adult is a long establish mental game, finding novels was to kill or endanger a fictitious child is distasteful to even think about. The more child populated a story gets, the less the chances are of to overly involve morbid topics like rigor mortis or complex emotions, or construct complexly constructed death scenarios.

ADV Announses First HD-DVD Titles

ADV Films has announced that discs volumes of high definition versions of Noir, RahXephon, and Full Metal Panic! will be releases throughout 2005.

ADV's high definition collector's releases will feature 2-disc volumes of each series. The first DVD of each volume will contain the feature presented in new WMV HD video format and Windows Media Audio Professional to be played on Windows Media Player 9 or 10 and WMV HD compatible DVD players. The 2nd DVD will feature a brand new DTS 5.1 audio track to accompany the Dolby 5.1 audio mix and standard definition video feature.

Upcoming Anime-Based Titles

From The Magic Box

A new Naruto game for the Playstation 2, which will depart from the celshaded fighting game format of the Narutimet Hero series, is in development.

A screenshot can be seen here

Tomy has announced that the Naruto: Gekitou Ninja Taisen game series has sold over 1 million copies.

Bandai also announced One Piece: Combat Rush, an action RPG to be released on the Playstation 2 and GameCube in March 2005.

Geneon Premieres

Geneon has announced that the first volume of Kyo Kara Maoh! will be released on April 19th, and the first volumes of Tenjho Tenge will be released on May 3rd.

New Saikano Trailer

A trailer for the new Saishu Heiki Kanojo - Another Love Song/ Saikano OAV can be seen on the official site at here.

Gundam Popularity Poll

Anime News Network and Gunota Headlines report that Gundam Ace magazine polled 500,000 Japanese Gundam Fans about their 30 most popular male characters, female characters, and mecha. Excerpted from the lists

male characters:

• 1) Char Aznable - MSG/The Origin
• 2) Athrun Zala - SEED DESTINY
• 3) Kira Yamato - SEED DESTINY
• 4) Amuro Ray - MSG/The Origin
• 5) Anavel Gato - 0083
• 6) Kamille Bidan - Zeta Gundam
• 7) Ramba Ral - MSG/The Origin
• 8) Heero Yuy - Wing
• 9) Mu La Flaga - SEED
• 10) Yzak Joule - SEED DESTINY

female characters:

• 1) Lacus Clyne - SEED DESTINY
• 2) Sayla Mass - MSG/The Origin
• 3) Cagalli Yula Athha - SEED DESTINY
• 4) Lunamaria Hawke - SEED DESTINY
• 5) Stellar Loussier - SEED DESTINY
• 6) Haman Karn - Zeta Gundam
• 7) Aina Sahalin - 08th MS Team
• 8) Emma Sheen - Zeta Gundam
• 9) Four Murasame - Zeta Gundam
• 10) Elpeo Ple - Gundam ZZ

mecha:

• 1) Freedom Gundam - SEED
• 2) Zeta Gundam - Zeta Gundam
• 3) Nu Gundam - CCA
• 4) Wing Gundam Zero - Wing: Endless Waltz
• 5) Gundam - MSG/The Origin
• 6) Justice Gundam - SEED
• 7) Sazabi - CCA
• 8) Zaku II - MSG/The Origin
• 9) Hyaku Shiki - Zeta Gundam
• 10) Force Impulse Gundam - SEED DESTINY

ABC Family 2005 Jetix Lineup

From Animation Insider, and Anime News Network, ABC's Jetix children block starting January 15th, 2005 will be:

Saturdays

• 7:00am Digimon
• 7:30am Shinzo
• 8:00am Beyblade G Revolution
• 8:30am Power Rangers DinoThunder
• 9:00am Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go!
• 9:30am W.I.T.C.H.
• 10:00am Digimon
• 10:30am Dragon Booster
• 11:00am Spider-Man
• 11:30am X-Men

Sundays

• 7:00am Digimon
• 7:30am Shinzo
• 8:00am Beyblade G Revolution
• 8:30am Power Rangers DinoThunder
• 9:00am Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go!
• 9:30am W.I.T.C.H.
• 10:00am Digimon
• 10:30am Dragon Booster
• 11:00am Power Rangers Generations
• 11:30am Power Rangers Generations

Weekdays

• 7:00am Digimon
• 7:30am Digimon
• 8:00am Power Rangers Generations
• 8:30am Beyblade

Synch Point Schedules Aquarian Age Movie

AnimeNation reports that Synch Point has confirmed that the 60 minute long Aquarian Age "movie" (actually the Aquarian Age OAV series) will be released in a $59.98 limited edition on February 22, 2005, and in a $29.98 regular edition on March 22, 2005.

Dreamworks Comments on Ghost In The Shell: Innocence Captioning

Anime on DVD and DVD Talk rely the following consumer relations response from DreamWorks to complaints that closed caption text rather than standard subtitles were used on the DVD release of Ghost in the Shell: Innosence:

Thank you for contacting us. Universal Studios Home Entertainment and Dreamworks Home Entertainment strive to provide the highest standard of product and customer care.

The 'Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence' DVD contains two English captions/subtitle tracks. The first translates the Japanese dialogue, which is heard on the main audio track. The second track is a transcription of the optional audio commentary by Director Mamoru Oshii and Animation Director Toshihko Nishikubo.

Our DVD products are captioned in English using Subtitles for the Hearing Impaired, (SDH). This ensures compatibility with all DVD players and TVs. Many older model DVD players are unable to output the Closed Captioning signal, and the majority of TVs manufactured before 1994 did not have Closed Captioning decoders built-in.

We appreciate your patronage and hope that you will continue to enjoy Dreamworks and Universal products.

Sincerely, Universal Studios Home Entertainment

Comments on TOKYOPOP's Treatment of American Creators

Worlds Within Worlds has posted a series of aquasations about TOKYOPOP's treatment of North American creators of original works here, an interesting selection of follow-up comments for those who have worked with TOKYOPOP and within the industry.

ComicsOne Turns Over Manga to DrMaster

Diamond Book Distribution, distributor of comics to specialty comic shops and some book chains announced that manga distributor ComicsOne's titles will be taken over by DrMaster.

With offices in Fremont, California; Taipei, Taiwan; and Tokyo, Japan, DrMaster is dedicated to bringing translated Asian comic book and graphic novel titles from Japan and Hong Kong to American audiences, including such works as Onegai Teacher, Goku: Midnight Eye, Kazan, Sarai, and many others. DrMaster publishes its titles in the traditional, proven Asian format - trade paperback collections of several hundred pages in length..

"ComicsOne was one of our best clients and we are elated to welcome its newest incarnation into the fold," said Diamond Vice President of Purchasing Bill Schanes. "This latest agreement will help us continue making sure these brilliant books from Asia reach the widest American audience possible."

"We here at DrMaster Publications are delighted to work with Diamond Book Distributors - the foremost distributor of comic books and graphic novels here in the United States," said Shawn Sanders the Marketing Director for DrMaster Publications. "We have an exciting line-up for 2005. We plan to bring some Asia's best and brightest to the States and we happy to know Diamond is at the helm of distribution."

Diamond's Sales Team will begin working with bookstores, book wholesalers, warehouse clubs, mass merchandisers, and libraries to place DrMaster titles across the country.

Anime News Network reports that ComicsOne will be continuing with their Kung Fu comics and some older manga while DrMaster, ComicsOne's Asian printer is expected to take over the publication of newer manga.

Full Metal Alchemstic Movie Trailer

Anime News Network points out that a 39 second trailer for the upcoming Full Metal Alchemist movie is online here

Transformers Publisher Confirms Closing

Dreamwave Productions, best known for their comics based on the Transformers has sent out a press release confirming that they will be ceasing operations citing diminishing sales.

Manga Guru's Book Included in Influential Magazine

Stone Bridge Press reports that well-known translator and writer on manga Frederik L. Schodt's recent biography of Ranald MacDonald, Native American in the Land of the Shogun: Ranald MacDonald and the Opening of Japan has been named in Choice's annual Outstanding Academic Titles list, which appears in the January 2005 issue of Choice: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries Magazine.

Ranald MacDonald, not to be confused with a certain fast-food restaurant mascot, a half-Chinook, half-Scot adventurer who entered feudal Japan in 1848 and helped pave the way for its modernization. has monuments erected in his honor in Astoria, Oregon and Rishiri Island, Japan. There even exists a six-page manga called, "Ranald MacDonald, Japan's First English Teacher," an excerpt of which is found in Schodt's book.

For more on the book see here

ADV Announces Moeyo Ken Release

ADV has announced that Moeyo Ken: A Clash From the Past, based on a vide game created by Ouji Hiroi (Sakura Wars) and featuring character design by Rumiko Takahashi (Ranma 1/2, Inuyasha) will be released January 11th.

This exciting tale follows the adventures of the reckless female trio, the Mobile Shinsengumi, during the momentous Meiji Period, one of the most bloody and eventful eras in Japanese history. These sexy samurai sweethearts certainly have their work cut out for them as they furiously battle to protect Kyoto from evil spirits and strange supernatural phenomenon!